Tutankhamun’s famous mask
One of Egypt’s most famous relics, King Tutankhamun’s golden funerary mask, may not have originally been created for the young pharaoh.
New analysis suggests the mask was likely intended for a high-status woman, possibly Queen Nefertiti, or a child.
The telltale signs are in the earring holes, as adult male pharaohs traditionally did not wear earringswhile high-ranking women and children wore it, explains .
According to Joann Fletcher, an Egyptologist at the University of York, analysis shows that the face of the mask is made of a different type of gold to the rest of the mask, with soldering marks that indicate that King Tut’s face is may have been added to an existing mask.
“This mask was not made for an adult male pharaoh,” said Fletcher, quoted by . “When gold was compared, [descobriram] that the face is made of gold completely different from the rest.”
Experts propose that Tutankhamun’s sudden and unexpected death at age 19 may have led to a rush to prepare your funeral. In this rush, officials may have reused an existing mask from the previous ruler.
Tut came to the throne when he was only about nine years old. His short life was marked by several health problems, potentially resulting from his family’s inbreeding. After ruling for about ten years, he died in 1323 BC, which forced officials to rush his burial. Evidence of hasty preparations includes tomb paint that was still damp when the burial chamber was sealed.
Although there is ongoing debate, the earring holes and different metals of the mask support the theory that it may have originally belonged to someone else, possibly Queen Nefertiti, whose tomb has not yet been discovered.
