212 Early World Civilizations: Supplemental Guide 12A | Tutankhamun, The Golden Pharaoh, Part II
eleven feet long, and nine feet high—all covered in gold! Carved
into this were hieroglyphic symbols. The walls of the room were
covered with hieroglyphic words and paintings of Tutankhamun
and the Egyptian gods.
Show image 12A-5: King Tut’s gold mask
The sarcophagus itself turned out to hold a series of cases,
one inside the next, some of wood covered in gold. The innermost
case, holding the mummy, would become one of the most famous
images in the world. It was made of solid gold. Inside it was the
king’s mummy, with a mask over his face, made of gold and of
shining blue stone.
The discovery of King Tut and his treasures excited people
all over the world. Wherever the news spread, people said, “We
want to know more about ancient Egypt. We want to learn how
we are different from those ancient Egyptians, and how we might
be the same.” Nearly a hundred years later, people are still saying
it. All this happened because two men, Howard Carter and Lord
Carnarvon, wondered about someone who had lived more than
three thousand years before them: Tutankhamun, Pharaoh of
Egypt.