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Primary sourcePhotograph14th century BCE (photographed 20th century)

Treasury Chamber of Tutankhamun's Tomb with Mehet-Weret Bust

Harry Burton · 14th century BCE (photographed 20th century)

Harry Burton's archival photograph showing the gilded bust of the cow goddess Mehet-Weret and wooden chests in the Treasury of Tutankhamun's tomb as found.

This photograph documents the burial chamber built for Tutankhamun, showing objects placed to protect him in the afterlife.

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Black and white archival photograph, heavily degraded with dark speckled areas, showing a gilded bust of the celestial cow Mehet-Weret with a sun disk on its head, and wooden chests in the Tutankhamun treasury. The image is blurry and partly obscured.
Harry Burton, photograph of the Treasury in Tutankhamun's tomb, KV62, Valley of the Kings.

About this source

What it is

This is a black-and-white photograph by archaeological photographer Harry Burton, showing the Treasury chamber of Tutankhamun's tomb (KV62) in the Valley of the Kings. It shows a gilded bust of the celestial cow goddess Mehet-Weret and wooden chests, including the canopic chest that held the pharaoh's organs.

Why it matters

Burton's photographs documented the tomb exactly as excavators found it, before any objects were moved. This record lets historians and students see how Tutankhamun's burial goods were actually arranged, giving clues about ancient burial practice and belief in the afterlife.

Look closer

  • Why would archaeologists photograph objects before removing them from the tomb?
  • What does the arrangement of chests and the gilded bust suggest about what was considered important to include in the burial?
  • What is lost or hard to tell because the image is damaged and blurry?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Tutankhamun on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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