An Interesting Clue On King Tut’s Gold Death Mask Suggests His Burial Was Rushed
One of the most recognizable relics from ancient Egypt is the iconic blue and gold death mask of King Tutankhamun.
For years, it has been understood to belong to the boy king, but new research has suggested that the famous headpiece may not have been originally made for him.
A team of researchers from the University of York, led by Professor Joann Fletcher, has come to the conclusion that the mask was actually meant for a female of high status, possibly Tutankhamun’s stepmother.
Tutankhamun is one of the most well-known pharaohs of his time. He came into power when he was only nine-years-old and only ruled for 10 years (1332 B.C. to 1323 B.C.) before his death, which may have been brought on by various health issues.
Throughout his life, Tutankhamun was believed to have suffered from a number of ailments, including a cleft palate, a club foot, bone disease, and scoliosis, likely due to his parents being siblings.
His lavish tomb and death mask was discovered in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter. The mask is now housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
While sifting through Carter’s burial records, which are kept at Oxford University’s Griffith Institute, Fletcher came across one crucial detail about the mask that had been overlooked by experts in the 102 years since its discovery.
“This mask was not made for an adult male pharaoh,” Fletcher said. “When the gold was compared, [they found] the face is made of completely different gold to the rest.”
A historical document from the 1922 excavation mentioned information about modifications that did not align with ancient Egyptian tradition, raising a red flag to the research team.
Miro – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
The death mask had pierced ears, a feature that was unusual for male pharaohs. They did wear earrings, but the piercings were not transferred to their death masks. Only the masks of children and queens bore those details.
Fletcher and her team’s theory builds on a proposal made in 2015 by Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves, who claimed that the mask was originally created for Queen Nefertiti, the young king’s stepmother. Her tomb and body have never been found.
The death masks for pharaohs were typically crafted from gold and silver. Everyday people made them, too, but theirs were fashioned from clay or wood.
Additional signs that validate the theory include paint blotches on the walls of Tutankhamun’s tomb, indicating that they had not yet dried completely when the tomb was sealed.
“To deepen the enigma, dark spots are scattered across the walls of King Tut’s tomb, marks that scores of experts point to as a sign the paint was still wet when the tomb was sealed, hinting at the hurried nature of its completion,” Fletcher said.
Furthermore, the size of the burial chamber was smaller than expected for a pharaoh of his reputation. These clues suggest that Tutankhamun’s burial was rushed.
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