Ancient Egypt breakthrough as ‘spots’ found in Tutankhamun’s tomb | World | News

Tutankhamun is one of the most famous pharaohs from the time of the Ancient Egyptians despite his short reign.

The Boy King, as he is known, took the throne when he was just nine years old and held it until his death ten years later.

Though it was fleeting, his leadership saw much of what Ancient Egypt was known for reinstated after his father, Akhenaten, had imposed a harsh and wildly unpopular series of policies.

Despite this, when British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered Tut’s tomb in 1922, what he found wasn’t exactly fit for a king”: it was small, cramped, and poorly decorated.

Researchers have since identified a series of black spots inside the tomb, and believe they may go some way in explaining what has become one of the greatest mysteries of Ancient Egypt.

The detail was explored during the Smithsonian Channel’s recent documentary, Secrets: Tut’s Tomb, where Dr Chris Naunton, director of the Egypt Exploration Society, explained that there was ordinarily a “very clear articulated process for burying the king and making sure everything was perfect”.

However, as the narrator noted: “It appears that this was not the case for Tut.”

Examining the black spots, Dr Naunton described what he saw as the “strange spotty marks”: mould, organic matter that isn’t found anywhere else in the Valley of the Kings where Ancient Egypt’s pharaohs were buried.

Conservationists initially believed that the spots were being caused by the breath and sweat of the thousands of tourists who visit it each day.

In studying Mr Carter’s original photographers, however, researchers noted that the black spots were there even in 1922.

Adam Lowe, director of Factum Arte, claims that the spots are the result of the tomb being sealed before the paint had even dried.

It suggests the painters who decorated the tomb were in a rush, which is unheard of in the art of Ancient Egyptian tomb making.

Taking a series of high-resolution photographs inside the burial chamber, Mr Lower and his team found a series of brushstrokes corresponding with the black spots that appeared to be rushed.

“The application of the ochre colour is done very fast with bigger brushes,” said Mr Lowe.

“My estimate is that it wouldn’t have taken a team of skilled painters much over a week to paint Tutankhamun’s tomb.”

Tomb makers and decorators usually took years to perfect a pharaoh’s place of rest.

The fact that Tut’s was so rushed could be explained by his sudden death.

However, others believe that his successor, Ay, stole his original and grand tomb for himself and ordered that another be quickly built.

There are many similarities between Tutankhamun’s and Ay’s tombs apart from the size. Much of the artwork is the same, as is the style and the sarcophagus.