TUTANKHAMUN'S MASK: HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS - HISTORY - 2025

The Tutankhamun mask is a funerary mask made of gold and precious stones. It is considered the most recognized piece of Egyptian art. The ancient Egyptians were characterized by making different objects for funeral rites, such as the same mummies, death masks, protective statues and all kinds of elements, since they believed in life after death.

Tutankhamun's funerary mask was discovered in 1925 by the English archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter, in the same tomb of Tutankhamun, in the Valley of the Kings, known as KV62.

History of the Tutankhamun mask

King Tutankhamun was only 9 years old when he became the ruler of Egypt, during the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom (1332-1332 BC). His reign would have been unknown had his tomb not been discovered, one of the richest in the Necropolis of Thebes.

The tomb was found in 1922 and was opened a year later. It took two more years to fully enter the tomb and achieve the rescue of the three sarcophagi that contained the mummy of King Tutankhamun. In the third of these sarcophagi - made of pure gold - the funerary mask was found.

The Tutankhamun mask is approximately 3,250 years old and is currently on permanent display in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt.

Mask Features

The funeral mask is made of pure gold and weighs 11 kilos. It measures 54 centimeters high, 39.3 centimeters wide and 49 centimeters deep. It is made of two layers of high-caliber gold, which are between 1.5 and 3 millimeters thick.

In X-ray investigations, the funeral mask was shown to contain two gold alloys: one 18.4 karat for the face and neck and the other 22.5 karat for the rest of the mask.

Gold not only represents the immense wealth of the pharaoh, but it is also used for its similarity to sunlight, so it would also provide the powers of the solar deities. Gold is a metal that does not deteriorate or lose its shine and the ancient Egyptians thought that it was the "skin of the gods."

The mask of Tutankhamun covered the face of his mummified body, and as the archaeologist Howard Carter himself wrote in his diary when he found it, it has features of the god Osiris mixed with the sad but calm features of the young king, placid and beautiful, with his eyes open. looking at the skies.

This face is the same that was found in other statues and elements inside his tomb, particularly in the guardian statues of the mummified king. The mask wears the Nemes, a headdress on the head, the symbol of the nobles.

On his forehead he wears two emblems: the emblem of the cobra - representing the goddess Wadjet - and the emblem of the vulture - the goddess Nekhbet. This represents that King Tutankhamun reigned over Upper and Lower Egypt.

The ears of the mask are pierced to wear earrings, which is often reserved for children and women in almost all works of Egyptian art that we know of.

In addition to this, on the solid gold cover of the mixture there are inlays of various precious stones, including lapis lazuli - around the eyes and on the eyebrows; quartz- in her eyes; and obsidian- in the pupils.

Other precious stones in the funeral mask are carnelian, turquoise, amazonite; in addition to china and glass in different places, as in the necklace.

In addition, the mask has a protective spell engraved on its back, which corresponds to Spell 151B of the Book of the Dead, which provides protection to Tutankhamun invoking the gods Anubis, Osiris, Horus and Ra, during his passage to life after death.

Other pieces of Tutankhamun's mask

When it was discovered in 1925, the Tutankhamun mask had a 2.5-kilogram beard. It was a thin piece, inlaid with lapis lazuli that gave it a braided effect. It was not until 1944 that the piece was reattached to the mask using some pieces of wood.

The beard piece was then separated from the mask again in an accident while it was being cleaned in 2014. It was repaired in 2015 by a team of German and Egyptian archaeologists, who managed to join it together using beeswax for the first time, the same natural material that was used in ancient Egypt.

The funerary mask also has a necklace, which is not exhibited with the piece. It is a three-strand necklace made of gold and blue earthenware discs, with ornaments of lotus flowers and uraeus-shaped brooches, which is a representation of the goddess Wadjet and a symbol of royalty. It is shaped like a cobra and is the protector of the pharaohs.

Latest Research

According to the most recent research carried out by the British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves, Tutankhamun's funeral mask would have been designed for a pharaoh, probably his mother, the famous and beautiful Queen Nefertiti.

This discovery is based on carefully examining an inscription found on the funerary mask. It can be seen that the names of Tutankhamun were written on previously carved symbols, which would correspond to the titles given to Queen Nefertiti.

The importance of this finding is that by knowing the location of Tutankhamun's tomb, one of the greatest mysteries of Egyptology could be solved: where Nefertiti is buried.

Most likely, the beautiful mother of Tutankhamun was buried anonymously and without pharaoh honors. Nefertiti would have been stripped of her titles by the ideological conflict that existed in Egypt at that time, between monotheism and polytheism.

Thus, the beautiful mask of Tutankhamun is not only the most important symbol of Egyptian art, but also an authentic witness to one of the most troubled times in the history of Ancient Egypt.

References

1. Tutankhamun's mask. Wikipedia. Recovered from Wikipedia.com.
2. The Gold Mask of Tutankkhamun. Eternal Egypt. Recovered from Eternallegypt.com.
3. Tutankhamun's tomb (innermost coffin and death mask). Essay by Dr Elizabeth Cummins. Recovered from khanacademy.org.
4. Tutankhamun: Great golden face mask was actually made for his mother Nefertiti, research reveals. David Keys. Recovered from independent.co.uk.
5. Tutankhamun's gold mask back on display in Egypt after beard restoration. Recovered from theguardian.com.
6. King Tut Mask. Description of the King Tut Mask - The Use of Gold - The Flesh of the Gods. Recovered from historyembalmed.org.
7. Tutankhamun's Gold Mask. Recovered from timetrips.co.uk.