Tutankhaman and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs

Granite Statue of Tutankhamun

Cartouches on the back of this statue identify the figure as Tutankhamun. He wears the nemes headdress and there is evidence of the hooded cobra, or uraeus symbol, above his forehead.

It was often the practice of Egyptian pharaohs to seize and alter statues and other art created by past rulers. One inscription on this statue was replaced with the name Horemheb, who became king three years after Tutankhamun’s death. Horemheb also had his cartouche carved on the belt of this figure.

The discovery of this life-sized granite statue of Tutankhamun and a second one very similar to it occurred in the early 20th century when columns at the Hall of Amun in Karnak fell. This revealed a cache of 751 statues and fragments and over 17,000 bronzes. Karnak was an important location north of Thebes where some pharaohs built temples to various gods, including Amun.

Granite Statue of Tutankhamun
Gray granite
Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun (1332–1323 B.C.)
Karnak, Temple of Amun, Court of the Cachette