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Naos, or Shrine, of Tutankhamun, Gilded and Incised

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This small shrine, made of wood and covered with thick gold, rests on a silver-plated sledge. The exterior and the double doors are decorated with scenes showing the king and his wife hunting and enjoying life.

The scenes on the double doors are surrounded by friezes of decorations, royal cartouches, and rekhyt birds. Rekhyt birds are lapwings or plovers with human arms, that symbolize all the people ruled by the king.

Inside the shrine, an ebony pedestal and back pillar bearing the king's name indicated that it had once housed a statue, perhaps that of the goddess Weret-Hekau, Great of Magic, who is mentioned several times in the texts, or a statue of the king himself.

Present location

EGYPTIAN MUSEUM [01/001] CAIRO EM

Inventory number

JE 61481

Dating

TUTANKHAMUN/NEBKHEPERURE

Archaeological Site

VALLEY OF THE KINGS

Category

NAOS

Material

WOOD; GOLD; SILVER

Technique

CHASING

Height

50.5 cm

Width

32 cm