King Tut Mummy
The King Tut Tomb
The mummy of King Tut was found in
the tomb of Tutankhamun. The tomb contained four gilded shrines nested
one inside the other in order of decreasing size. Inside the innermost
shrine was a red quartzite sarcophagus which protected three anthropoid
coffins (man-shaped). The first two coffins were made of gilded wood but
the final coffin was made of solid gold. The solid gold coffin housed
the mummy of King Tut and his fabulous golden death mask. The death mask
had been placed directly over the mummy of King Tut. This page describes
the King Tut Mummy.
King Tut Mummy -
Why did the Ancient Egyptians create Mummies?
The Ancient Egyptians believed that
every person was thought to have three souls - the Ka, the Ba and the Akh. These
three elements of the soul, were
believed to be perishable and
therefore at great risk. The Ancient Egyptians believed
that tomb of Tutankhamun, the process of
mummification and the rituals and magic spells which
surrounded it would ensure the preservation of the Ka, Ba and Ahk of the
King Tut. The objective of mummification
was therefore carried out to keep the soul alive and
ensure a clear path to the Afterlife.
King Tut Mummy - The
Process of Mummification
Mummification was the process of
preserving and embalming a dead body in the belief that the body would
be necessary in the Ancient Egyptian afterlife. Using a special and
ritualised process the Ancient Egyptians removed all moisture from the
body which left a dried form that would not easily decay.
The mummification process for King Tut would have
taken 70 days. This period of time was divided into
15 days for
cleansing and purification of the body, 40 days drying
period and finally 15 days for wrapping,
bandaging and paintings. A hook was inserted into the
nostrils and through the nose which punctured the brain and the brain
fluid was drained out of the corpse of Tutankhamun. Incisions were made
into the body and the stomach, liver, lungs and intestines were removed
and stored in special alabaster containers called canopic jars - which
were buried with the King Tut mummy. The heart of Tutankhamun was left in the body as the Ancient
Egyptians believed the heart would be needed on the Day of
Judgement. The body cavity was then
packed with linen or straw soaked with oils, scents, spices, herbs
and resins and then sewn together. The
body of King Tut was then turned into a mummy being covered with layers with linen shrouds
and bandages. Between the layers of bandages gold amulets and jewelry
were added - no less than 143 separate items were wrapped with the mummy
of King Tut. A heart scarab amulet was placed over his chest to ensure
that his heart would not bear witness against him in Hall of Two Truths
where their actions in their mortal lives would be examined before they
could enter the Afterlife.
Discovery of the King Tut Mummy
by Howard Carter
The royal mummy of
Tutankhamun was discovered, completely untouched, by Howard Carter. In
1925 the solid gold coffin was opened
revealing the mummy of Tutankhamun. King Tut had
been dead for over 3,300 years.
The liquid resins which had been used during the mummification process
had created significant damage to the King Tut mummy. The linen wrappings of the mummy could not be
easily unwrapped and to enable the mummy to be investigated it was cut
into various pieces. The body was cut in half, the arms and legs were
detached and the head was severed. The golden mask was removed from the
King Tut mummy by using hot knives to loosen the resin. Howard Carter and
his team found 143 precious items on the mummy which
included 15 rings on his fingers, 13 bracelets, the heart scarab, amulets, collars,
daggers and earrings.
The Secrets of the King Tut Mummy
The initial autopsy on the mummy found that King Tut had been about 5 feet
6 inches tall, of slender build and that he had died when he was 18/19
years of age. In 1968 a
group from the University of Liverpool took X-Rays
of the
mummy
which revealed a dense spot at the lower back of the
skull. In 1978 a group from the University
of Michigan X RAY
and examine the mummy. These examinations and
investigations led to speculation that the young boy king, Pharaoh
Tutankhamun, had died from a blow to the back of the head and had been
murdered. This changed in 2005 when a
team of Egyptian scientists led by Dr. Zahi Hawass,
the Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme
Council of Antiquities, conducted a CT scan on
the King Tut mummy revealing that the skull injury was likely
to have been caused during the embalming process.
Damage to the left thighbone also suggested that
Tutankhamun badly broke his leg before he died, and
his leg had become badly infected.
King Tut Mummy
Each section of this website addresses all topics and
provides interesting facts and information about the Golden Age of
Pharaohs and of Egypt. The Sitemap provides full details
of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject
of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
|
