Learn a little from this list of 10 facts about the Boy King's life and times:
1) Sacred number: Tutankhamun's mummy rested inside three nesting coffins and a large granite box with a lid called a sarcophagus. Three nesting shrines were built over the sarcophagus, so seven separate casings enclosed the mummy. Seven was a sacred number to Egyptians, and is sacred in other religious systems as well.
2) Golden oldie: When the excavators tried to lift King Tut's three nesting coffins out of the sarcophagus, they were surprised at how heavy they were. That's because the innermost coffin was made of solid gold and weighed 250 pounds. While Egyptians considered gold to be the metal of eternity because it didn't tarnish, silver was worth three times as much in ancient Egypt.
3) Gazelle and geese: As is the prerogative of royalty, the king no doubt ate well. Oxen were butchered for food, and the liver and spleen were considered delicacies. Roasted gazelle also would make it to the royal dinner table, as would geese, ducks and mullet. Breads were often quite gritty, because of the stone grinding, and the desert sands that might blow into the flour. (Consequently, the eating of bread ground down the Egyptians' teeth.)
Vegetables and fruits included onions, leeks, cucumbers, dates, figs, melons and coconuts.
4) The king of beers: To wash down a meal, King Tut might have had a glass of beer, a beverage invented by the ancient Egyptians.
5) Mummification process: Visitors to the exhibit will see one of the four coffinettes in which Tutankhamun's internal organs were placed. In the mummification process, the viscera were removed and mummified separately from the body.
Embalmers removed the brain with a hook shoved through the nose, but discarded it because the ancient Egyptians thought it had no value. They left the heart in the body, however, because they believed the heart was the center of thought, wisdom and spiritual attainment.
6) Young monarch: King Tut died young, probably when he was about 19 years old. Consequently, his tomb is small and unpretentious compared to long-reigning New Kingdom monarchs like Tuthmosis III or Sety I, whose tombs were under construction for many years.
7) Hidden treasures: Given the wealth stored in King Tut's tomb, one can only wonder what kind of treasures the tombs of Egypt's greatest monarchs contained. Who knows? The gold ring on your finger may date back to Pharaonic Egypt, melted down and refashioned many times during the course of history.
8) Making the cut: When discovered, Tutankhamun's mummy was stuck to the bottom of the coffin by resins and oils used in the embalming process. To remove the mummy, excavators cut it in half and pried it out, so King Tut isn't in very good shape.
Tutankhamun is the only pharaoh who still rests in his tomb. He lies in the original sarcophagus.
9) Cracking the code: Hieroglyphic writing was indecipherable for more than 1,400 years, having been outlawed by the Christian church when it came to power in Egypt in the late 4th century. In 1799, French troops under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte discovered a slab of basalt while building fortifications near the village of Rosetta. The "Rosetta Stone" contained the same inscription in three scripts: Hieroglyphic, demotic (a simplified, cursive form of hieroglyphs) and ancient Greek. The Greek, which scholars could read, helped to unlock the mystery of hieroglyphs.
10) Turn, turn, turn: To figure out the direction of hieroglyphs, look at the birds. If they face left, the hieroglyphs are read from left to right. If they face right, they are read from right to left. Hieroglyphs also can be read from top to bottom.
Posts: 8675 | From: Tukuler al~Takruri as Ardo since OCT2014 | Registered: Feb 2003
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I would be interested in any views as to why 7 is considered a sacred number to Egyptians?
Posts: 304 | From: egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
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much of this I already know thanks to a book about Tutankhamun and his treasures.
Posts: 26238 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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As we may not all have the benefit of the book on Tutankhamun, it might be a good idea to give my point of view. The book referred to does not give an overall picture as to the significance of the figure of 7.
With regard to Egypt, they were very interested in magic from the earliest of times. Spells 4O6-4O8 of the Coffin Texts refers to spells for knowing the seven knots of the heavenly cow. "Cow" becomes relevant to the number 7 in later times. They enabled the magician to move the ferry which crosses the spaces of heaven, and restore the body to health and vigour. The Leyden Magical Papyrus also signifies the importance of seven; seven blocks of salt, seven loaves, seven bricks, seven incantations and so on.
The basis for some of these beliefs in the number of seven, apart from those associated with Ptah the Master Mason, is probably related to the heavens and astrology. Seven times seven (a theme alluded to by Jesus in later times) is the number of times we should forgive our enemies. In fact it would be more accurate to say that 7 x 7 equals a 'cycle' of 49. The fiftieth day was also believed to have special significance. In the Book of Leviticus, Moses - an Egyptian initiate raised by pharaoh understood the significance of the fifty year orbit of Sirius as did the fifty Sumerian Anunnaki.
The astrological calendar reflects what is going on in the Heavens. In my view, this forms the entire basis for the significance of 7. With the lunar calender there were 5O weeks in a year, but as 5O x 7 comes to 35O and not the 354 days, an extra day was added to each equinox and solstice to bring it into line with the moon. However, with the Julian calendar, there were 365 and a quarter days, but the ancients simply called it 364 days divisable by 7 and arrived at 52 weeks.. After a number of years an intercalculation was needed otherwise spring would have been in the middle of winter. Everything rested on symetry revolving around the number 7, great events were marked in sets of seven years and fortynine years and four hundred and ninety years.
Josephs dream revealed to pharaoh alludes to the intercalculation that was necessary to bring the Solar calendar in line with the heavens. He said that there would be seven good years (signified by 7 fat cows and 7 thin cows) followed by seven years of famine. There are also references to this in Egyptian archeology 7 fat cows and 7 lean cows which appear in heiroglyphs. The understanding here is that the calendar fell back every 14 years by seventeen and a half days. In order for the calendar to keep in line with the heavens, these days would be added to the calender on earch every 14 years. So for the first seven years there would be 'extra' days, and for the remaining 7 years there would be 'less' days. These extra days resulted in 'feast days' and the seven years with less days were 'famine days'. So, we have seven years with plenty of feast days (7 fat cows) and seven years of 'famine'(7 lean cows). The famine years were quite frighting to the ancients because they felt they had lost days out of their lives because the calendar would jump and miss a day out here and there. The modern approach round this problem of intercalculation is to insert a whole day every four years.
There are many mathematical reasons for the number 7 being important in relation to circles, orbits and so forth, but with regard to the ancients, mathematics was a priestly science in its infancy and was originally based upon the movement of the stella planets and stars. Because of this association with the heavens and thus the gods, the number 7 is particularly significant. Posts: 304 | From: egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
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King Tutankhamen, I deciphered an object from the Tomb of the King and I believe it to be the biography of King Tutankhamen. In it, I found his age at death to be 28. The decipherment is an in depth view of the SOUL and an affirmation of a righteous path toward enlightenment. THE ETERNAL KING. Amen.
Posts: 1 | From: Florida | Registered: Dec 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Mrs. Doubtfire: As we may not all have the benefit of the book on Tutankhamun, it might be a good idea to give my point of view. The book referred to does not give an overall picture as to the significance of the figure of 7.
With regard to Egypt, they were very interested in magic from the earliest of times. Spells 4O6-4O8 of the Coffin Texts refers to spells for knowing the seven knots of the heavenly cow. "Cow" becomes relevant to the number 7 in later times. They enabled the magician to move the ferry which crosses the spaces of heaven, and restore the body to health and vigour. The Leyden Magical Papyrus also signifies the importance of seven; seven blocks of salt, seven loaves, seven bricks, seven incantations and so on.
The basis for some of these beliefs in the number of seven, apart from those associated with Ptah the Master Mason, is probably related to the heavens and astrology. Seven times seven (a theme alluded to by Jesus in later times) is the number of times we should forgive our enemies. In fact it would be more accurate to say that 7 x 7 equals a 'cycle' of 49. The fiftieth day was also believed to have special significance. In the Book of Leviticus, Moses - an Egyptian initiate raised by pharaoh understood the significance of the fifty year orbit of Sirius as did the fifty Sumerian Anunnaki.
The astrological calendar reflects what is going on in the Heavens. In my view, this forms the entire basis for the significance of 7. With the lunar calender there were 5O weeks in a year, but as 5O x 7 comes to 35O and not the 354 days, an extra day was added to each equinox and solstice to bring it into line with the moon. However, with the Julian calendar, there were 365 and a quarter days, but the ancients simply called it 364 days divisable by 7 and arrived at 52 weeks.. After a number of years an intercalculation was needed otherwise spring would have been in the middle of winter. Everything rested on symetry revolving around the number 7, great events were marked in sets of seven years and fortynine years and four hundred and ninety years.
Josephs dream revealed to pharaoh alludes to the intercalculation that was necessary to bring the Solar calendar in line with the heavens. He said that there would be seven good years (signified by 7 fat cows and 7 thin cows) followed by seven years of famine. There are also references to this in Egyptian archeology 7 fat cows and 7 lean cows which appear in heiroglyphs. The understanding here is that the calendar fell back every 14 years by seventeen and a half days. In order for the calendar to keep in line with the heavens, these days would be added to the calender on earch every 14 years. So for the first seven years there would be 'extra' days, and for the remaining 7 years there would be 'less' days. These extra days resulted in 'feast days' and the seven years with less days were 'famine days'. So, we have seven years with plenty of feast days (7 fat cows) and seven years of 'famine'(7 lean cows). The famine years were quite frighting to the ancients because they felt they had lost days out of their lives because the calendar would jump and miss a day out here and there. The modern approach round this problem of intercalculation is to insert a whole day every four years.
There are many mathematical reasons for the number 7 being important in relation to circles, orbits and so forth, but with regard to the ancients, mathematics was a priestly science in its infancy and was originally based upon the movement of the stella planets and stars. Because of this association with the heavens and thus the gods, the number 7 is particularly significant.
Thanks for that analysis
Posts: 318 | Registered: Dec 2004
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Mrs. Doubtfire thanks you for the compliment, Heru. Tutankhamun was a very special king in many ways, not least that his tomb and its contents reveal so many important things we find in Jewish, Christian and Islamic scripture, particularly regarding sacred geometry and magical numbers. The bible contains many secret numbers, 666, 53, l44, l44OOO and many others. All these numbers are not 'miracles' but are easily explained, and all had a specific purpose.
King Tut was the only king found in Egypt who believed in the Christian doctrine of Mind body and soul. In other words he appears to have believed in what we now call, God the Father, God the son and God the Holy Ghost. If you were to look at the mural in his tomb, in one place he represents himself as Osiris, next to Osiris, Tut represented as Horus, the son of God as himself, and behind, he is again represented as himself carrying an ankh. Osiris is the univeral MIND of God, Tutankham represent the son of God incarnate, the BODY, and is followed by himself as the SOUL. All three are embracing which has the significance that Tut considered that The Universal mind of God, The Son of God in the Body and the Soul were each an integral part of "his" being. Therefore, he thought that we was the Living son of the One God. As most Pharaohs also thought this, there is then nothing unusual, but in Tuts statement he is also saying that he IS God and he IS the soul united in himself. This would amount to a Jewish, a Christian or Islamic heresy in later times, and may well have been heresy in the time of Tutankhamun, for no pharaoh had ever stated that he was God as well as God in the flesh and also the soul of God in one person.
Mrs. doubtfire is always pleased to interpret magical numbers, what about 666? Anyone have any clues? Posts: 304 | From: egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
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I am not entirely able to agree with Ausars post in that seven was the number of coffins and shrines. Tuts containment was within three anthrapoid coffins, then a sarcophagus. The sarcophagus was enclosed within four, not three shrines. This makes his containment within 8, not seven, and including the tomb itself, he was contained in 9 ways. 9, of course, is also a very significant number in Egyptian magic, the 9 levels of the underworld being just one. Posts: 304 | From: egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
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That Tutankhamuns body was contained in 9 ways and not seven as stated in Ausars topic seems of little importance. However, probably the most convincing reason that 7, rather than 9 was of considerable importance to the Egyptians as a whole was the calendar. I have already made one case for this.
However, the Egyptians used three calendars for calculating time, The Lunar, the Sothic and the Solar. With regard to the Sothic, we can say that this was based on the Siriun star, and the lunar on the moon, and the solar on the sun.
The Jewish Menorah resulted from Babylonian depictions of the "seven lights", and these were known also to the Egyptians no doubt since Egyptian mythology proves it. The seven lights were of course the sun moon and five visible planets.
To find out why the seven lights were important to the Egyptians, we need to refer to Egyptian mythology, and the Ebers papyrus. Accordingly, we see that the Egyptian year consisted originally of 36O days divided into 12 months of 3O days. The problem for the Egyptians was that there were 365 and a quarter days to each year, and if "chaos" was not to reign, then earths clock and heavens clock had to be synchronised in some way.
Nowhere can this be better described than by looking at Mythology and the allegorical birth of the five neters of ancient Egypt - Shu and Tefnut, the Twin Lion gods of Time were the children of the solar Lord Ra. (contextually, this may be seen as the binary star Sirius.) These in turn gave way to Nut and Geb. Nut was the spouse of Ra and she offended him by cohabiting with her brother, as a result Ra swore that she should not be deliverred of a child on any of the 36O days of the year. Then Thoth (Djehuti), the keeper of the Akashic Records, Advocate and Lord of Time played draughs with the moon and won one seventy second part of her light.......... Now one seventy second part of 36O = 5, and Thoth made these 5 days into what is called 'epagomenal' days. As a result of Thoths intervention here, Nut was then able to give birth to the five children she was carrying - Osiris, Horus the Elder, Set, Isis and nephthys.
These five extra days represented as "gods" were non-days. They were added each year to the calendar to eliminate chaos and restor Maat - the synchronisation of earth time with solar time.
So there you have the importance of 7 to the Egyptians: the Sun and moon and the five visible planets represented allegorically as Gods - the Sun and moon gods, and the five neters.
Therefore, the myth has been taken out of mythology, it all boils down to calendar. Posts: 304 | From: egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
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Mrs. Doubtfire, if you want to learn more about connections between Biblical beliefs and beliefs of ancient Egyptians, then I recommend this book:
Black God: The Afroasiatic Roots Of The Jewish, Christian & Muslim Religions
by Julian BaldickPosts: 26238 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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Do you mind if I call you Hermes, it's so much easier to type? Thank you indeed for the reference to this book. A fascinating subject I must say. I read it some years ago, and put it down as it wasnt of particular help to me then, and I dont suppose it would be now. However, do let me know of any other books that you think might be of interest to me. Posts: 304 | From: egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
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^^Not really. I myself am new to this subject of Afrasian and I am trying to find more books about it myself. You can call me Dje or Tehu. LOLPosts: 26238 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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