RAFAEL BARAGAÑO

One spring, around 1320 BCE, the young king of Egypt, Tutankhamun, was buried in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor in the south of Egypt. He had come to the throne of Egypt as a child after a period of religious and political changes, and his unexpected death at 19 meant that his burial had to be prepared hastily in a small re-used tomb. After his funeral, the tomb was hidden by the construction works of later royal tombs nearby, and although it was apparently disturbed by robbers shortly after his burial, it remained substantially intact. Its four rooms were packed with a wealth of ritual items and everyday objects from the royal court, perfectly preserved by the dry conditions of the desert valley. In autumn 1922, as Egypt started to become an independent nation, the tomb was discovered by a British team led by Howard Carter, who were excavating with a concession granted by the Egyptian Antiquities Service to the 5th Earl of Carnarvon. It took ten years to clear the tomb and conserve all its contents, which are now displayed in Cairo. After his death, Carter’s records of the excavation were donated to the Griffith Institute, the center for Egyptology at the University of Oxford. This unique exhibition includes maps, diaries, letters, record cards, drawings, conservation records and photographs, documenting the discovery and subsequent work as it happened, first-hand, day by day. As we look through the archive we revisit one of the world’s most famous archaeological discoveries. There is much more than gold to Tutankhamun’s tomb, and with these records we can look beyond the golden ‘treasures’ to explore the complexities of the discovery and the often overlooked Egyptian members of the archaeological team.

New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun, ca. 1336-1327 BC, Wood, Gesso, Pigment, Valley of the Kings, KV 62, Tomb of Tutankhamun, Antechamber, Excavated by H. Carter for Lord Carnarvon in 1922. This piece was found partially hidden among the disassembled chariots in the Antechamber of Tutankhamun’s tomb. It is a life-size model of the king, depicting him from the waist up wearing a white linen tunic and yellow, flat-topped crown. The king’s earlobes have been pierced to hold a pair of earrings. A cobra rises from the forehead, made separately from gilded wood and painted in black and red. The cobra’s tail is outlined in red paint on the crown itself. It stands ready to strike anyone who should do harm to the king. Tutankhamun’s skin has been painted a dark red, the traditional color used by ancient Egyptian artisans to depict men. Touches of red paint have been added to the corners of the king’s eyes to make them appear more life-like. Carter suggested that this artifact may have served as a mannequin of sort, either to hold Tutankhamun’s clothes and jewelry in the palace or to be used as a life-size model for the royal dressmakers.

On 11 November 1925, a scientific examination’ of the king’s mummified body began in the conservation laboratory in the tomb of King Sety II. This was the first time an undisturbed royal body had been discovered. It was normal practice at the time to unwrap and examine mummified bodies. Burton captured the very moment when the British surgeon Douglas Derry made the first incision into the wrappings. He is watched by his Egyptian colleague Dr Saleh Bey Hamdi (on his right) who was a friend of the Egyptian poet Ahmad Shawqi. Other official onlookers include Carter and the French director- general of the Antiquities Service of Egypt, Pierre Lacau. The examination revealed that the king’s body had been covered with elaborate layers of amulets and jewelry. The body itself was in fact not very well preserved.

The team tried to treat the dead king with respect, and the careful unwrapping and examination of the royal body took nine days. About 150 objects were discovered inside the layers of bandages, including numerous amulets, bracelets, collars, pectorals and two daggers. All the objects were recorded in photographs, individual drawings and a series of sixteen so-called ‘autopsy drawings’, produced by Carter to document the position of each artifact within the wrappings before their removal. Afterwards, only the king’s body was returned to the sarcophagus in the tomb where he still rests.

Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun, ca. 1336-1327 BC, Wood, Gold, Glass, Carnelian, Tomb of Tutankhamun, Antechamber. The rich decoration and the unparalleled craftsmanship of this piece make the throne of Tutankhamun one of the most iconic artifacts known from ancient Egypt. The piece was extensively re-worked after its original manufacture, and it has been speculated it may originally have been made for Akhenaten. In any case, its current form dates to the earliest years of Tutankhamun, the back panel still bearing traces of both the king’s birth name, Tutankhaten (The Living Image of the Aten) and his queen’s birth name, Ankhesenpaaten (Her Life is Aten). Icons of the Amarna period are still to be seen on the throne, in particular the sun-disk that dominates the main scene: less obviously, flying ducks among the marshes on the rear of the backrest are typical of the period. Underneath the Aten, Tutankhamun is shown lounging on his throne while Ankhsenamun applies perfume from a cup she holds to his left shoulder. The winged cobras that make up the armrests, the two lion heads on either side of the front, and the cobra frieze on the rear served as insignia of protection for the reigning pharaoh. Between the legs of the chair the sema-tawy motif was formerly present. The intertwined lotus and papyrus stalks symbolized the unified Upper and Lower Egypt resting beneath the sovereign pharaoh. The accompanying footstool in the display was found on the seat between the armrests and is presumed to have originally been used with this throne.

Stored under one of the ritual beds in the Antechamber, was a spectacular golden throne. It was made early in the king’s reign, and shows signs of having been used often, possibly at banquets. It is made of wood and covered with gold leaf, with inlays of silver, brightly colored semi-precious stones and glass. A scene on the back depicts the young king sitting on a throne while his wife stands in front of him. Above the royal couple are the rays of the sun-disk, worshiped by Tutankhamun’s father, King Akhenaten.

The various team-members also recorded primary information about each object on record cards: ten such cards were created for the elaborate gold throne. The first record card, written by Carter, gives a brief description of the throne as well as its overall dimensions and exact find spot: ‘Under head end of Typhonic-couch. Original position doubtful’. Three other cards show annotated drawings on squared paper. These give information on the materials, the dimensions of individual sections of the throne and the inlaid pattern of the seat.

New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun, ca. 1336-1327 BC, Ebony, Gold, Ivory, Glass, Valley of the Kings, KV 62, Tomb of Tutankhamun, Annex. This elaborately decorated and inlaid chair was found within the Annex, along with several other pieces of furniture. Its form is the most unusual of all the thrones found within the tomb: the bottom takes the shape of a stool with a vertical backrest added. Like the golden throne of Tutankhamun, this piece was fashioned early on in the monarch’s reign: in the middle of the cobra frieze there are two cartouches of the Aten’s name surmounted by a sun-disk representing the Aten. Additionally, the vulture goddess Nekhbet is set between cartouches of the pharaoh, which use his birth name, Tutankhaten (The Living Image of the Aten). The cobra frieze and vulture goddess on the top of the backrest, along with the depiction of the vulture on the reverse side, all served to protect the pharaoh. The top of the inlaid seat is spotted to imitate an animal skin, perhaps of a leopard. The legs of the chair end in the form of ducks heads, made out of ebony inlaid with ivory. The sema-tawy motif of intertwined lotus and papyrus stalks representing a unified Upper and Lower Egypt once stood between them.

Botton left and center: Inlaid Wooden Footstool with Figures of Nine Bound Prisoners. Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun, ca. 1336-1327 BC, Wood, Gold, Faience, Ebony, Ivory, Glass, Tomb of Tutankhamun, Annex.

Top Center: Despite Petrie’s misgivings, Carter’s fine draftsmanship ensured his success in Egypt. By the mid-1890s, he was recording scenes in the temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, Luxor, for the British organization, the Egypt Exploration Fund. This watercolor copy of a painted wall relief shows the technical skill and accuracy of Carter’s work, as well as his engagement with ancient Egyptian art.