THE DISCOVERY OF KING TUT'S TOMB Tutankhamuns tomb is located in the Valley of the Kings and is by far the

best preserved royal tomb ever discovered. The tomb, which was thought to be left intact, was believed to be robbed twice. Even though this tomb revealed treasure beyond our imagination, it was modestly furnished compared to the pharaohs before and after Tutankhamun's time. This humble tomb had remained hidden for 3000 years and had eluded tomb robbers and flash floods for many centuries. With the odds stacked against finding this tomb, the discovery of this tomb was brought to light through Theodore M. Davis who was an American business man. Davis was the first person to find

items that led to the discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb. His first clue came from a famous cache (a group of royal funerary objects from Tell el Amarna that were brought to Thebes to escape destruction). These items were hidden in a safe tomb, and according to the clay sealing of the cache, it was done by Tutankhamun himself. Some Egyptologists believe this royal cache was probably stored by tomb robbers who hoped to find the treasure later. Among these treasures, furniture that belonged to Tutankhamun was found there too. In addition, there were other clues that gave some insight to the existence of Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

More clues were found inside a small pit in 1907. This pit provided seal impressions of Tutankhamun along with many embalming materials such as linen bags, natron, and broken pottery. These findings were overlooked and sent to New York where they underwent examination. Theodore also discovered a faience cup with King Tuts name upon it. Close to this cup and under a large piece of stone, Mr. Davis found fragments of gold foil with Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun (King Tut's wife) inlaid upon it. These clues were disregarded by Davis. It wasn't until later an Egyptologist, named Howard Carter, who worked with Davis during his excavations found the items to be very interesting. After studying and examining these items, Carter was convinced that King Tuts tomb lay inside the Valley of the Kings. Howard Carter quickly went to Lord Carnarvon, his long time friend, to finance his search for Tutankhamuns tomb. Carnarvon reviewed the evidence and agreed

that the tomb might still be there. They were given the concession to dig in 1914 but had to abandon the dig due to World War I. After the war had died down th ey re su m ed th e di g. Li ke D av is th ey tu rn ed up wi th out Tutankhamuns tomb and Carnarvon started to run low on funds. Carnarvon was ready to give up and abandon the project. Carter persisted that Tutankhamun s tomb had to be hidden, so he pleaded for one more season of digging. He promised Carnarvon if

nothing turned up, he would pay for the dig himself. Carnarvon agreed and digging began again on November 1, 1921. They began this project by digging close to Ramesses VIs tomb. While there, the workers were told to remove an Ancient workmans hut. As they took down this hut a step was found. Carter quickly ordered the steps to be cleared of sand and debris and by noon the next day the doorway was revealed. This door was stamped with the seal of the royal necropolis. The Necropolis seal depicted Anubis standing above five defeated enemies. Carter quickly sent a telegram to Carnarvon which said, At last have made wonderful discovery in valley; a magnificent tomb with seals intact; re-covered same for your arrival; congratulations. Carnarvon and his daughter, Lady Evelyn Herbert, quickly left for Egypt to arrive in Alexandria on November 23rd. Once they reached the Archeological spot, they were met by Howard Carter

and his assistant, A. R. Callender. They quickly removed the ruble from the 16 steps to show Carnarvon and his daughter the discovery. Both Lady Evelyn and Lord Carnarvon saw the royal stamp of Tutankhamun and the necropolis.

The next day Cater started to drill a hole into the plaster door. In the foreground, Carter, Carnarvon, Lady Evelyn, and Callender waited anxiously. Carter made the hole in the upper left-hand corner and started to chip away at the opening. As the hole became larger, it allowed him to peer inside.

Carter held the candle into the darkness and permitted his eyes to adjust to the warm ancient air that exited the tomb. This air made the candle flicker. The gold furniture became illuminated by the small candle. Carter stood frozen and looked with amazement. Lord Carnarvon who waited anxiously for any news quickly exclaimed, Can you see anything? Carter replied with, Yes, wonderful things. They made the hole large enough to squeeze by and they all entered the tomb. They stepped carefully down into the first room. The air was warm and a faint smell of perfume and oil filled the air. To them, the tomb looked as if it had remained intact as the day it had been sealed. Carter held up the candle that flickered frantically as they moved about the tomb viewing all the objects. As the candle lit the room to a small glow, three animal couches were visible. As they searched about, Lady Evelyn turned her light to the left and a pile of broken chariots littered the room. Carter explained

that tomb robbers had most probably thrashed the chariots in search of gold. At the end of the room and to their right two statuesque guards could be seen. They were life-sized statues of the king holding maces and staffs. With so much excitement they all agreed to explore more of the remaining tomb the next day. The next day, Callender came prepared with electric lights and they were setup inside the tomb. This allowed the four of them to explore the tomb more freely.

Facts about King Tut

Facts about King Tut - Tutankhamun Looking for fast facts about King Tut? Check out these fast, interesting, important and even little known facts about the famous pharaoh of Ancient Egypt - the Great King Tut - Tutankhamun.
 

       

 

  

Fact 1 - Tutankhamun was born in 1343 BC - his name at this time was Tutankhaten Fact 2 - Tutankhamun changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun due to pressure from traditionalists, reflecting the growing acceptance of the old god Amun and decline in support of Aten Fact 3 - His father was Akhenaten known as the Heretic King Fact 4 - His mother was Nefertiti Fact 5 - He was born in 1343 BC in Amarna Fact 6 - He reigned as Pharaoh between 1334 BC and 1325 BC Fact 7 - He married his half-sister Ankhesenpaaten Fact 8 - He was nine years old when he became Pharaoh Fact 9 - He was just 18/19 years old when he died Fact 10 - He was buried in his hastily prepared tomb in the Valley of the Kings 70 days after his death, according to the death rituals of the Ancient Egyptians Fact 11 - On 4 November 1922 the English Egyptologist Howard Carter discovers the steps leading to Tutankhamun's tomb Fact 12 - On 5 November 1922 Howard Carter cables Lord Carnarvon: "At last have made a wonderful discovery in Valley; a magnificent tomb with seals intact; re-covered same for your arrival; congratulations." Fact 13 - Approximately 3500 articles were found in the tomb of King Tut Fact 14 - The famous gold mask that rested directly on top of the pharaoh's mummy weighs ten kilos Fact 15 - Mysteries surround the deaths of many of Tutankhamun's closet family members including his father Akhenaten, his stepmother Nefertiti and his wife Ankhesenpaaten Fact 16 - Theories and speculation surround the death of King Tut

   

Fact 17 - If King Tut was murdered the list of murder suspects include the wife of Tutankhamun, Ankhesenpaaten, Horemheb, his Military Commander and Chief, Ay his vizier and successor, Tey - the wife of Ay, a high ranking priest of Amun and finally an enemy soldier - a Hittite or a Nubian Fact 18 - The marriage of Tutankhamun and Ankhesenpaaten produced two daughters who were stillborn Fact 19 - King Tut reigned for just 9 years and the cause of his death still remains a mystery Fact 20 - The Tomb of Tutankhamun reference number is KV62 Fact 21 - Tut was a minor King but the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun and its fabulous wealth has made King Tut one of the most famous of all Pharaohs The Ancient Egyptians believed that as long as a pharaoh's name was remembered, the king would live on through eternity. The discovery of the tomb of King Tut has ensured that Tutankhamun is one Egyptian Pharaoh who will never be forgotten.

Facts about King Tut Each section of this King Tut 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 - Tutankhamun!