The mysteries behind King Tut .'s golden mask

Of the thousands of treasures unearthed from King Tut's final resting place, the golden mask is the most captivating. Beautiful and striking, its black eyes gaze at our modern world, like a lost visitor from the past.

Pharaoh Tutankhamun's mask was first unearthed when archaeologist Howard Carter opened the Egyptian pharaoh's coffin in 1925, and some believe the ancient tomb unleashed a curse.

When British archaeologists opened the golden sarcophagus of Pharaoh Tutankhamun (aka King Tut) in 1925, they found themselves face to face with the wide-opened eyes of the teenage king's mummy mask. .

Since then, the King Tut mask has captivated the world. With its proud posture, peaceful gaze, and shiny skin, the mask cast in gold offers a rare glimpse into life in ancient Egypt. It exudes the traditions, beliefs and artistic prowess of a vibrant lost culture.

So who is the teenage king immortalized in gold? How did archaeologists find his tomb? And why do some people think this mask is for someone else?

King Tut's mask on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt, 2015.

By 1922, Howard Carter's investors were growing impatient. The British archaeologist scoured the Valley of the Kings in Egypt for eight years but did not find anything significant.

Journey to discover King Tut .'s Mask

Still hoping to find the tomb of Egypt's teenage king, Tutankhamun, Carter pressed Count Carnarvon for another year's financial support. Carnarvon reluctantly agreed, for a period of just one year.

As time passed like sand through his fingers, Carter began a new search, with a new intensity. In November 1922, that attempt was successful when he found a hidden set of stairs. Carter quickly pulled the wire to Carnavon and the two prepared to break into King Tut's underground tomb.

With Carter leading the way, the two men stepped over the threshold and into an oppressive, dark atmosphere. Howard Carter later wrote: 'There, before we lifted the sealed door, and when it was. opened, we erased centuries of separation and stood in the presence of a king who reigned 3,000 years ago'.

'At first I couldn't see anything, the hot air coming out of the room made the candle flicker,' recalled Carter, 'but now, as my eyes adjusted to the light, the details of the room inside. slowly emerging from the mist, strange animals, statues and gold - everywhere there was a glint of gold'.

From behind, Carnarvon asked up if Carter had seen anything. The archaeologist almost burst into tears and replied: 'Yes, wonderful things!'.

Image of King Tutankhamun's coffin uncap in the tomb in the Valley of the Kings on November 4, 2007.

However, out of all the 'wonderful things' they found, one definitely stood out - a golden coffin. Three years later, after fully recording thousands of objects in the grave, Carter opened the coffin for the first time in more than 3,000 years.

Carter wrote in his diary after opening the coffin and discovering King Tut's mask: 'The scene has finally revealed. A skillfully wrapped mummy of the young king, with a golden mask of a sad yet calm expression… The mask had the character of God, but like Tutankhamun - calm and beautiful, with features like we see on his statues and coffins'.

Subsequent research revealed that the King Tut Mask was made of two types of gold, with obssidian and quartz eyes; The eyebrows and eyelids are decorated with lapis lazuli. The headdress features a cobra and a vulture, symbolizing the young king's control over Upper and Lower Egypt.

But Carter's discovery was not the end of Pharaoh Tutankhamun's journey. Nor is it the beginning.

King Tut mask in 1925, shortly after Carter opened the coffin of the Egyptian Pharaoh.

Who is King Tutankhamun?

Discovering the King Tut Mask made Carter famous. It also made King Tut famous, even more famous than his lifetime. So who is this teenage king with the golden mask?

Born in 1341 BC, Tutankhamun reigned for a short, unremarkable reign. Having ascended to the throne at the age of nine following the death of his father, he seems to have mostly followed the advice of an advisor named Ay.

Although King Tut's father once ordered the Egyptians to convert to a monotheistic religion and worship only the sun god Aten, Tutankhamun reversed his father's orders. Under his rule, the Egyptians returned to the worship of many gods.

Relief of King Tutankhamun and Queen Ankhesenamun.

King Tut also did not achieve much during his reign. He married his half-sister, Ankhesenamun, but had no heir - both of their daughters died in infancy. In 1324 BC, King Tut's reign came to an abrupt end when the young king died at the age of 19.

To this day, no one is sure how Tutankhamun died. CT scans showed that he had malaria, a broken leg, and, due to an incestuous family relationship, he was born with a birth defect. King Tut also walked with a club foot, using a cane. But whether this pharaoh died naturally, by accident or by assassination is still unknown.

What is known is that the young Pharaoh was honored upon his death. After being mummified and placed in a golden coffin, King Tut's mask was placed over the mummy. After that, his coffin was taken to the grave with thousands of treasures, walking sticks and the remains of his two daughters.

He remained there for 3,000 years, until one day in November 1925 when Carter and Carnarvon walked in.

The Legacy of King Tut .'s Mask

Since Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun's tomb, the young king has traveled the world more than he has ever done in his life. King Tut and the golden mask were exhibited in France, Great Britain, Japan, Russia and the United States.

But King Tut's travels around the world were not without scandal.

First, the young king's remains are shadowed by suspicions of a curse. Carter fortunately escaped the curse, but Carnarvon died shortly after King Tut's tomb was opened. He succumbed to blood poisoning from mosquito bites.

Other Carnarvon associates who entered the mausoleum also experienced strange fates. A 35-year-old man died of respiratory failure. Another person burned to death. And one even hanged himself for fear that the curse would find him.

Curse aside, some have wondered if the mask belonged to King Tut. Some British Egyptologists believe that this mask was originally made for Nefertiti, the eldest wife of Pharaoh Akhenten (or Amenhotep IV) - Tutankhamun's father. They came to this conclusion in part because King Tut's mask appeared to be wearing earrings.

However, Egyptologists have largely rejected this hypothesis. In King Tut's time, earrings were not just for women or children, and there is evidence that the mask was made specifically for him.

Egyptologist Bassam al-Shamaa explains: 'The golden mask has an inscribed hieroglyphic inscription, which is a magical script like a spell, the purpose is to help the dead pass through the outside world. that'.

Today, the life and death of Pharaoh Tutankhamun continues to attract the public. 3,000 years after his death and nearly 100 years after the coffin was opened, museum visitors are still eager to see artifacts from his mausoleum.