Early World Civilizations: Supplemental Guide 12A | Tutankhamun, The Golden Pharaoh, Part II 211religious beliefs and way of life of the ancient Egyptians.^4 Then
one of Carter’s assistants called, “There is another door.” Sure
enough, there was another, smaller room, fi lled with more objects.
But unlike those in the fi rst room, these were thrown about, as if
a robber, feverishly searching through the riches of the place, had
been interrupted and had left them behind in a hurry.
But among all these wonders, something was missing: there
was no mummy, nor even a mummy case, or sarcophagus
(sahr-KOF-uh-gus).^5 There was a moment of mixed triumph and
disappointment.^6 But the surprises of that day were not over. As
Carnarvon and Carter reentered the fi rst room, they glanced at the
far wall, and almost at the same moment shouted, “Look!” For in
that wall they saw a fourth door.^7
Show image 12A-3: Tut’s burial chamber
Already they had found the largest, most valuable collection of
ancient Egyptian treasures ever discovered. It would take several
months before their team could examine everything and gently
move it out. Finally, Howard Carter gently pulled away some
stones atop the fourth door, and, holding up a light, looked in.
At his side, an assistant held up a microphone to carry Carter’s
words by radio around the world. Here is how Howard Carter later
described what he saw beyond the door: “There, within a yard
of the doorway, stretching as far as one could see, stood a solid
wall of gold! There was no clue as to its meaning. But with the
removal of a very few stones, that mystery was solved. We were at
the entrance of the actual burial chamber of the king. That which
barred our way was the side of an immense, golden shrine built
to cover and protect the sarcophagus which held the long-lost
pharaoh!”
Show image 12A-4: Tut’s sarcophagus
They had found the burial chamber of Tutankhamun almost
three thousand, three hundred years after his death. The great
cover surrounding his mummy case stood eighteen feet wide,4 Priceless means worth more than
any amount of money. Remember,
archaeologists work to fi nd out
about other cultures by looking at
what the people left behind.
5 A sarcophagus is a stone coffi n. A
mummy is the body of someone
who has died and which has been
wrapped in cloth. The mummy is
placed in the sarcophagus.
6 A triumph is a success.
7 Why do you think there were so
many doors?