In the words of Howard Carter, this variance in thickness and colour gave, “an impression of the greyness of death.” King Tutankhamun himself is depicted in the image of Osiris - clutching the twin symbols of kingship, the crook and the flail. The gold overlay varied in thickness and colour over the surface of the coffin thicker and paler sheets were used for the face and hands as opposed to elsewhere on the body. Chippings from the coffin revealed that it was made from cypress wood with a thin layer of gesso, or primer, overlaid with gold foil. At the bottom of the coffin, under the foot, is another depiction of the goddess Isis in a kneeling position below this are ten vertical lines of hieroglyphics used as a sort of protective charm for the entombed king.

On the left and right were engraved images of the deities Isis and Nephthys with their wings extended. Tomb Hidden by History, Now Revealed: Wet Nurse of Tutankhamun May have been His Own Sister.Enigma of the Heartless Pharaoh: Who Stole the Heart of King Tut, and Why?.Everyone Knows the Mask of King Tut, but Have You Seen Any of the 5,000 Other Treasures from His Tomb?.The lid and the base were covered in rishi, a feather decoration executed in low relief. The coffin rests on a low bier that shockingly survived 3,200 years under the strain of the one and a quarter tonne weight of the sarcophagi. King Tutankhamun’s outer coffin measures 2.24 meters (7.35 ft.) long and its head is positioned to the west. The third, innermost coffin held King Tut’s mummy, covered with an ornate mask and other trappings of his status. Inside of the three coffins laid the preserved body of the king along with his famous golden death mask.

Along with the painted likeness of King Tut, the sarcophagi had paintings of other deities along with other adornments, showing the prevalence and prestige of the ruler. The paintings allowed the deceased to have a face in the afterlife, making them highly important in the Egyptian religion. Inside of the innermost shrine were three coffins in the shape of a human body, painted with the likeness of the deceased pharaoh mummified within. Entering the tomb, the team found four gilded shrines - one nested within the next in order of decreasing size, much like Russian nesting dolls. The discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamun in 1922 by Howard Carter and his archaeological team was highly significant due to the intact nature of the tomb.

Mummies with a gold sarcophagus