Do you want to know why King Tutankhamun’s tomb remained hidden from both tomb robbers and archaeologists for a few thousand years? Just read this post.
The Griffith Institute (established in 1939) is a part of the University of Oxford that concentrates on Egyptology. Its holdings include: manuscripts, excavation records, journals, inscriptions, drawings, watercolors, old negatives, photographs, squeezes, and rubbings. All from Archaeologists and Egyptologists who were instrumental in the archaeological discoveries and knowledge of Ancient Egypt. This collection includes the complete records of the ten-year excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb which were deposited in the Griffith Institute by Howard Carter’s niece shortly after his death.
Our group met up with our Oxford Tour Director, Sally, at the planned time and place and walked across the street to the Ashmolean Museum. There we were split into two groups – one of twelve people, and the other of six. The group of twelve (which included me) was taken around the corner to the Griffith Institute (photo 001) where we were further split into two groups of six each. One group was taken in hand by one of the people who worked at the Institute, and the other group went elsewhere within the building with another guide.
My group was taken to a smallish room with a table that had six chairs for guests and one for our guide. She started with some documents from Sir W. M. Flinders Petrie. These were some photos with his hand-written labels (002 & 003) and some excavation records with his drawings (004). We were allowed to take photographs. Most of us did so.
Next we were shown Howard Carter’s journal. I took photos of several of the pages that were shown to us. One of the entries that actually moved me more than I had anticipated was the Saturday, November 4, 1922 entry that had one line written diagonally across the page. It said, “First steps of tomb found.” (005). There were audible gasps from pretty much our entire group. The following day, his entry declared, “Discovered tomb under tomb of Ramses VI. Investigated same & found seals intact.” (006)
Tutankhamun had reigned from roughly 1332 to 1323 BC during the Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt and died at the age of about 18 or 19. The cause of death has been debated. Although the tomb had a few items stolen shortly after the burial, it had managed to remain pretty much as it had been when Tutankhamun was buried in it.
In 1145 BC, Ramasses V (reign 1147–1143 BC) started a tomb above it, which was taken over and enlarged by his uncle, Ramasses VI (reign 1143–1136 BC). The rubble from this tomb fell down over the entrance to Tutankhamun’s tomb burying it. Workman’s huts were built over the buried entrance. The tomb was then completely hidden.
I have also included here some of the photographs taken by Harry Burton of Tutankhamun’s tomb and its contents as it was found. In the first one (007), the wall between the two sentinel statues was the plastered over entrance to the burial chamber.
The other two photos show some of the items stacked around in the outer room shown in 007. The oval boxes shown in the center of 008 and to the right in 009 contain food. This was to tide the Pharaoh over, in the afterlife, until his shabti (small figures of workers buried with the Pharaoh) could come magically to life and grow crops, bake bread etc.
Photo 010 is of Howard Carter with Lord Caernarfon at the entrance to the Burial Chamber shortly after they broke through. Tutankhamun’s mask is shown as it was found, still on Tutankhamun’s mummy, in photo 011. The last photo (012) of the tomb shows the entrance to the Treasury, just off of the Burial Chamber.
We then switched places with the other group and went to another room. There we were first shown the early attempts of an Archaeologist/Egyptologist to decipher hieroglyphics (photo 013), prior to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, and some of his other notes and illustrations (photos 014 & 015).
Several drawings and watercolor paintings created by various archaeologists were shared with us as well. Photo 016 shows a drawing of a cache of mummies with a rather grumpy-looking statue at the top, just to the right of the text. Photo 017 shows three watercolor panoramic views of Cairo. Photo 018 shows a watercolor painting of Abu Simbel in its original setting.
Photo 019 shows a watercolor of just the tops of the columns (which were mostly buried in the sand) in what appears to be Luxor Temple in the city that had once been called Thebes. There is also a diagram of the temple (which looks to me to be Luxor and not Karnak) and two smaller watercolor illustrations. I am using the illustration in the lower right, which is definitely of Luxor Temple, to identify the location.
They also shared what is called an archaeological squeeze (020). This is a 3D facsimile of an ancient inscription made by pressing moistened filter paper into the carved surfaces of stone or metal. When dry, the paper was peeled off, leaving a durable, lightweight negative impression that captured the original pretty accurately. This allowed for enhanced readability of the original as well as being able to have a portable version of it.
They thought they were also helping to preserve the artifacts and not causing any damage to them. Turns out that some of the artifacts were damaged as the technique originally involved using a mallet to help create the squeeze. Later the mallet was replaced with a special brush with stiff, closely packed bristles, usually made of horsehair.
They also showed us a photo of the actual item from which the squeeze had been created. It was a relief of Amenhotep III (021).
After this, all twelve of us switched places with the group of six who had gone to the Ashmolean first.
Next – More Egyptian treasures at the Ashmolean Museum
