The name of Tutankhamun is famous throughout the world for the beauty and wealth of the objects found within the young pharaoh’s tomb, objects which can be seen in various galleries of the Egyptian Museum.

Numerous books have been written about the golden treasure, yet few people realise that the largest group of objects placed within the tomb were textiles and the pharaoh’s personal clothing.

Howard Carter, the excavator of the tomb, wrote:

"The material from this tomb will be of extreme importance to the history of textile art, and it needs very careful study".

Despite Carter’s enthusiasm for the cloth this aspect of the treasures of Tutankhamun has been neglected. Yet the textiles provide a unique insight into the type of cloth and garments available during a particular period in the history of ancient Egypt and more specifically the range of clothing and costume associated with the kingly role in the fourteenth century BC.


Tutankhamun

In about 1353 BC Amenhetep IV, or as he was later known, Akhenaten, became pharaoh of Egypt. The initial years of his reign appear to have been fairly orthodox. However, he was a follower of a cult which developed during his father’s reign and his belief was to have serious repercussions. It involved the worship of the god Aten to the exclusion of all the other gods of Egypt.

His fascination with this new religion such that in the fifth year of his reign Amenhetep changed his name to Akhenaten and founded an entirely new capital city for his court and cult. The city was called Akhenaten or "The Horizon of the Aten". In addition, he forbid the official worship of the other gods and reduced the power and wealth of their temples. The ensuing power struggle was to have numerous consequences, both for the memory of Akhenaten or the "Heretic", and for the reigns of his immediate successors.

Akhenaten’s chief wife was Nefertiti, who is known to have borne him numerous children, including six daughters who are depicted in various relieves.

It is likely that Tutankhamun was the son of Akhenaten and possibly a lesser queen such as Kiye. Tutankhamun married the third daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti., ‘Ankhesenpa-aten’, about the time he became pharaoh.

When Akhenaten died in about 1335/4 BC, during the seventeenth year of his reign. He was followed by a somewhat shadowy figure called Smenkhkare, but this pharaoh died shortly afterwards in 1333 and

Tutankhamun ascended the throne. He was about nine years old at that time and was to reign for a further nine years. He died in 1323/2 BC when he was about eighteen. How he died is not certain, although it was probably due to either an illness or an accident. What is certain is that his death was sudden and that a royal burial place had not been finished. His tomb in fact was originally that of Ay, and even his coffin was then years old and had originally belonged to someone else. In addition a number of the textiles and garments found in the tomb originally belonged to other, deceased, members of the royal household, such as Smenkhkare. Whatever the case,

Tutankhamun was buried with royal honours and the tomb was sealed for eternity. Unfortunately, the seals did not prevent robbers entering the tomb on two occasions and taking an unknown range of items with them. It is likely that textiles were included amongst the objects taken as they could have been easily diposed of at the second-hand textile market. Exactly how much cloth may have been taken by the thieves is not known and it is doubtful whether we shall ever know the answer to this question. It is clear, however, that the priests knew of the entries into the tomb and that various attempts were mad to tidy up the mess and damage. It is also apparent that the priests were in a hurry and were not careful about placing objects back into their proper places. Numerous items, including textiles and garments were simply roughly folded up and then dumped into convenient spots. As a result considerable damage was done to the textiles. In addition, items which should have been together were scattered throughout the various rooms of the tomb.


The re-discovery of the tomb

Much has been written about the re-discovery and subsequent excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamun, the political wrangling, and even the so-called curse. Basically, however, the tomb was found in November 1922, during what was thought to be the last season of excavations in the Valley of the Kings by Howard Carter and his patron, Lord Carnarvon. There must have been considerable excitement when steps were found leading downwards to a sealed door, which meant an unknown tomb and possibly one which was intact. On looking into the tomb after a hole was made in the sealing door, Carter is said to have cried out "Yes, wonderful things", when asked if he could see anything. Over the next ten years the tomb was gradually cleared and notes were made about every object excavated. More than 2,500 record cards and 1,500 photographs were made by Carter and his team, in addition to numerous drawings and comments made in diaries. These invaluable sources of information still provide the basis for most studies about Tutankhamun and his tomb.


The Textiles

Literally hundreds of lengths of cloth and fragments of material were found inside the tomb. The textiles were found scattered around the tomb, tied around the necks of statuary and in large chests. Sometimes the textiles are simply narrow rolls of cloth, in other cases they form part of elaborate, ceremonial robes covered with gold sequins and embroideries. Apart from the garments worn by Tutankhamun when he was an adult, there are also numerous items of clothing which dates from his childhood. These yield a fascinating insight into the type of garments worn by a royal child.


The condition of the textiles

The state of the textiles when they were found was a problem, and to a certain extent a mystery for the excavators. A number of cloth objects were so deteriorated that they could not be removed intact from where they had been originally left. This problem is vividly described in a letter sent by one of the excavators, A.C. Mace, to his wife: "We have some fearful problems in the tomb. Just now we are working on a box which contains garments and shoes all covered with beadwork. The cloth is so rotten you can hardly touch it, and the beads drop off the shoes if you look at them." Yet in other areas of the tomb the textiles were in a near pristine condition. It was concluded by the excavators that the condition of the textiles was due to two factors. Firstly, damage caused by the rough handling of the objects by the priests following the two robberies of the tomb. Secondly, that over the centuries water had penetrated various areas of the tomb causing a microclimate to develop. In turn these microclimates had caused the apparently random deterioration of the textiles.

Reference: Vogelsang-Eastwood, G., 1992. Tutankhamun Textiles and Clothing in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Leiden. ISBN 90-5613-028-5