The Egyptian Museum in Cairo houses one of the most famous archaeological artefacts in the world – one whose image has come to represent the spectacular world of ancient Egypt. This artefact is the golden mask that weighs 10.23 kilograms, once used to decorate the mummified corpse of the boy-king of Egypt, King Tutankhamun.
King Tutankhamun took the throne when he was nine of ten years old, in the year 1333 BC. He reigned only for a short time, dying when he was eighteen. It is not yet known what caused his death, but scientists have concluded that he had the malaria virus in his system at his death, and was also suffering from an infection in his leg.
He is thought to have had other health problems due to the fact that his family line consisted of many incestuous unions, since it was traditional for rulers to marry their sisters or half-sisters. King Tutankhamun was also married to his half-sister, and their union produced two stillborn children who were also buried in his tomb.
Tutankhamun’s grave was discovered in the Valley of the Kings by Howard Carter in 1922. It was one of the most undisturbed ancient Egyptian burial places, because it had been obscured by mounds of stone chippings, keeping it safe from grave robbers over the centuries before it was re-discovered.
He was buried in true royal style, in a layer of gold-plated wood coffins revealing a coffin of solid gold at the inner core. When the gold coffin was opened, the archaeological team found his death mask, an amazing and elaborate artwork, even more impressive when considering the limited technology available to the ancient Egyptians.
The mask is created from two beaten and burnished sheets of gold, and scientists that studied the mummified skull have concluded that the mask is similar in appearance to what the boy-king would have looked like (although somewhat idealised, as representations of the rich and famous often are!). He is depicted wearing the royal nemes headdress, which has stripes made of blue glass, meant to imitate lapis lazuli, a stone that was thought to bring luck. The brow of the mask has the heads of a vulture and a cobra side by side, representing sovereignty over Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt respectively. The eyes are lined with real lapis lazuli, as are the eyebrows.
The priceless golden mask of Tutankhamun has been displayed in different countries, inspiring awe in museum visitors world-wide, but in 1980 it was decided that the artefact would remain at the Egyptian Museum, since it was considered too fragile and precious. It definitely is strikingly beautiful, and we agree that it is one of the most priceless treasures of antiquity. While we at Postal Gold are more than happy to melt and recycle old scrap gold, this is one gold item we hope remains intact for at least a few more centuries!
