The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb by Howard Carter with the help of Lord Carnarvon in September 1922 provides a great insight into ancient Egyptian daily life and after life beliefs. Tutankhamun’s tomb includes four rooms; the annex, treasury, antechamber and burial chamber. The artifacts in each of these chambers reveal information about the funeral proceedings, the role of the pharaoh, foreign influences, religion and gods. Through thorough analysis of Tutankhamun’s tomb we are given great insight into the daily lives of ancient Egyptians and beliefs in the afterlife at the time of Tutankhamun’s reign.
Tutankhamun’s tomb has a very different size and structure to compared other New Kingdom Egypt pharaohs. This is due to his unexpected death at the age of only 18. Although the tomb reveals evidence of a robbery in the annex 15 years after the completion of the tomb, it is still a very reliable source as it was discovered with the royal seal of Necropolis still intact.
The main hub of the tomb is the antechamber. The antechamber contained 700 items that help to understand the everyday life in Egypt. Many of the objects that were placed in the tomb are simple items that are necessary for the pharaoh to use in his after life after he has reached ‘the field of reeds’. The most significant items included the wooden chest, golden chariot, food boxes and animal couches.
Howard carter described the wooden chest as “one of the greatest artistic treasures of the tomb”. This creatively decorated chest held linen robes, headrest and golden court sandals and was decorated with scenes of hunting and war. The chest helps us to understand the role of foreigners, weapons and the role of a warrior pharaoh because the images are showing the pharaoh vanquishing African and Asian adversaries. This chest helps us to recognize the role of the of the pharaoh as an upholder ofthe warrior image and