In my novel, “The Forgotten: Aten’s Last Queen,” Ankhesenamun, wife to King Tut, must watch as the tomb is sealed on her husband’s short life. When bringing to life the funeral procession, Opening of the Mouth Ceremony, and sealing the sarcophagus, I was constantly flipping back and forth between reference books to make sure my descriptions were as accurate as possible.
My husband now began his descent into the Afterlife. He would leave this world forever. One lid had been laid, a lid carved to mimic the golden coffin’s appearance. The last two were waiting to be placed, two more seals of protection also carved out with his image.
It was time to let go.
In my hand was a wreath. The base was of papyrus and was shaped beautifully from the season’s foliage: blue cornflowers, olive leaves, and the loose petals of blue water lilies. I leaned over and blew a kiss down upon the first lid. Then onto it, encircling the rearing cobra and vulture of the first lid’s crown, I reached down and laid my wreath to rest. As I stepped back, priests came forward to cover this lid in white shrouds. Then the next lid was held high before being gently lowered into place.
Using handles made from silver, two on each side, the lid was eased down. I could see fragments missing, intentionally chipped off, from the toe portion of this protective layer. It disgusted me to think that this was not properly measured in the first place. The workmen had callously resorted to hacking away the images of my husband because of their own inadequacy. This carelessness made me sick. Was this the remembrance fitting a king? This was what the land offered him? Broken beauty, halved names, and thus forgotten prayers intended to seal his life. That and subsequently more shrouds laid upon the surface by the dutiful priests.
Next came the final lid, which had been crafted to match the base of the large sarcophagus. But this lid had broken in its construction. Originally of yellow quartzite, the workmen had to prepare a new one quickly, and the replacement was made from pink granite which was then painted over in yellow to attempt to match the base. I sighed mournfully. It was a poor substitute. Everything about this day was underwhelming. The world had moved so quickly, ready to leave Tutankhamun and everything associated with him behind in its wake -- including me. The respect and love he deserved at his final goodbye was forgotten.
One of the scenes that easily got mixed up in my head was putting the consecutive lids on Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus. There were multiple layers, and there were also fabrics and flowers placed between each layer. I think I went over that scene more than almost any other in making sure everything was being done in the correct order.
Seeing the replicas of these lids was astounding. The amount of detail and brilliance of each piece of King Tut’s sarcophagus literally stops you in your tracks. Additionally, because I was looking at replicas, I could see what these items would have looked like when they were first created. The delicate lines, the inlayed jewels, the bright shine of gold, I had a hard time leaving the sarcophagus display room!
So let’s bring in my narrative with photos from the Putnam exhibit. This should be exciting...
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The Hidden Things of the Heart (Excerpt)
1322 B.C.
Funeral Procession of Pharaoh Tutankhamun
We stood in the breath between silence and speaking.
The large rectangular stone sarcophagus, which had been prepared inside the tomb, had bided its time. Like courtyard walls without a central household to protect, it had waited hollow and alone, as if the gods had reached down and scooped up everything inside with their gigantic hands. It was situated atop a lion-shaped bier which had yet to feel the weight of more than just gold but also a king’s soul.
At last, his golden coffin had arrived. As it finally sat inside the sarcophagus, the coffin we had followed here looked dwarfed by its outer shell. Servants scurried over with the first lid to be placed over my husband’s image. I watched as the lid was slowly laid over the coffin, sealing and protecting the House of His Body.
The large rectangular stone sarcophagus, which had been prepared inside the tomb, had bided its time. Like courtyard walls without a central household to protect, it had waited hollow and alone, as if the gods had reached down and scooped up everything inside with their gigantic hands. It was situated atop a lion-shaped bier which had yet to feel the weight of more than just gold but also a king’s soul.
At last, his golden coffin had arrived. As it finally sat inside the sarcophagus, the coffin we had followed here looked dwarfed by its outer shell. Servants scurried over with the first lid to be placed over my husband’s image. I watched as the lid was slowly laid over the coffin, sealing and protecting the House of His Body.
It was time to let go.
In my hand was a wreath. The base was of papyrus and was shaped beautifully from the season’s foliage: blue cornflowers, olive leaves, and the loose petals of blue water lilies. I leaned over and blew a kiss down upon the first lid. Then onto it, encircling the rearing cobra and vulture of the first lid’s crown, I reached down and laid my wreath to rest. As I stepped back, priests came forward to cover this lid in white shrouds. Then the next lid was held high before being gently lowered into place.
Next came the final lid, which had been crafted to match the base of the large sarcophagus. But this lid had broken in its construction. Originally of yellow quartzite, the workmen had to prepare a new one quickly, and the replacement was made from pink granite which was then painted over in yellow to attempt to match the base. I sighed mournfully. It was a poor substitute. Everything about this day was underwhelming. The world had moved so quickly, ready to leave Tutankhamun and everything associated with him behind in its wake -- including me. The respect and love he deserved at his final goodbye was forgotten.
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| Photo by: https://www.pinterest.com/sashtihermann/egypt-king-tut/ |
The final lid was laid, and an echoing thump rang. As the sound finally settled in my ears, I knew it was time to leave. The funerary banquet would begin when we returned to the palace, and Ay would sit in my husband’s chair.
I turned away, and the last thing I saw of his body’s house was the etchings of outstretched wings attached to one of four goddesses. The four ladies, Isis, Nephthys, Neith, and Selket, were positioned on each corner of the stone sarcophagus. I did not look close enough at the high relief to distinguish which goddess it was, all I knew was that they would now protect him. I did not want to look closely enough to see if these images were also damaged in some way.
I turned away, and the last thing I saw of his body’s house was the etchings of outstretched wings attached to one of four goddesses. The four ladies, Isis, Nephthys, Neith, and Selket, were positioned on each corner of the stone sarcophagus. I did not look close enough at the high relief to distinguish which goddess it was, all I knew was that they would now protect him. I did not want to look closely enough to see if these images were also damaged in some way.
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| Photo by: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2492635/Replica-Tutankhamun-tomb-set-open-Egypt-bid-preserve-crumbling-chamber-future-tourists.html |
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Copyright 2015 J. Lynn Else
Published by J. Lynn Else at CreateSpace
(First published August 15th 2013)
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According to observations made at the time of discovery, it was noted that parts of King Tut’s sarcophagus were, in fact, damaged! From the quartzite lid to the ill-fitting coffin lids, despite the overwhelming beauty of the pieces, there were also many flaws. Because completion of his funerary materials were prepared so quickly, mistakes were made, and there was not enough time to fix them.
When I was still in college, my grandfather passed away. As a veteran of WWII, he was buried at Fort Snelling. I remember being so upset with the trumpet player who performed taps at the end of the outdoor service. It was played very quickly (like double time!), there were a few missed notes, and then he walked off. I’m not sure if he had another funeral to get to, but I remember being so upset at the lack of respect and the hasty job that trumpet player gave my grandfather. I brought this feeling into my story through Ankhesenamun’s feelings during the funeral procession and burial--only in her case, we’re talking about a ruler of her world, a Pharaoh. Their belief system demanded strict rituals, prayers, and spells which enabled Pharaoh to pass through the different hours of the Afterlife.
Howard Carter spent four painstaking years excavating King Tut’s tomb. The grandest of all his finds was the intact stone sarcophagus containing three coffins nested within each other. Inside the final coffin, made of solid gold, was the mummy of Tutankhamun preserved for more than 3,000 years.
Per TourEgypt.net: The exposed outer coffin of Tutankhamun, measuring 2.24 meters long with its head positioned to the west, rested on a low leonine bier that was still intact though certainly suffering from the strain of a ton and a quarter worth of weight it had endured over the prior 3,200 years. Fragments chipped from the toe of the coffin lid at the time of the burial, a crude attempt to rectify a design problem and allow the sarcophagus lid to sit properly, were found in the bottom of the sarcophagus. The chippings revealed that the coffin was made of cypress with a thin layer of gesso overlaid with gold foil.
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| Photo from: https://www.q-files.com/history/ancient-egypt/tutankhamun's-tomb/ |
The original design of the outermost coffin's lid had incorporated four silver handles, two on each side, which were used to lower the lid into place...these same handles would be used, once more to raise this lid, by Howard Carter and his team.
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| Photo from: http://societyandcivilization.tumblr.com/post/136713200065/how-many-containers-did-it-take-to-bury-king-tut |
Keep watching for more photos and stories about the life and death of King Tut. Then discover more about this fascinating family with The Forgotten 2: “Heir of the Heretic” set to be released at the end of this year!!! A few scenes may be dropped in subsequent posts.
Until that time, here’s a little verse for you:
The sacred barque will be joyful and the great god will proceed in peace when you allow this soul of mine to ascend vindicated to the gods... May it see my corpse, may it rest on my mummy, which will never be destroyed or perish.
— Book of the Dead, spell 89 —
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