TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19169, 7 November 1925, Page 11

TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB

REVEALED SPLENDOURS. INMOST COFFIN EXPOSED. MUMMY TO BE REMOVED. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. ; (Received 9.5 p.m.) A. ami N.Z. CAIRO. Nor. 5. , A communique states that (lie actual sarcophagus of Tutankhamen in the Luxor ■ tomb has at last been revealed. The season's work at the tomb has chs- i closed a further sarcophagus covered by ! painted designs on vari coloured glass, ! with a layer of gold on a marble ground. Within this was another coflin, shaped like n human body, which is heavily ! gilded, flowers being tied to the head < bandage and also resting on the breast. I Over the gilded head is a painted face, | representing the young Pharaoh. Finally the actual coffin of Tutankh- i amen was exposed. It is of gold ornamentation and beautiful workmanship, although most of the detail is concealed by a black, glutinous substance, the re- | suit of the libations which were poured j on at the funeral services. Tho mummy will be taken out of the ( tomb and wrapped up until the Egyp- j tian Government decides on its last rest- j ing place. An agreement for resumption of research. work in the Luxor tomb was reached between the Egyptian Government and .Mr. Howard Carter last January. The chief terms of the new i agreement were that the ownership of all ; objects found vested in the Egyptian Government, which reserved to itself j absolute discretion to give to Mr. Carter j for scientific purposes such duplicates as j it might select where their separation j from the rest would not affect the scien- j title value of the collection. Publicity. : except scientific matter, must be made j through the Egyptian Government, and the tomb must be open every Tuesday to visitors, who must obtain special permits from the Government. The tomb was to be officially reopened and taken over by Mr. Carter some time toward the end of January. Before he resumed his worn j Mr. Carter gave (Tie following outline of . his plans for the winter:—" I have da- j cider] to return to Egypt during the last J days of September to reopen the tomb j in the first week of October, and hope to j complete my programme during the j months of October, November and De- ! comber. I shall deal with the mummy ! of Pharaoh and tho other treasures in j the tomb. To my idea it would be prefer- ; able to leave the mummy in the tomb j chosen by Tutankhamen as his last resting : place, but science, has its rights, so I shall j take the mummy out of its coffin. The I examination, from a medical point of | view, will be made by two eminent professors, l>r. Derry. the celebrated anatomist. and ]>r.'Saleh Boy Hamdi, subdirector of the School of Medicine. The mummy will then be wrapped up again j and replaced in its coffin. After that the Government will decide its fate. It is expected to find in the place the gold leaves with which the ancients covered the wrappings in order to preserve tho body better. It may be, also, that we shall discover the crown of Pharaoh, symbolising. to my idea, Egypt's recovery of her lost crown. According to the statue recently sent to the museum Tutankhamen seems to have died young, about 18 years old, but it is impossible to tell for certain until after the examination of the mummy."