A pectoral belonging to Tutankhamun, representing his prenomen.​

The pectoral is a kind of ornament that was very popular or common with Egyptian burials, and they have been found in a large number of varieties.  Tutankhamun’s tomb had a number of these and there either used within his mummy bindings or found within chests in the Treasury.
Most have a dorsal ornament which hung down the back, acting as a counter weight and also as a fastening.
The piece is built using gold, silver and semi-precious stones and is an excellent example of cloisonné. 
The central element is a scarab  made form a translucent green chalcedony.  Attached to it are the open wings and tail of a vulture (Nekhebet) which are inlayed with coloured glass. The legs of the bird are grasping the shen hieroglyph which is the symbol of eternity. 
 
 
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It is also holding a bunch of lotus flowers (right) and a lily (left), symbols of Upper (Southern) Egypt.
Below the vulture’s tail are garlands of lotus (Upper Egypt) and papyrus (Lower Egypt).  Flanking the scarab are the profiles of two cobra, inlaid with coloured glass paste and bearing yellow solar discs on their heads.
Resting on the vulture’s wings is a thin boat with a Wedjat eye, the left eye of Horus representing the moon and flanked by two face-on cobra with solar discs on their heads.  This boat represents the journey taken by the moon which in Egyptian mythology sailed across the sky each night.
Above the boat is a silver lunar disc with a gold crescent.  Three figures are shown on gold relief – the protagonists in a celestial coronation scene.  In the centre the Pharaoh wearing a crown (with a moon above him) and flanked by two divinities making protective gestures – on the left is the ibis-headed moon god Thoth and on the right is the falcon-headed god Re-Horakhty.
The pectoral is a combination of symbolism, mixing moon and sun as heavenly bodies associated with the power of the Egyptian Kings.
flanked by two divinities making protective gestures – on the left is the ibis-headed moon god Thoth and on the right is the falcon-headed god Re-Horakhty.
The pectoral is a combination of symbolism, mixing moon and sun as heavenly bodies associated with the power of the Egyptian Kings.

King Tut

​​One of the most fascinating kings that ruled in the Egyptian history. Not known for his military campaigns or his expeditions to exchange goods, but for his –almost intact – collection found in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings in 1922.
 
He was an Egyptian Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty (ruled approx. 1332 BC – 1323 BC in). He is popularly referred to as King Tut. His name, Tut Ankh Amun, means “Living Image of Amun”. Referred to as the king of upper and lower Egypt, the lord of the two kingdoms and the son of the Sun God; God Ra.
Only 9 years old when he ascended the throne of the country, he is by far, the most famous king in Egyptian history due to his golden collection found inside his tomb.
 
The 1922 discovery made by Howard Carter of Tut Ankh Amun’s nearly intact tomb received worldwide press coverage. It sparked a renewed public interest in ancient Egypt, for which Tut Ankh Amun’s popular mask, now in Cairo Museum, remains the popular symbol.
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Exhibits of artifacts from his tomb have toured the world. Tut Ankh Amun’s treasure is still attracting millions of visitors year after year. His collection is now on display at the second floor of the Cairo museum and consists of approx. 5,398 objects. Howard Carter himself spent nearly 10 years cataloging his find.
Excavations in Egypt still reveal new artifacts on daily basis belonging to different eras and different kings and queens. Egypt mania has widely spread around the world; of course with the help of King Tut Ankh Amun’s discovered treasure.​​

 

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