Tomb of Tutankhamun: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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===Outer chambers===

The corridor may have contained miscellaneous materials, such as bags of natron, jars and flower garlands, that were moved to KV54 when the corridor was filled with limestone chips after the first robbery.{{sfn|Reeves|Wilkinson|1996|pp=125–126}} Other objects and fragments were incorporated into the corridor fill, including some dropped by the thieves and others that were swept in from the outside along with the stone chips.{{sfn|Tyldesley|2012|p=23}} One well-known artefact, a [[Head of Nefertem|wooden bust of Tutankhamun]], was apparently found in the corridor when it was excavated, but it was not recorded in Carter's initial excavation notes.{{sfn|Hawass|2007|pp=15–16}}

[[File:Tutankhamun Treasure in Paris coupe au lotus-cropped.jpg|thumb|The [[lotus chalice]] from the antechamber, with the god [[Heh (god)|Heh]] depicted atop the handles.]]

The antechamber contained 600 to 700 objects. Its west side was taken up by a tangled pile of furniture among which miscellaneous small objects, such as baskets of fruit and boxes of meat, were placed. [[Chariots of Tutankhamun|Several dismantled chariots]] took up the southeast corner, while the northeast contained a collection of funerary bouquets and the north end of the chamber was dominated by two life-size statues of Tutankhamun that flanked the entrance to the burial chamber.{{sfn|Reeves|1990|pp=78–81, 204, 206}} These statues are thought to have either served as guardians of the burial chamber or as figures representing the king's ''[[Ancient Egyptian conception of the soul#Ka (vital essence)|ka]]'', an aspect of his soul.{{sfn|Price|2016|pp=275–276}} Among the significant objects in the antechamber were several funerary beds with animal heads, which dominated the cluster of furniture against the west wall; an alabaster [[lotus chalice]]; and a painted box depicting Tutankhamun in battle, which Carter regarded as one of the finest works of art in the tomb. Carter thought even more highly of a gilded and inlaid throne depicting Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun in the art style of the Amarna Period; he called it "the most beautiful thing that has yet been found in Egypt".{{sfn|Hawass|2007|pp=24, 27, 32, 56}} Boxes in the antechamber contained most of the clothing in the tomb, including tunics, shirts, kilts, gloves and sandals, as well as cosmetics such as unguents and [[Kohl (cosmetics)|kohl]].{{sfn|Reeves|1990|pp=156–158}} Scattered in various places in the antechamber were pieces of gold and semiprecious stones from a [[corselet]], a ceremonial version of the armor that Egyptian kings wore into battle. Reconstructing the corselet was one of the most complex tasks the excavators faced.{{sfn|Carter|Mace|2003|pp=173–175}} This room also contained a wooden dummy of Tutankhamun's head and torso. Its purpose is uncertain, although it bears marks that may indicate it once wore a corselet, and Carter suggested it was a [[mannequin]] for the king's clothes.{{sfn|Hawass|2007|p=64}}