King Tut Shrines
The King Tut Tomb
The tomb of Tutankhamun contained
four gilded shrines nested one inside the other in order of decreasing
size. The innermost shrine contained the red quartzite sarcophagus of
King Tut which protected three anthropoid, or man-shaped, coffins. The
first two anthropoid 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 which was directly covered
by his fabulous golden death mask.
This page describes the King Tut Shrines in further detail.
King Tut Coffin
King Tut Sarcophagus
King Tut Shrines -
What were the Tutankhamun shrines?
What exactly were the King Tut
Shrines which covered the sarcophagus and coffins of King Tut and what
were their purpose? Definition of shrine: The word 'shrine' is derived
from the from the Latin word 'scrinium' meaning a ‘box’. A shrine was
originally a container which was usually made of a precious material.
Shrines were especially designed to contain a relic or cult image in a
sacred place which was dedicated towards a certain deity. So the King
Tut shrines were specific containers dedicated to the living god,
Tutankhamun, which were housed in a sacred place - that is the tomb of
King Tut.
King Tut Shrines -
The four Tutankhamun shrines
The group of four King Tut Shrines and the
Tutankhamun Sarcophagus protected the two gilded wooden coffins and
amazing solid gold coffin, which were snugly nested within each other, like Russian
dolls. The King Tut Shrines were
made of gilded wood and decorated with faience.
The faience used by the Ancient Egyptians was a strong greenish blue
glass-like material, consisting of crushed quartz, lime and alkali. The gilded wood consisted of cedar and some oak.
Gilding was used by the Ancient Egyptians to achieve a wonderful golden
appearance. The gilded wood consisted of cedar and some oak. The base
wood was covered with a thin sheet of gold and each shrine was copper
bound at its lower edge and contained a set of double folding doors. The
doors were held shut by ebony bolts.
Description of the King Tut
Shrines
A description of each of the King
Tut Shrines is as follows:
-
The Outer Shrine
of gilded wood measured 16.66ft (or 5.08 meters ) in length
x 10.76ft (or 3.28 meters ) in width and 9.02ft (or 2.75
meters ) in height. It had a double-sloping roof and
was decorated with amulets of Isis, hieroglyphs of Osiris
and a pair of protective Wadjet eyes. Spells from the Book
of the Dead were also inscribed on the inside walls of the
shrine. No seal was present on this shrine
-
The second
shrine of gilded wood measured measured 12.30 ft (or 3.75
meters ) in length x 7.70 ft (or 2.35 meters) in width and
7.38 ft (or 2.25 meters ) in height. It had an intact seal,
a sloping roof and decorations which included a depiction of
King Tut before Osiris
-
The third shrine
of gilded wood measured 11.15 ft (or 3.4 meters ) in length
x 6.29 ft (or 1.92 meters) in width and 7.05 ft (or
2.15 meters ) in height. The shrine had an intact seal and
the roof depicted a solar disc
-
The fourth and
innermost shrine of King Tut of gilded wood measured
measured 9.51 ft (or 2.9 meters ) in length x 4.85 ft
(or 1.48 meters) in width and 6.23 ft (or 1.9 meters ) in
height. This contained the coffins and mummy of Tutankhamun.
The door to this shrine had never been sealed
King Tut Shrines
Each section of this King Tut Shrines 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 King Tut Shrines - Tutankhamun!
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