King Tutankhamun's Gold Mask

Tutankhamun was a young Egyptian pharaoh and was considered to be a living god and worshipped as a divine being. His social status is clearly seen as a divine being as he had a miraculous golden funeral mask placed on his face in his tomb. He wears a royal head cloth called the “nemes”, and it is patterned with stripes of blue glass and gold. The “nemes” is only worn by pharaohs. This mask of Tutankhamun is an example of the highest artistic and technical achievements of the Ancient Egyptians in the New Kingdom. The gold sheets used in this mask are joined together by heating and hammering. The exact portrayal of the king's facial features achieved here made it possible for his soul to recognize him and return to his mummified body, thus ensuring his resurrection. The mask suggests an ancient society where gold was considered divine and honourable, accurately compared to modern day's society. However, the death mask of King Tut was not made of gold just as a sign of the immense wealth of the pharaoh. Gold was also believed to have a magical potency containing significant religious properties, and it did not tarnish or deteriorate. But more importantly gold shone like the sun god and was therefore credited with the powers of the god. Gold was therefore referred to as the 'Flesh of the Gods'. This explains the use of gold in the artefacts found in the tomb of Tutankhamun including the golden mask.
On his forehead are the animal representations of the gods who protect the Pharaoh: the vulture, symbol of Upper Egypt; and the cobra who represents Lower Egypt.
The golden mask also suggests a religious and spiritual society of the Ancient Egyptian peoples. At the back of the mask, it was discovered that it had hieroglyphics of spells and quotes from the book of the dead to protect him in his afterlife. The preservation of the afterlife seemed to be very important to the Ancient Egyptians. The Egyptians believed that the next life had to be provided for in every detail