Assess Tutankhamun's tomb for what it reveals about New Kingdom Egyptian Society.
The discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb by Howard Carter in 1922 is considered the most important archaeological find of the century. As one of the most intact monuments of Ancient Egypt, Tutankhamen's tomb reveals a great deal about the burial customs, role of the king, religious beliefs, leisurely pursuits and food of New Kingdom Egypt.
Being so intact when Carter made the discovery, the shrine of Tutankhamun gives us a strong indication of the burial practises of the New Kingdom Egyptians. The Canopic Shrine situated on the east wall of the Treasury holds Tutankhamun's embalmed internal organs. A gold chest held four Canopic jars containing the dead pharaoh's internal organs - lungs, stomach, intestines and liver - in each jar. Clearly, during the process of mummification, the embalmers must have removed the viscera and preserved them in the Canopic jars, perhaps to be taken with the pharaoh to the next world. The third and innermost of three mummiform coffins of Tutankhamun is made of solid gold and is inlaid with semiprecious stones and coloured glass. It is covered with incised decorations and inscriptions inside and outside. It bears the names and epitaph of the deceased king and also protective texts. From this we learn how important the decoration of the mummy was, and the power the coffin was believed to hold. The coffin is shaped in the form of the god Osiris holding the sacred insignia, the heka sceptre and the flail. He wears a divine beard is made of gold inlaid with blue glass, and a vulture and cobra situated on his forehead are protecting him from evil and ensuring safe passage into the other world. All of these are royal symbols of the Pharaoh and signify once again his direct alignment with the gods.
The 35 model boats found...
More Ancient Egypt
essays:
Mummification What is the process of mummification described in detail
... body. Egyptian women were made into mummies as well. The womens' organs were also pulled out of the body during the process of mummification. The internal female genital organs were ...
A Famous Discoverer - The Story of Howard Carter
... history of archaeology," wrote Nicholas Reeves in the book, Ancient Egypt the Great Discoveries, about Howard Carter. Those who recognize the name, Howard Carter, usually associate it with the discovery of King Tutankhamun's ...
The pyramids of Egypt
... days of Ancient Egypt when powerful pharaohs ruled over Egypt the pyramids were considered a wonder. Today, the ruins of 35 pyramids still stand near the Nile River in Egypt. These pyramids were built to protect the bodies of Egyptian kings ...
The Importance of the Pharaoh in New Kingdom Egyptian Society
... aspects of Egyptian life and instilling themselves in religious practices, the Kings of New Kingdom Egypt were ... enemies of Egypt. Tutankhamen's tomb held chariots and weapons, and there are many reliefs showing Pharaohs driving ...
Comparing ancient Sumer and Egypt
... when pharaohs ruled and ziggurats towered, two civilizations rose to form the customs and cultures of today. Ancient Egypt and ancient Sumer ... in ancient Egypt until about 1700 B.C. when foreign invaders, the Hyksos, conquered Egypt. They awed the Egyptians with ...
Queen Hatshepsut: An Untraditional Pharaoh and Her Rise to Power
... in ancient Egypt such as Cleopatra to follow in her footsteps. BibliographyAidan, Dodson. Hatshepsut and 'Her Father' Mentuhotpe II, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeolog ...
Pyramids in a Nutshell
... the dead body through a seventy day process called mummification, in which the body was dried and wrapped in linen and the organs removed and placed in canopic jars. The pyramids were filled with everything a pharaoh would ...
Anchient Egypt Death/Burial Customs
... in Ancient Egypt, where the process of mumification is a way of preserving one's self for the afterlife. Ancient Egyptian's beliefs regarding a afterlife highly influence their death and burial customs. Ancient Egyptians are ...