Tutankhamun Golden Mask
Tutankhamun’s golden mask is an instance of the ancient Egyptians’ best aesthetic and technical accomplishments of the New Kingdom.
The golden mask of Tutankhamun provided extra protection for the king’s body by hiding the head of the wrapped mummy in its coffin and activating it with a magical spell from the Book of the Dead, no.151bc.
Because of the accurate depiction of the king’s facial features attained here, his soul was able to recognize him and transfer to his mummified body, assuring his resurrection.
The regal headgear is worn over the head, as well as the vulture and uraeus, or cobra, are emblazoned on the forehead as symbols of kingship and protection.
Heating and pounding are used to combine the gold sheets that make up this magnificent golden mask of Tutankhamun. The eyes are made of obsidian and quartz, with lapis lazuli inlay on the brows and eyelids. The wide inlay collar of semiprecious stones and colorful glass comes to a point with falcon heads.
Tutankhamon Golden Mask
How much gold is in Tutankhamun mask?
A very thin layer (about 30 nanometres) of two different gold alloys is applied to Tutankhamun golden mask’s exterior: a lighter 18.4 karat hue for the face and neck, and 22.5 karat gold for the remainder of the mask.
What does Tutankhamun’s mask symbolize?
The mask was embellished with semi-precious stones and glass, as well as bands of glass paste that resembled lapis lazuli. The vulture and cobra emblems on the forehead and falcon heads on the shoulders were signs of the Two Lands of Upper and Lower Egypt, as well as divine authority.
The innermost coffin of king Tutankhamon
Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus (a box-like stone container) contained not one, but three coffins for the king’s body. The outer two coffins were made of wood and adorned with gold and semiprecious stones like lapis lazuli and turquoise.
The inside casket, on the other hand, was fashioned entirely of solid gold. This casket was not the gleaming golden image we see now in the Egyptian Museum when Howard Carter first saw it. “It was coated with a thick black pitch-like covering that ran from the hands down to the ankles,” Carter writes in his excavating notes . This was clearly an anointing liquid that had been poured over the casket in large quantities (at least two buckets full) during the burial process.
The pharaoh’s image is like that of a deity. The gods were said to have gold skin, silver bones, and lapis lazuli hair, therefore the king is depicted here in his heavenly form in the hereafter. He wields the crook and flail, which are symbols of the king’s authority. The deities Nekhbet (vulture) and Wadjet (cobra) spread their wings across his body, inlaid with semiprecious stones. Two other goddesses, Isis and Nephthys, are engraved into the gold lid below these two.
Is King Tut’s mask solid gold?
Tutankhamun, who reigned for nine years and died in 1324 BC, was about 19 years old when he died. Lapis lazuli and semi-precious stones adorn his 11kg solid gold funerary mask.
Was King Tut removed from his tomb?
The sarcophagus of King Tutankhamun has been taken from his burial for the first time since its unearthing 100 years ago, raising worries of a deadly curse. Archaeologists are restoring the Egyptian boy king’s gold-plated wooden coffin and thousands of ancient artifacts* from Tut’s tomb.
Why is King Tut so famous?
Tutankhamun is famous today because his tomb; which contained incredible valuables, was discovered by British archaeologists Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon in the early twentieth century (1922).
What were the items that King Tut was buried with?
Besides all the precious items like the Golden Mask of Tutankamun; there were also other items that were found in his tomb, such as board games, a bronze razor, linen underwear, and food and wine containers. Carter began exploring the pharaoh’s three nested coffins following months of meticulously cataloging the pharaoh’s burial goods.
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Was Tutankhamun the youngest pharaoh?
Tutankhamun was, according to current knowledge of history, the youngest king to reign over ancient Egypt.
What happened after Tutankhamun died?
King Tut was mummified after he died, in accordance with Egyptian religious custom; which stated that royal bodies should be maintained and provisioned for the hereafter.
Why was Tut buried with everyday things?
Explanation: Tut’s body was buried beside gilded jewels; because gilded treasures and other assets were thought to guarantee resurrection in Tut’s time in Egypt. The royals thought that in the hereafter, the deceased could take their wealth with them.
Why is King Tutankhamun Golden mask so famous?
The gold death mask of Tutankhamun is arguably the most renowned object ever discovered in Egypt. ‘A lovely and rare specimen of antique portraiture,’ Howard Carter said, adding that it ‘bears a sorrowful yet peaceful countenance suggestive of youth prematurely overrun by death.’ The mask is a work of art created with great expertise.
