Category: images

Sandro Vannini’s Photography – King Tut’s Canopic Shrine

Several alabaster artefacts were discovered inside the Tomb of King Tutankhamun (KV62) by Howard Carter when he began excavating the tomb in 1922. The Canopic Shrine was one of the intruiging discoveries for how packed together it was, with a box containing several artefacts in a manner comparable to a Russian doll!

The Canopic Shrine is a large gilded wooden box flanked by a Canopy and supported on a sledge. Inside the shrine was the Canopic Chest, which has four hollowed spaces inside which are sealed by Human-Headed Stoppers. Inside the hollows were four small Canopic Coffinettes.

‘Canopic Shrine’ Slideshow

Heritage Key is working with Sandro Vannini and bringing his extensive catalogue of beautiful photography of Egyptian antiquities onto the world wide web, which we’re sure will fascinate even the most hardcore Egyptologist! To watch a slideshow of the Canopic Shrine, simply click any of the thumbnails below.

See it for yourself in King Tut Virtual

But it doesn’t stop there, as you can also visit King Tut Virtual and see digital recreations of many of the famous artefacts from KV62, walk through the Valley of the Kings, explore the banks of the River Nile in Ancient Egyptian times and even see more of Sandro Vannini’s photography in the virtual gallery.

Sandro Vannini’s Photography

Over a decade of experience in photographing the magnificent artefacts and tombs of Egypt has honed the skills of Sandro, and given him the experience required to capture the beautiful details of the Canopic Shrine. The equipment used to take the amazing photographs is obviously important too, and Sandro used a Hasselblad ELD Ixpress 528C camera to take these images. You can also see more of Sandro’s fantastic photography in his new book with the Director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Dr Zahi Hawass, “The Lost Tombs of Thebes: Life in Paradise” as well as reading about Sandro’s experiences of shooting the photographs in Thebes on Heritage Key, and watching the video about the Lost Tombs of Thebes featuring Dr Zahi Hawass and Dr Janice Kamrin (Watch the Video).

But for those of you who cant make the trip to the Cairo Museum to see the Canopic Shrine, Heritage Key offers these stunning photographs by Sandro Vannini. But there’s more: you can visit virtual replicas of Tutankhamun treasures in the Heritage Key’s King Tut exhibition, which features a virtual replica of many other breath-taking artefacts such as the Golden Mask of King Tutankhamun.

Don’t miss out on new treasures!

This post is part of a series focussing on amazing photographs from ancient Egypt. Keep checking back as well keep adding new images by Sandro Vannini. To make sure you don’t miss out on any of the updates, simply subscribe by email to receive notifications when new images are uploaded. For the more digitally advanced, there’s also an RSS feed with updates available.

See More Amazing Photography by Sandro

Have a look at some of the other stunning photographs by Sandro Vannini here at Heritage Key:

Ask Sandro

We’ll be sitting down with our favourite photographer for an extended chat soon, so if you have any questions for Sandro we’ll send the answers straight to you!

The Canopic Shrine of Tutankhamun

The gilded wooden canopic shrine was set against the eastern wall of the Treasury positioned facing the west, the land of the dead. On top is a frieze of Solar Uraei (cobras with sun disks on their heads) which takes the form of the per wer. The walls are gessoed, gilded and decorated with paired images of goddesses and gods charged with protecting viscera of the king: Isis and Imsety (the liver), Nephtys and Hapy (lungs), Neith and Duamutef (stomach) and Selket and Qebehsenuef (intestines).

The Canopic Chest has no bottom and inside it atop a smaller sledge with silver coated runners stood a chest carved from a single block of calcite, the lid of the chest echoes the sloping roof of the outer shrine and canopy, while its sides are inclined and are decorated at their corners with carved images of the same four protective goddesses who stood on each side of the canopic shrine.

Each Canopic Jar is topped with a separately carved human/headed stopper in the form of the King in a nemes headdress made of calcite with details such as eyes, lips and ornaments on the protective uraeus and vulture picked out in red and black paint. The four stoppers are marked underneath with a symbol indicating their correct position with the four Canopic Coffinettes inside the hollows.

The miniature version of the royal coffins containing the embalmed and wrapped viscera of the king takes the form of mummiform figure of the king in the nemes headcloth fronted by cobra of the north and vulture of the south. On the chin the curled beard of divinity and the hands grasp a crook and a flail symbols of royal authority. On the sides are figures of Wadjet and Nekhbet as birds, in the talons the goddesses hold shen rings. The coffinettes are adorned to look as if they are covered with feathers (rishi style).

On the interior of the coffinette’s lid is engraved an image of the goddess Nut standing on the hieroglyph for the sky, her winged arms outstretched to protect the king on his journey to the next world. On the inside of the lower half of the coffin are inscriptions also designed to guard the king on his trip to the afterlife.

HDVideo:Tutankhamun’s Burial Treasures: The Canopic Shrine, Chest and Jars

(Read the transcript on the video page)

You can watch more fantastic videos on Heritage Key’s Video Page including Zahi Hawasss insights into the death of King Tut, as well as Kathleen Martinezs hunt for the tomb of Cleopatra. Additionally, you can find out more about Ancient Egypt on Heritage Key, as well as being able to explore the Valley of the Kings and the fascinating KV62 – King Tutankhamun’s tomb – in 3D in our exciting virtual experience! Also be sure to keep up to date on all new postings about Sandro’s photography from Egypt by subscribing to our feed, simply by entering your email address above.

Sandro Vannini’s Photography – Anubis Shrine and “Anubis Fetishes”

Anubis is the jackal-headed god for the afterlife and mummification, who is seen as a key figure for a Pharaoh to pass into the afterlife. The jackal was associated with associated with death and burials in Ancient Egyptian time for their reputation of scavenging human corpses and eating their flesh. It was common practice to place a figure of Anubis near the entrance of a tomb, and for the priest to don an Anubis mask during the embalming process. This is also one of the reasons the Anubis was selected to sail into New York’s harbour to promote the upcoming King Tut exhibit!

The Anubis Shrine and “Anubis Fetishes” are two artefacts found inside King Tut’s tomb which honour the god, and are now held in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo where they have been photographed by Sandro Vannini. Brought online by Heritage Key, the beautiful details of both these fine artefacts can be appreciated from the comfort of your own computer! You can also see the “Anubis Fetishes” are other stunning artefacts from KV62 in 3D by logging into King Tut Virtual.

‘Anubis’ Slideshow

Heritage Key is working with Sandro and bringing his extensive catalogue of beautiful photography of Egyptian antiquities onto the world wide web, which we’re sure will fascinate even the most hardcore Egyptologist! To watch a slideshow of the Canopic Chest, simply click any of the thumbnails below.

Don’t miss out on new treasures!

See More Amazing Photography by Sandro

Have a look at some of the other stunning photographs by Sandro Vannini here at Heritage Key:

Ask Sandro

We’ll be sitting down with our favourite photographer for an extended chat soon, so if you have any questions for Sandro we’ll send the answers straight to you!

Sandro Vannini’s Photography

Over a decade of experience in photographing the magnificent artefacts and tombs of Egypt has honed the skills of Sandro, and given him the experience required to capture the beautiful details of the Canopic Chest. The equipment used to take the amazing photographs is obviously important too, and Sandro used a Hasselblad ELD Ixpress 528C camera to take these images. You can also see more of Sandro’s fantastic photography in his new book with the Director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Dr Zahi Hawass, “The Lost Tombs of Thebes:Life in Paradise” as well as reading about Sandro’s experiences of shooting the photographs in Thebes on Heritage Key, and watching the video about the Lost Tombs of Thebes featuring Dr Zahi Hawass and Dr Janice Kamrin.

But for those of you who cant make the trip to the Cairo Museum to see the Canopic Chest, Heritage Key offers these stunning photographs by Sandro Vannini which capture the stunning Canopic Chest from the Tomb of King Tutankhamun. But there’s more: you can visit virtual replicas of Tutankhamun treasures in the Heritage Key VX King Tut exhibition, which features a virtual replica of many other breath-taking artefacts such as the Golden Mask of King Tutankhamun.

The Anubis Shrine and “Anubis Fetishes”

The Anubis Shrine is made of black-painted wood gessoed, with gilded details on the ears, collar and scarf. Silver is inset into the claws and its eyes are inlaid with calcite and obsidian. Embedded into the decor are alternating djed and tjet symbols, signifying Osiris and Isis. The Anubis sits upon an elaborate box shrine which sits on a sledge with four carrying poles.

The role of Anubis in the Book of the Dead was a crucial one, acting as the guide to the afterlife. Anubis played an essential role in the Weighing of the Heart ceremony, where the deceased would be judged and either allowed to pass into the afterlife or have their heart fed to the fearsome Ammut.

Also found inside the Tomb of King Tut were two emblems of Anubis, referred to as the “Anubis Fetishes”. Howard Carter discovered these two artefacts on each corner of the west side of the burial chamber, which was associated with death and the afterlife.

The fetish represents a headless animal skin which is suspended by its tail, and is wrapped around a pole with a calcite base. The base is inscribed with the cartouche of King Tutankhamun, and is referred to as being the beloved of Anubis “who is in the divine booth” on the left feitsh, and “who is in the bandages” in the right fetish.

At the top of both fetishes are a carved lotus bud, which mirrors the end of the animal tails, which end in a blossoming papyrus flower. The animal skins are made from gilded wood with bronze tails, and the concept is based on actual animal skins stuffed with linen.

In the Tomb of King Tutankhamun (KV62), the Anubis Shrine guarded the Treasury, and indeed would be wrongly used as evidence of a curse. Although Dr Zahi Hawass talks about the alleged curse of King Tutankhamun (Watch the Video), the actual translation of the brick found on the floor in front of the Anubis Shrine read “It is I who hinders the sand from choking the secret chamber. I cause the path to be mistaken. I am for the protection of the deceased.” Despite Lord Carnarvon’s death just 6 months after the opening of King Tut’s tomb (Watch the Video), many of the party which originally entered the tomb went on to live long lives.

HD Video: Animal Iconography of Tutankhamun’s Burial Treasures

(Read the transcript on the video page)

You can look at the Heritage Keys video page for all our videos to date and see more archaeologists working in Ancient Egypt. Additionally, you can find out more about Ancient Egypt here at Heritage Key, and if you want to do some discovery of your own, you can explore KV62 – King Tutankhamun’s tomb – in 3D in our exciting virtual experience! Also be sure to keep up to date on all new postings about Sandro’s photography from Egypt by subscribing to our feed, simply by entering your email address above.

Sandro Vannini’s Photography – Wall Paintings of the Tomb of Montuemhat (TT34)

The original excavation of TT34 – The Tomb of Montuemhat – was carried out by archaeologist Zakaria Gomein, upon the pressure unfortunately got the better of him and resulted in suidcide in a fascinating tale recounted by Dr Zahi Hawass (Watch the video).The project lead is now Dr Farouk Gomaa who is searching TT34 for the burial chamber of the diplomat Montuemhat, and explains his progress in a Heritage Key video (Watch the video).

Egyptology photographer has been busy across Thebes, and TT34 has been just one of many of the tombs in the area where he has taken his lens. As the photographer of “The Lost Tombs of Thebes:Life in Paradise“, authored by Dr Hawass, you can see him at work in a Heritage Key video (Watch the Video). Sandro took several photographs of the excavations going on at the Tomb of Monteumhat, including the tomb wall paintings.

Don’t miss out on new treasures!

See More Amazing Photography by Sandro

Have a look at some of the other stunning photographs by Sandro Vannini here at Heritage Key:

Ask Sandro

We’ll be sitting down with our favourite photographer for an extended chat soon, so if you have any questions for Sandro we’ll send the answers straight to you!

Sandro Vannini’s Photography

Sandro Vannini has spent over a decade in Egypt capturing images of some of the greatest discoveries and treasures in history, such as the famous Golden Mask of King Tutankhamun. Heritage Key is working with Sandro to bring these stunning photographs to the internet, to spur the interest in our ancient past. To watch a slideshow of the photographs of the Tomb of Montuemhat, click any of the thumbnails below.

For his venture into TT34, Sandro used a Kodak DCS Pro SLR/n to photograph the archaeologists as they studied their finds, and worked to understand more about their discovery. These images are from the front line dig at this tomb, and along with the video, gives a fantastic insight into the work that goes into such archaeological excavations.

The Tomb of Montuemhat (TT34)

Montuemhat was a leading Theban official who held a position of powerful stature and influential authority, commanding control over Upper Egypt. Overseeing the transition of power in Egypt from Kushite to Saite, having married a Kushite princess as his third wife. Although Montuemhat may have been of Nubian descent himself, historical records suggest he held power in Egypt after the Nubians left and right up until his death.

The walls of Montuemhat’s tomb are adorned with paintings depicting several different types of scenes. Examples would include scenes taken from the Southern Hall of Offerings in Hatshepsut’s temple which show oils being offered by bearers and cattle being slaughtered. The tomb wall decor contains scenes from both the Old and New Kingdoms. The Tomb of Montuemhmat is also notable for copying many wall paintings from other Theban tombs.

The Tomb of Montuemhat is the second largest of the Ethiopian period in the Assasif, Thebes. The Pylon of the tomb complex is still visible from considerable distance, after which there is a large courtyard. The rear houses a primeval mound, and underground areas which are being currently excavated by Dr Gomaa and his team.

You can see previous slideshows of Sandro’s photography at TT34 of excavations being carried out and of the sarcophagus of Montuemhat’s son Nesptah.

HD Video: Dr Farouk Gomaa’s Search for the Chamber of Mayor Montuemhat

(Click for a transcription of this video.)

You can see the entire archive of videos on Heritage Key’s Video Page, and find out the latest from excavations in Egypt. You can also learn more about Archaeology on Heritage Key, as well as being able to explore the wonders of the Virtual World in King Tut Virtual – walk through the Valley of the Kings and discover some of the most amazing artefacts in history! You can also keep up to date on the latest new postings of Sandro’s Photography by subscribing to the feed, simply by entering your Email Address!

Sandro Vannini’s Photography: King Tut’s Ritual Figure of Sekhmet

Housed inside Cairo’s Egyptian Museum are many of the artefacts from King Tutankhamun’s tomb (KV62) including the Ritual Figure of Sekhmet, which was discovered in 1922 by the great explorer Howard Carter and his financier Lord Carnarvon. The two men who had a trusting and close bond, as well as a love for Egyptology as explained by his modern day ancestors in a Heritage Key interview (Watch the video about Carter and Carnarvon). Included in the discovery were 34 ritual figures, believed to be of significant importance in the burial ceremony.

Egyptology photographer Sandro Vannini has been capturing many of the famed treasures of King Tut on camera, with the stunning results brought online by Heritage Key each week. In the second part of the Ritual Figures images by Sandro, the exquisite photographs of the goddess Sekhmet are featured.

‘Ritual Figure of Sekhmet’ Slideshow

Heritage Key is working with Sandro and bringing his extensive catalogue of beautiful photography of Egyptian antiquities onto the internet, which make for stunning viewing for both the casual observer and the keenest budding archaeologist alike! To watch a slideshow of the Ritual Figure of Sekhmet simply click any of the thumbnails below.

Explore KV62 for yourself in King Tut Virtual

But it doesn’t stop there, as you can also visit King Tut Virtual and see digital recreations of many of the famous artefacts from KV62, dig in the Valley of the Kings, and explore the tomb of the boy king and even see more of Sandro Vannini’s photography in the virtual gallery.

Don’t miss out on new treasures!

See More Amazing Photography by Sandro

Have a look at some of the other stunning photographs by Sandro Vannini here at Heritage Key:

Ask Sandro

We’ll be sitting down with our favourite photographer for an extended chat soon, so if you have any questions for Sandro we’ll send the answers straight to you!

Sandro Vannini’s Photography

Sandro has spent over a decade in Egypt, photographing some of the most stunning archaeological finds in history, as well as hundreds of amazing tombs across Egypt. The experience gained and skills enhanced have given Sandro a natural flair for making these artefacts come to life in his photography. Obviously the equipment he uses is a key factor too, and for capturing the Ritual Figures of King Tut on film, Sandro uses a Hasselblad ELD Ixpress 528C camera to take these images.

You can also see more of Sandro’s fantastic photography in his new book with the Director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Dr Zahi Hawass, “The Lost Tombs of Thebes:Life in Paradise” as well as reading about Sandro’s experiences of shooting the photographs in Thebes on Heritage Key, and watching the video about the Lost Tombs of Thebes featuring Dr Zahi Hawass and Dr Janice Kamrin.

Of course, not everyone would be able to make that trip to Cairo to see the beautiful artefacts that the Egyptian Museum holds, so Heritage Key brings Sandro’s stunning photography of the ritual figures from the Tomb of King Tut. But it doesn’t stop there: you can visit virtual replicas of Tutankhamun treasures in the Heritage Key VX King Tut exhibition, which features a virtual replica of many other breath-taking artefacts such as the Golden Mask of King Tutankhamun.

The Ritual Figure of Sekhmet

Inside the black resin-covered wooden boxes inside the Tomb of King Tut and wrapped in shawls were 34 ritual figures. Only one of the boxes had been breached by ancient tomb robbers, and inside one of the crates was discovered the Ritual Figure of Sekhmet, the daughter of Re, wife of Ptah and mother of Nefertem as well as the goddess of war and destruction.

When the ritual figure was found, a floral wreath was wrapped around its neck and she was wrapped in two linen cloths. One of the cloths bore an inscription which mentions the Aten. Sekhmet was the warrior god of Upper Egypt, and is shown with the head of a lioness and the body of a female.

Sekhmet was believed to be a protectorate of the Pharaoh, and would take down their enemies with arrows of fire during battle. The wrath of Sekhmet would become infamous, as her priestesses sought to make her a dominating goddess. Numerous statues were made in her likeness, which would then be laced in anthrax to prevent them being stolen or defaced.

Sekhmet’s notoriety was based around her rage, which almost wiped out mankind. Re created Sekhmet in vengeance as a punishment for man’s sin and disobedience. However, her ruthlessness grew and eventually led to Re losing control over Sekhmet as she wiped out vast numbers of people. Re’s attempts to stop Sekhmet’s war-path led to her turning on him, and admitted that she gained pleasure from destroying those who opposed him.

The myth has it that Re ordered for a vast amount of alcohol to be bought to the Nile, and dumped in the river with pomegranate to make it appear red. Tempting in Sekhmet, she drank the river which eventually stopped her rampage. In order to appease Sekhmet, the Egyptian people would worship her through a complex ritual.

HD Video: King Tut’s Treasures: The Ritual Figures

(Read the transcript on the video page)

If you liked this video, you can look at the Heritage Keys video page for all our videos to date and see more of archaeologists working in Ancient Egypt. Additionally, you can find out more about Ancient Egypt here at Heritage Key, and if you want to do some discovery of your own, you can explore KV62 – King Tutankhamun’s tomb – in 3D in our exciting virtual experience! Also be sure to keep up to date on all new postings about Sandro’s photography from Egypt by subscribing to our feed, simply by entering your email address above.

Sandro Vannini’s Photography – Archaeologists in the Theban Tomb of Montuemhat (TT34)

Egyptology photographer Sandro Vannini has been busy photographing tombs across Thebes for his new book “The Lost Tombs of Thebes:Lost in Paradise” and you can watch him at work in a Heritage Key video which also features Dr Zahi Hawass and Dr Janice Kamrin (Watch the video). During his photo-spree in this Ancient Egyptian city, Sandro took images of archaeologists hard at work at the site of TT34 – The Tomb of Montuemhat.

Described by the excavation lead Dr Farouk Gomaa as “one of the largest [tombs] in Thebes“, the University of Tbingen archaeologist and his team are searching for the sarcophagus of the diplomat Montuemhat. The work on TT34 initially began in 1941 by Zakaria Gomein, whose untimely death is recounted in a Heritage Key video with Dr Hawass (Watch the Video). A breakthrough was made by Dr Gomaa’s team in 1988 when they discovered the sarcophagus of Montuemhat’s son Nesptah the Younger.

Sandro Vannini’s Photography

Don’t miss out on new treasures!

See More Amazing Photography by Sandro

Have a look at some of the other stunning photographs by Sandro Vannini here at Heritage Key:

Ask Sandro

We’ll be sitting down with our favourite photographer for an extended chat soon, so if you have any questions for Sandro we’ll send the answers straight to you!

The Tomb of Montuemhat (TT34)

Montuemhat was a powerful and influential figure in Ancient Egypt who’s authority and stature was sufficient enough to carve out such a substantial resting place for himself in the necropolis of the pharaohs. But he wasn’t an Egypt king – from around 660-648 BC was Mayor of Thebes, and a highly skilled and crafty diplomat. Egypt underwent some tumultuous changes during his time in office, as the last Nubian kings of the 25th Dynasty, Taharqa and Tantamani, were driven back into Nubia, first by the invading Assyrians, then by the first kings of the 26th Dynasty.

During these instabilities, Montuemhat was able to leverage himself into a position of power, and effectively took control of Upper Egypt, in no small part thanks to his wife Wedjarenes, who happened to be the grand-daughter of the Nubian king Piye. Although Montuemhat may have been of Nubian descent himself, historical records suggest he held power in Egypt after the Nubians left and right up until his death.

The TT34 tomb may originally have been constructed for Montuemhat’s father, Nesptah theElder (who also served as Mayor of Thebes), as construction would have started when Montuemhat was a young man. Inscriptions within the tomb give Montuemhat – who also held the title of the Fourth Priest of Amun – such honoured titles as eyes of the king in all the land, prince of the deserts and keeper of the gate of the deserts.

The tomb itself bears no mention of Montuemhat’s first two wives – Neskhonsu and Shepenmut, and there is no evidence that either wife is buried in the tomb. Instead, the inscriptions concentrate solely on Montuemhat’s Kushite wife Wedjarenes. It is believed that they may have married in Nubia, and that she may be the reason that Montuemhat was selected to be the Governor of Upper Egypt. Wedjarenes was the grand-daughter of the Nubian King Piye.

The excavations inside TT34 continue as Dr Farouk Gomaa and his team search for the burial chamber of Montuemhat. The tomb of Montuemhat, the shaft of Montuemhat, we have not found, explains Gomaa. We hope we can find it, he adds.

HD Video: Dr Farouk Gomaa’s Search for the Chamber of Mayor Montuemhat

(Click for a transcription of this video.)

Sandro Vannini’s Photography – King Tutankhamun’s Senet Game Board

Four Senet boards were found inside the tomb of King Tutankhamun and suggests that the boy king was a keen player of the ancient game. In Ancient Egyptian society, senet was regarded as much more than just a game, however – it was a matter of life or death. The game involves throwing casting sticks or knucklebones, and over time became regarded as talismans for the journey into the afterlife with luck being a key deciding factor in the game.

Those who would win games of senet were believed to be blessed by powerful gods such as Osiris, Ra and Thoth. Senet boards were also often placed in graves, and they are specifically mentioned in the Book of the Dead. The Senet boards of King Tut are on display in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo and are a subject of Dr Janice Kamrin’s tour of the museum in a video for Heritage Key (Watch the video). They are also a few of the many artefacts from KV62 which were photographed by Egyptology photographer Sandro Vannini, who’s images are brought online each week by Heritage Key.

‘Senet Board’ Slideshow

Heritage Key is working with Sandro and bringing his extensive catalogue of beautiful photography of Egyptian antiquities onto the internet, which we’re sure will fascinate even the most hardcore Egyptologist! To watch a slideshow of the Canopic Chest, simply click any of the thumbnails below.

See it for yourself in King Tut Virtual

But it doesn’t stop there, as you can also visit King Tut Virtual and see digital recreations of many of the famous artefacts from KV62, walk through the Valley of the Kings, explore the banks of the River Nile in Ancient Egyptian times and even see more of Sandro Vannini’s photography in the virtual gallery.

Sandro Vannini’s Photography

Over a decade of experience in photographing the magnificent artefacts and tombs of Egypt has honed the skills of Sandro, and given him the experience required to capture the beautiful details of the senet board. The equipment used to take the photographs obviously plays a key role too, and Sandro used a Hasselblad ELD Ixpress 528C camera to take these images. You can also see more of Sandro’s fantastic photography in his new book with the Director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Dr Zahi Hawass, “The Lost Tombs of Thebes:Life in Paradise” as well as reading about Sandro’s experiences of shooting the photographs in Thebes on Heritage Key, and watching the video about the Lost Tombs of Thebes featuring Dr Zahi Hawass and Dr Janice Kamrin (Watch the video).

But for those of you who cant make the trip to the Cairo Museum to see the amazing artefacts, Heritage Key offers these stunning photographs by Sandro Vannini which capture the senet boards from the Tomb of King Tutankhamun. But there’s more: you can visit virtual replicas of many of Tutankhamun treasures in the Heritage Key VX King Tut exhibition, which features a digital recreation of many other breath-taking artefacts such as the Golden Mask of King Tutankhamun.

Don’t miss out on new treasures!

See More Amazing Photography by Sandro

Have a look at some of the other stunning photographs by Sandro Vannini here at Heritage Key:

Ask Sandro

We’ll be sitting down with our favourite photographer for an extended chat soon, so if you have any questions for Sandro we’ll send the answers straight to you!

King Tutankhamun’s Senet Game Boards

Of the ceremonial senet boards found in King Tut’s tomb (KV62), the most beautiful was an ivory version dated to 1333BC which was found by the great explorer Howard Carter. The ivory senet board is today on display in Cairo’s Egyptian Museum.

The box contains a drawer in which the pieces of the senet board would have been kept. The pieces included two ivory knucklebones, five red ivory reels and five white ivory pawns. The drawer was fastened with bolts, although upon discovery in 1922, these bolts were missing. It is thought they were made from a precious metal such as gold or silver, and may have been stolen by grave robbers.

The ivory box is inscribed with yellow-pigmented etchings depicting King Tut and describing his as The Strong Bull, beautiful of birth, image of Ra, precious offspring of Atum, king of Upper and Lower Egypt, ruler of the nine bows, lord of all the lands, and possessor of might Nebkheperura. Around the drawer, Tut is described as The good god, lord of the Two Lands, lord of crowns whom Ra created and Beloved of all the gods, may he be healthy, living forever.

On one end of the box is inscribed an image of King Tutankhamun and his queen Ankhesenamun in a roughly carved etching depicting her offering a lotus flower. It’s entirely possible the Amarna royal pair would cosy up on summer evenings and play a game or two of senet!

Senet was played on a board of 30 squares, and the underside of the box features a grid of 20 squares. This side of the box was used to play another game called Tjau, which translates to “Robbers”. Although historians have attempted to make educated guesses as to how the two games were played, it is not clear on the rules that were adhered to in ancient times. Although the game features on tomb walls and papyri, it is assumed the rules of the game would have been passed on through word of mouth.

HD Video: Tutankhamun’s Burial Treasures: Lifestyle Objects

(Read the transcript on the video page)

You can watch more fantastic videos on Heritage Key’s Video Page including Zahi Hawasss insights into the death of King Tut, as well as a look at the new Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar. Additionally, you can find out more about Ancient Egypt on Heritage Key, as well as being able to explore the Valley of the Kings and the fascinating KV62 – King Tutankhamun’s tomb – in 3D in our exciting virtual experience! Also be sure to keep up to date on all new postings about Sandro’s photography from Egypt by subscribing to our feed, simply by entering your email address above.

Sandro Vannini’s Photography – The Entrance to the Tomb of King Tutankhamun (KV62)

When the entrance to the Tomb of King Tutankhamun (KV62) was discovered by the great explorer Howard Carter and his financier Lord Carnarvon, they could never have dreamed of the treasures which awaited them inside. These two men worked together to track down King Tut’s burial place, as explained in a Heritage Key video with Lord Carnarvon’s modern day ancestors the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon (Watch the Video).

Egyptology photographer Sandro Vannini has spent much of the past decade photographing the fascinating artefacts discovered inside KV62, as well as capturing the tomb itself on film. But an angle that isn’t seen very often is that of the tomb’s entrance – the path walked down numerous times by Carter and his team as they excavated arguably the greatest find in archaeology.

Sandro Vannini’s Photography

As one of the leading archaeology photographers, Sandro Vannini has honed his skills for photographing the ancient wonders of Egypt in their best light. Armed with his Canon EOS 5D, Sandro trekked the desert sands and took these images of the walk up to the Tomb of King Tutankhamun. Follow in the footsteps of Howard Carter and his team of archaeologists, not just through Sandro’s photographs, but by registering for your free Heritage Key account and exploring the Virtual Valley of the Kings in King Tut Virtual!

Sandro Vannini is of course no stranger to photographing the beauty of such tombs and treasures of Egypt, as his recent book The Lost Tombs of Thebes:Life in Paradise, authored by Dr Hawass is evidence of. You can read Sandro’s account on how he took the photographs right here on Heritage Key, as well as watching him in action in a video featuring Dr Hawass and Dr Janice Kamrin (Watch the video here), and check out his latest book – A Secret Voyage.

Don’t miss out on new treasures!

See More Amazing Photography by Sandro

Have a look at some of the other stunning photographs by Sandro Vannini here at Heritage Key:

Ask Sandro

We’ll be sitting down with our favourite photographer for an extended chat soon, so if you have any questions for Sandro we’ll send the answers straight to you!

The Entrance to the Tomb of King Tutankhamun (KV62)

Howard Carter went searching for the Tomb of King Tutankhamun and unearthed the entrance in 1922. Upon entering the tomb, birth was given to the most famous dialogue in archaeological exploration. As Carter entered the tomb, Lord Carnarvon called “What do you see?”, Carter looked around him awestruck, and said “I see wonderful things”. The ensuing artefacts captured the public’s imagination as the world’s press scrambled to report the stunning finds.

The entrance of the tomb was saved from being raided by tomb robbers due to a collapse whilst construction of another tomb – that of Ramesses VI – was being carried out above it. The partial caving in made the entrance tunnel impassible for robbers, and meant that much of the treasures inside KV62 remained intact. Although the tomb was broken into by ancient thieves, they concentrated mainly on stealing unguents and perfumes which were easily transportable and harder to trace.

Talks of the Tomb of King Tutankhamun being closed off to the public persist, as worries about the damage being done to ancient tombs by tourism raises concerns that the ancient heritage may be lost. The tombs could disappear in between 150 and 500 years, warns Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. However, such moves as closing off the famous KV62 tomb would undoubtedly harm Egypt’s tourism, which accounts for a larger slice of their economy.

The Getty Conservation Institute also moved in on the Tomb of King Tut to look at brown spots formed on the walls of KV62. The spots have been present on the wall since discovered by Howard Carter, although they have never been analysed yet. Some people think the brown spots may be getting bigger, and suggest they may be bacteria or fungus.

Then there’s talk of a replica tomb replacing the actual tomb in order to preserve it. Although this would allow the preservation of the ancient burial site, tourists would complain about not being to experience “the real thing”. So begins something of a cache-22 situation as Egypt weighs up the cost of damage to the tombs against the potential damage to their economy if they lose tourism to the Valley of the Kings.

HDVideo: Discovering King Tut – Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter

The 8th Earl of Carnarvon, George Herbert and his wife, 8th Countess of Carnarvon, Fiona Herbert, talk to Heritage Key about their ancestor Lord Carnarvon and the archaeologist he funded, Howard Carter. They discuss the relationship between the two men and how they set about the amazing discovery of the legendary tomb of King Tutankhamun, in the Valley of the Kings.

(Click here for a transcript)

You can watch more great Heritage Key videos by going to our Video Page, as well as finding out more about Ancient Egypt on Heritage Key, as well as being able to explore the Valley of the Kings and the fascinating KV62 – King Tutankhamun’s tomb – in 3D in our exciting virtual experience! Also be sure to keep up to date on all new postings about Sandro’s photography from Egypt by subscribing to our feed, simply by entering your email address above.

Sandro Vannini’s Photography – The Ritual Figures of King Tutankhamun

Discovered inside the Tomb of King Tutankhamun, inside black resin-covered wooden shrines which were accessible via double doors, were 34 ritual figures. Of significant importance during the ritual ceremony, these statuettes are believed to assist the King Tut’s passage to the afterlife. Upon discovering the shrines in KV62, the great explorer Howard Carter found only one of the boxes had been raided by tomb robbers, with the rest laying undisturbed since antiquity. The ritual figures are now housed inside Cairo’s Egyptian Museum and have been captured on film by Sandro Vannini, who has photographed Egypt’s greatest treasures including the famous Golden Mask of King Tutankhamun.

The greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century, the inspiring tale of how Carter and his financier Lord Carnarvon uncovered the treasures of King Tutankhamun by working together is told by their modern day descendants the Earl and Countess in a video interview with Heritage Key (Watch this video).

‘Ritual Figures’ Slideshow

Heritage Key is working with Sandro and bringing his extensive catalogue of beautiful photography of Egyptian antiquities onto the internet, which make for stunning viewing for both the casual observer and the keenest budding archaeologist alike! To watch a slideshow of the Ceremonial Chariot, simply click any of the thumbnails below.

Explore KV62 for yourself in King Tut Virtual

Sandro Vannini’s Photography

Sandro has spent over a decade in Egypt, photographing some of the most stunning archaeological finds in history, as well as hundreds of amazing tombs across Egypt. The experience gained and skills enhanced have given Sandro a natural flair for making these artefacts come to life in his photography. Obviously the equipment he uses is a key factor too, and for capturing the Ritual Figures of King Tut on film, Sandro employed the use of a Hasselblad ELD Ixpress 528C camera to take these images.

Of course, not everyone would be able to make that trip to Cairo to see the beautiful artefacts that the Egyptian Museum holds, so Heritage Key brings Sandro’s stunning photography of the Ceremonial Chariot of the Tomb of King Tut. But it doesn’t stop there: you can visit virtual replicas of Tutankhamun treasures in the Heritage Key VX King Tut exhibition, which features a virtual replica of many other breath-taking artefacts such as the Golden Mask of King Tutankhamun.

Don’t miss out on new treasures!

See More Amazing Photography by Sandro

Have a look at some of the other stunning photographs by Sandro Vannini here at Heritage Key:

Ask Sandro

We’ll be sitting down with our favourite photographer for an extended chat soon, so if you have any questions for Sandro we’ll send the answers straight to you!

The Ritual Figures

The small statues of King Tutankhamun showed him in a variety of positions and acts. The first of which, photographed by Sandro, show the boy king riding a papyrus raft, hunting an invisible hippopotamus with a spear or harpoon. The hippopotamus was considered by the ancient Egyptians to symbolise evil and disorder, because the evil deity Seth – according to Egyptian mythology – transformed himself into a hippo before being defeated in battle by the god Horus. The statue is representative of King Tut restoring order to the Egyptian universe like a golden god, by hunting down the hippo.

Carved from hard wood, and covered with gold leaf, he is shown in highly realistic detail taking a long stride forward, as he prepares to launch his spear. In his other hand is a coiled bronze rope, for capturing the defeated animal. The style of the statuettes reflects trends of the Amarna period – particularly the exaggeration of certain physical features. It has been speculated that they may have originally been created as an image of Tut’s father, the “heretic pharaoh” Akhenaten, who founded Amarna.

The second statue shows King Tut astride a panther and wearing a tall crown, bearing a flail in his left hand and a staff in his right. The black panther represents the netherworld and the night sky, and by riding on its back, the boy king is able to navigate safely through the dangers posed by these, allowing him to be reborn in the coming morning. It has been suggested this figure was originally made for a Queen, due to the ample bust – possibly for Nefertiti.

In a video for Heritage Key(Click to skip to the Video), Dr Janice Kamrin shows artefacts in the Egyptian Museum including the Ritual Figures, stating Another very interesting thing about these statues and a lot of the other pieces in the tomb is that they were not originally made for Tutankhamun. Some artefacts discovered in KV62 would originally have been created for another Kings’ funerary assemblage, suggesting King Tut’s unexpected demise.

In some of the discovered Ritual Figures, the faces are evidently not those of King Tutankhamun himself, although reconstructions show that he had some effeminate features. Some details, such as the shape of the belly button and size of the bust are indicative of gender, but in many ways it can be difficult to determine male statues from females.

HD Video: King Tut’s Treasures: The Ritual Figures

(Read the transcript on the video page)

Satellite Image: Bergama (Pergamon), Turkey

Bergama, Turkey is a city in the west of the country, located near the Bakray river and is home to the ruins of the Roman city of Pergamon (or Pergamum), which lie to the north and west of the modern day site. The ancient city is believed to have had a population of around 150,000 people at its peak in the First Century AD. Thanks to GeoEye who have provided a high resolution satellite image of the region, we can see the relationship between the modern city and its ancient past.

Of all the amazing sites in the area surrounding Bergama, it is just as important to note the missing piece – The Zeus Altar, also known as the Pergamon Altar. Hosted in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin, this amazing example of Hellenic art depicts scenes from ‘Gigantomachy’ – the battle of the Greek gods against the giants. The story of how this stunning piece of architecture ended up in Germany is a remarkably similar tale to how the Elgin Marbles ended up in the British Museum, and you can read about it (as well as viewing a slideshow of the Pergamon Altar) in Jon’s blogpost.

Can you spot any famous sites in the map below? The following landmarks are all in there:

The Acropolis of Pergamon was built by Commander Eumenes II, who had taken the Acropolis of Athens as an precedent for his new design, and upon completion, adorned it with fine arts and decor, making it one of the most beautiful places the world had seen. The Acropolis of Pergamon is home to several key sites, such as Temples to Athena, Zeus and Trajan, a theatre, the Queen’s Gardens and military barracks.

Click the (+) and (-) buttons to zoom in and out of this image, or double click.
Drag the image with your mouse to move to a different area.

The road to the Acropolis begins with a Gate, which leads up to the Lower Agora. The surrounding buildings contained a gymnasium and Roman baths, as well as Temples dedicated to Hera and Demeter.

To the south-west of the city is the Theatre of Pergamon, which has one of the steepest inclines of any built by the Romans. Built in the 3rd Century BC, it has a capacity of up to 10,000 people. Nearby is the Asklepieion complex, with the Temple of Asklepius, a library, a round building and a Propylon.

You can read more about Pergamon Altar Frieze here on Heritage Key, as well as the hot debate over it being kept in Berlin, Germany.

The Satellite Image is courtesy of GeoEye.

Sandro Vannini’s Photography – The Theban Tomb of Montuemhat and his son Nesptah (TT34)

Many archaeological excavations are taking place across Egypt as the wonders of the Ancient World continue to reveal themselves to us. One such excavation taking place is at el-Assasif, Thebes at the site of TT34 – the Tomb of Montuemhat. The archaeological dig, led by Dr Farouk Gomaa, is searching for the yet undiscovered burial chamber of the diplomat Montuemhat. Renown photographer Sandro Vannini captured images of the excavations in progress at TT34, as well as covering many spectacular images in his publication “The Lost Tombs of Thebes: Life in Paradise” authored by Dr Zahi Hawass (Watch a video about the Lost Tombs of Thebes here).

As Dr Gomaa and his team progress deeper into the Tomb of Montuemhat, Sandro’s lens captures the work that archaeologists put into the digs, documenting their finds and making notes about the wall paintings.

Sandro Vannini’s Photography

Sandro Vannini is an established photographer of Egyptology artefacts and ancient tombs, having spent that past decade capturing some of the world’s greatest treasures, including the Golden Mask of King Tutankhamun. Working with Sandro, Heritage Key is working to bring these images to the internet and give an insight into our fascinating past. To watch a slideshow of the photographs of the Tomb of Montuemhat, click any of the thumbnails below.

Inside the Tomb of the diplomat Montuemhat, Sandro used a Kodak DCS Pro SLR/n to capture photographs of the archaeologists as they excavate the tomb, and try to understand more about the discoveries they make. These front line images, coupled with the video, gives a fantastic insight into the archaeological dig at TT34.

Don’t miss out on new treasures!

See More Amazing Photography by Sandro

Have a look at some of the other stunning photographs by Sandro Vannini here at Heritage Key:

Ask Sandro

We’ll be sitting down with our favourite photographer for an extended chat soon, so if you have any questions for Sandro we’ll send the answers straight to you!

The Tomb of Montuemhat (TT34)

Montuemhat’s status as “Mayor of the City of Thebes and Fourth Prophet of Amun” and one of the most powerful officials in South Egypt was high regarded, and as such, his tomb was one which reflected this. TT34, the Tomb of Montuemhat was one of the most lavishly decorated and largest tombs discovered belonging to a non-royal.

He was responsible for overseeing the construction projects being undertaken in Thebes. Supervising the works at Medinet Habu and Karnak, Montuemhat operated under Kings Taharqa and Tanutamun. During this time, the Mut Temple was rebuilt using materials from other earlier temples for construction. A small chapel was dedicated to Montuemhat in the east wall of the Mut Temple.

After Thebes was destroyed by invading Assyrian forces, Montuemhat became the ruler of Upper Egypt, and would later become the highest authority in Thebes. Found inside the tomb was the sarcophagus of Montuemhat’s son Nesptah. Wearing a wig common in the Twenty-Second Dynasty, the long wig extended down to the shoulders but left the ears uncovered.

Nesptah was the deputy of Thebes, or a second in command to his father Montuemhat. In a video interview with Dr Gomaa (Watch the Video here), he tells us how Nesptah’s burial chamber was discovered thanks to the actions of would-be thieves. The tomb robbers went inside the archaeological site and burned the wooden sarcophagus of Nesptah is order to light up the room and look for treasures to steal. However, the smoke from the fire alerted the attention of the authorities, and it wasn’t long before the police came to arrest them!

Work on excavating the tomb was originally started in 1941 by Zakaria Goneim who unfortunately committed suicide before the excavation was finished; a story recounted by Dr Zahi Hawass in another fascinating video (Watch the video). Dr Farouk Gomaa now leads the team excavating the tomb as they continue their search through the several chambers and passages to find the burial chamber of Montuemhat.

HD Video: Dr Farouk Gomaa’s Search for the Chamber of Mayor Montuemhat

Dr Farouk Gomaa talks about his excavations in el-Assasif, Thebes and his work in TT34 – the Tomb of the diplomat Montuemhat. He shows the finds in the tomb so far, including the sarcophagus of Nespta, the son of Montuemhat. Dr Gomaa explains that although his team have not found the chamber of Montuemhat himself, or his sarcophagus, he remains hopeful of uncovering them soon. You can read more about the video of Dr Farouk Gomaa’s excavations in Tomb TT34 in Malcolm’s blog post.

(Transcription of this video.)

You can watch the entire archive of videos on Heritage Key’s Video Page, and find out the latest from excavations in Egypt. You can also learn more about Archaeology on Heritage Key, as well as being able to explore the wonders of the Virtual World in King Tut Virtual – walk through the Valley of the Kings and discover some of the most amazing artefacts in history! You can also keep up to date on the latest new postings of Sandro’s Photography by subscribing to the feed, simply by entering your Email Address!