King Tutankhamen S Tomb and Ancient Egypt

Howard Carter's Discovery Of The Tomb Of Tutankhamen In 1922

For many years, the lives of the ancient Egyptians have been shrouded in mystery to us. Ancient Egypt is a shadowy place of pharaohs, hieroglyphics and strange gods. Today, we come a little closer to unraveling that mystery as we enter the long-sealed tomb of Tutankhamen. Although the tomb may be small, it is rich as a potential source of knowledge. Little is still known about Egyptian funerary rites and when it is opened we can see what types of implements the dead king was equipped with as he was prepared to enter into the next world.

Ancient Egyptian society is a paradox in many ways to us. On one hand, its political system seems very primitive. Kings such as Tutankhamen ruled like gods, although given the boy king's young age, it is likely that the major decisions of his reign were made by advisors, rather than by Tutankhamen himself. The pharaohs had untold riches and even after death they were given tremendous wealth to take with into the afterlife. The Egyptian conception of the afterlife, which we will hopefully learn more about upon examining the contents of the tomb, seemed to resemble the human world, given that it was thought that people would need many of the same things they had possessed on earth while living in the world beyond. This is very different than our own version of spirituality. On the other hand, the ability to preserve the bodies and artifacts for so long speaks of the Egyptians' technical sophistication. Regardless, the ways in which the dead were accompanied by everyday objects as well as gold and religious amulets should be useful to learn more about the civilization and to gain a better idea of what everyday life was like for an ancient Egyptian. (296 words)