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18. Many Archaeological Images and Items in King Tut’s Tomb Were Not His
The death of Pharaoh Tutankhamun after a ten-year reign was a gift to Ancient Egypt’s traditional priesthood. It afforded them the perfect opportunity to obliterate all traces of the deceased pharaoh’s hated father Akhenaten and his sister-wife Nefertiti, as well as the entire Amarna period. For example, Tutankhamun’s throne depicts him and his sister-wife Ankhesenamun together. However recent examination has revealed that the depictions had been retouched and that the images were altered and repurposed. The throne had originally depicted the despised Akhenaten and Nefertiti, figures whom the priests did not wish to see remembered or honored.
So they performed the Ancient Egyptian version of Photoshop and repurposed the images to honor another couple. Similarly, recent research has revealed that Ancient Egypt’s most famous archaeological artifact, Tutankhamun’s burial mask, had not been made for him. Giveaways include conspicuously pierced earlobes for earrings, even though Egyptian males, especially male pharaohs, did not wear earrings beyond childhood. Additionally, the gold of the face turns out to be different from the gold of the rest of the mask, and evidence of later soldering is clearly visible.