The men who built Egypt’s royal tombs left behind something almost as remarkable as the tombs themselves: records of their own lives. They wrote about missing work, delayed food payments, family disputes, and the problems of everyday life. Some even…
Seventy-one boxes were found inside Tutankhamun’s tomb. But some of them contained something very different from what their ancient labels suggested. One box was labeled for linen but held headrests. Another had an internal fitting apparently intended to support a…
Tutankhamun was buried with more than one way to sit. Inside his tomb were elaborate royal chairs, lightweight stools, folding seats, footstools and the spectacular object now commonly known as his Golden Throne. Howard Carter’s records even distinguish a chair…
When Howard Carter entered Tutankhamun’s tomb, he did not find a few royal treasures standing neatly inside empty rooms. He encountered furniture almost everywhere. Chairs, stools, beds, enormous animal-shaped couches, decorated boxes and other objects were crowded together with chariots,…
More than 3,000 years after Tutankhamun’s burial, archaeologists found something inside his tomb that gold could not replace: real food. There were bread loaves, baskets containing fruits and seeds, meat provisions, and pottery jars that had once held wine. Some…
Six chariots were buried inside Tutankhamun’s tomb. But they were not six identical vehicles waiting to carry a warrior into battle. Some were richly decorated and closely connected with royal display. Others were heavier and plainer. Two were smaller and…
Gold is what made Tutankhamun’s tomb famous. But among its thousands of objects were items designed around very different actions: shooting, cutting, striking, throwing, and defending. The young king was buried with an extraordinary range of weapons. Bows and arrows…
Tutankhamun was buried with gold, weapons, chariots, clothing, food, and something that feels surprisingly familiar more than three thousand years later: board games. No fewer than five game boxes were placed in the young king’s tomb. Some were impressive pieces…
More than 130 complete and fragmentary sticks and staffs were found inside Tutankhamun’s tomb. For a king who died at about nineteen years old, that number seems extraordinary. It has also helped create one of the most persistent images of…
Tutankhamun was buried wearing sandals he could never have walked in. Made from thin sheets of gold, they were placed directly on the young king’s feet before his body was wrapped. Their form resembled real Egyptian footwear, but their material…
