The Hidden Stories of King Tut and Howard Carter

“But when we came to a golden shrine with doors closed and sealed, we realized that we were in the presence of the Dead King. We were to witness the spectacle such as no other man in our times had been privileged to see.

Howard Carter

The discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamun in 1922 by Howard Carter marked a monumental event in the field of archaeology. Designated as KV-62, denoting its location in the King’s Valley as tomb number 62, this find sent shockwaves across the globe, sparking widespread fascination and curiosity.

For the first time in history, a royal Egyptian tomb was unearthed fully intact, providing a rare glimpse into the life and legacy of the young King Tut. However, this discovery was not without its challenges and controversies, leading to a prolonged dispute over the ownership and display of King Tut’s treasures.

While the treasures themselves remained in Egypt and were eventually transferred to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, King Tut’s mummy remained undisturbed in the tomb until 2007. It was in this year that the mummy was unveiled to the public for the first time, allowing people worldwide to witness the preserved remains of this ancient pharaoh.

Around 2018, plans were set in motion for a gradual transfer of King Tutankhamun’s entire collection from the Cairo Egyptian Museum to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). This meticulous process aimed to ensure that the complete collection of King Tut would be housed in the state-of-the-art facilities of the GEM, ready to be showcased to visitors from around the world.

Delving deeper into the history surrounding King Tut, there are several intriguing and lesser-known facts that shed light on his life and the era in which he lived.

In 1996, French archaeologist Alain Zivie and his team made a remarkable discovery. They stumbled upon the tomb of a woman named Maia at Sakara. What made this find particularly fascinating was Maia’s close association with King Tutankhamun. Depicted in a unique relief alongside King Tut, Maia held titles such as Wet Nurse of the King and Educator of the God’s Body. Despite her significant role, historical records from King Tut’s time and even during his father Akhenaten’s reign make no mention of Maia. This mystery has led researchers to speculate that Maia might have been a member of the Amarna court under King Akhenaten, possibly altering her name and later choosing to be buried at Saqqara.

Another intriguing discovery came in 1895 when French archaeologist Victor Loret uncovered a mummy cache within tomb number 35 at the Valley of the Kings, belonging to King Amenhotep II. Among the unidentified mummies found was one referred to as “th

e younger lady.” Initial examinations by Loret and later by Dr. Elliot Smith suggested conflicting gender identifications. However, a DNA analysis in 2010 conclusively identified this mummy as Queen Tyie, the mother of Akhenaten and grandmother of King Tut. This revelation provided crucial insights into King Tut’s lineage and familial connections within the ancient Egyptian royalty.

One of the most surprising revelations about King Tut’s tomb is that it was not initially discovered fully intact. The tomb had been targeted by robbers twice in antiquity, reflecting the turbulent times during King Tut’s reign as Egypt sought stability following the upheaval of the Amarna period. Despite these attempts, diligent security measures were taken to repair the damage and seal the tomb, preserving its contents for centuries until Howard Carter’s historic discovery.

The process of unwrapping King Tut’s mummy in 1925 revealed further challenges and unexpected decisions. Anatomist Douglas Berry and Saleh Hamdi assisted Carter in this delicate task, but the mummy’s preservation methods, including an abundance of resin in the bandages, made unwrapping exceedingly difficult. As layers were removed, the mummy’s attachment to the coffin became apparent, leading to the controversial decision to cut the mummy into pieces to facilitate the process. This dismemberment, initially undisclosed by Carter, was later uncovered in 1968, adding another layer of intrigue to the saga of King Tutankhamun’s discovery.

Among the fascinating anecdotes related to King Tut’s tomb is the story of Hussain Abdulrassul, an Egyptian boy who played a crucial role in uncovering the tomb’s entrance in 1924. While working as a water boy for Carter’s team, Hussain’s accidental discovery led to the monumental find. Despite not being widely recognized in historical accounts, Hussain’s contribution became a part of his family’s legacy, eventually gaining recognition through documentaries and news reports.

These hidden facts about King Tutankhamun offer a deeper understanding of the complexities and mysteries surrounding one of ancient Egypt’s most iconic figures. Each discovery and revelation adds another layer to the rich tapestry of history preserved within the sands of time.