King Tut was lucky. Until Howard Carter entered his burial chamber, his mummy had never been disturbed. For more than three thousand years, no one had laid eyes on it.
In the Burial Chamber, the first thing Carter saw was a gigantic gold cabinet. Inside of that was a great stone box. And inside of that was the outer mummy case. All three beautiful mummy cases fit together very tightly. The innermost one was solid gold—more than two hundred pounds of it.
THE MUMMY WITH THREE NESTING MUMMY CASES
When Howard Carter raised its lid, there it was: the cloth-covered mummy of the king. Carter took off the gold mask placed over it. He described it as one of the most beautiful pieces of artwork he had ever seen.
Then he carefully peeled away strips of cloth. At last came the most thrilling moment of all. He was face-to-face with Tut. The pharaoh’s face still looked young and calm and peaceful.
Nearby was a chest made of white stone called alabaster. Inside were the jars holding the organs of the pharaoh. The ones the priests had removed from his body so long ago. Each jar had a stopper with a head of a god on it.
The treasures of Tut’s tomb were sent to a museum in Cairo, Egypt. But Howard Carter did not send the king’s mummy there. It stayed in the royal burial chamber, right where it belonged. That is where it remains now . . . in peace. |