TUTANKHAMUN’S TOMB
The tomb of the boy king
The discovery of Tutankhamun’s final resting place, in 1922, remains one of history’s greatest finds
On 26 November 1922, as he stood before a sealed doorway beneath the Egyptian desert, British Egyptologist Howard Carter could only imagine what treasures lay within. Seal impressions on the tomb’s – now dismantled – outer door had already revealed that this was none other than the much-searched-for tomb of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Tutankhamun, but would it be intact?
Making a breach in the door, Carter peered into the room beyond. A jumble of treasures and precious objects greeted his eyes, but most significant of all was a sealed doorway, set between two sentinel statues: the final resting place of the boy king.
It had taken Carter and his team years to find the tomb and it was to take a further two and a half months to clear and catalogue their way to the burial chamber itself. Finally, on 12 February 1924, the heavy granite lid of the quartzite sarcophagus was lifted, beneath which was a nest of three coffins, and the 3,300-year-old mummy of Tutankhamun. The search was over.
The tomb
Although Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered much later than those of other ancient Egyptian pharaohs, the burial chamber itself remained untouched. It’s thought that the tomb was robbed at least twice in the months that followed the pharaoh’s burial, with perishable items such as perfumes and oils stolen. As time went on, its entrance became covered by stone debris from other tomb-building projects nearby.
1 Entrance
The tomb’s entrance was discovered beneath the remains of workers’ huts, with 16 steps leading down into the first corridor.
2 Antechamber
The first room to be entered was the antechamber, which contained a wealth of objects, from chariot pieces to funeral beds. A small, roughly cut doorway in the wall led to an adjoining annex, which contained more items that the king was believed to need in the afterlife.
3 Tutankhamun’s mummy
The pharaoh’s mummified body was encased in three coffins. The largest coffin proved too big for the stone sarcophagus, so its toes were cut away. The wood shavings left by the carpenters were found by Carter more than 3,000 years later.
4 Burial chamber
Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus was enclosed by four gilded wood shrines, each smaller than the last. Each had to be dismantled before Carter and his team could reach the pharaoh’s final resting place.
5 Treasury
Guarded by a statue of the god Anubis, the Treasury held the canopic shrine, in which were stored the jars that contained the pharaoh’s organs: liver, lungs, stomach and intestines. His heart, however, was missing.
Treasure trove
More than 5,000 artefacts were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb – from furniture and chariots to weapons and clothes. Here are some of our favourites…
A mummy bandage from Tutankhamun’s embalming cache 
Board game made of painted ivory 
Gilded wooden bed, one of several found in the tomb 
Pair of golden sandals found on the feet of Tutankhamun’s mummy 
Gilded wooden chariot, one of six found in the tomb
Big numbers
8–9
The age Tutankhamun is thought to have been when he ascended the throne
5,398
The total number of items found in the tomb
130
The number of walking sticks buried with Tutankhamun. Scans have revealed that he had a bent foot, but experts are divided as to whether he actually walked with a limp.
3
The number of coffins within the sarcophagus, stacked one inside the other like Russian dolls
10
The weight, in kilograms, of Tutankhamun’s golden death mask (22lbs)