Masks were a very important aspect of Ancient Egyptian burials. In common with the anthropoid coffin they provided the dead with a face in the afterlife. In addition they also enabled the spirit to recognise the body.
King Nebkheperura Tutankhamun remains the most famous of all the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, but in fact he was a short lived and fairly insignificant ruler during a transitional period in history. Little was known of him prior to Howard Carters methodical detective work, but the discovery of his tomb and the amazing contents it held ultimately ensured this boy king of the Immortality he sought.
The amazing interest sparked by the discovery and the publicity which has surrounded it ever since has helped to take an interest in Egypt's history to a much wider audience. Virtually overnight what had been the private passion of a few intrepid explorers became a public fascination with the past.
King Nebkheperura Tutankhamun remains the most famous of all the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, but in fact he was a short lived and fairly insignificant ruler during a transitional period in history. Little was known of him prior to Howard Carters methodical detective work, but the discovery of his tomb and the amazing contents it held ultimately ensured this boy king of the Immortality he sought.
The amazing interest sparked by the discovery and the publicity which has surrounded it ever since has helped to take an interest in Egypt's history to a much wider audience. Virtually overnight what had been the private passion of a few intrepid explorers became a public fascination with the past.