Lord Carnarvon, in a lecture at the Central Hall, Westminster, gave a vivid account of the opening of the tomb, telling how they cleared the passage leading to the first chamber, how they broke a hole through the sealed wall just large enough to see through, how Mr. Howard Carter held up his candle and peered into the tomb, uttering no word. All the time Lord Carnarvon was on tenterhooks, wondering what was behind the wall. A moment later he peered through, and saw one of the most wonderful sights that has ever greeted an excavator.
To come on such a wealth of treasure is actually a grave responsibility. Before now men have seen statues suddenly collapse into dust before their amazed eyes, have watched brilliantly decorated mummy cases crumble without warning into heaps of powder.
A most dramatic incident occurred after the unique discovery of all the royal mummies in 1881. Exercising the utmost care, Maspero slowly unwrapped one of the mummies in order to gaze on the actual features of the dead monarch. A camera was focused, the plate exposed, and even as the photograph was taken the face vanished into nothingness. Maspero was terribly upset at the loss of the mummy, so upset that he refused to allow the mummy of Rameses the Great to be unwrapped, for fear it, too, should vanish.
For things cannot last for ever, even in the dry air of Egypt. They cannot spend thousands of years in tombs without becoming fragile. Their preservation is therefore imperative. Everything must be photographed from many angles, in order to provide a complete record in pictures. In the case of the treasures of Tutankhamen, electric lamps of 2000 candle-power were installed in the tomb, for the use of the photographer. Paraffin wax, dissolved celluloid, sheets of glass, various acids, are used to prevent decay.
Even when all precautions are taken, things have to be very carefully handled. They literally need wrapping in cotton wool, and one of Lord Carnarvon’s first purchases, when he saw the extent of his discovery, was a mile and a half of cotton wool to wrap round the treasures.
By courtesy of the British Museum
THESE MARVELLOUS COFFINS, FOUND AT THEBES, ARE DECORATED WITH SCENES FROM THE BOOK OF THE DEAD. THE REPRODUCTIONS GIVE ONLY A FAINT IDEA OF THE WONDERFUL BEAUTY OF THE ORIGINALS, WHICH ARE ALL PAINTED IN THE MOST GORGEOUS COLOURS AND IN SOME CASES HEAVILY OVERLAID WITH GOLD. THEY ARE FINE EXAMPLES OF THE REMARKABLE SKILL OF THE EGYPTIAN ARTISTS. THAT OF HU-EN-AMEN ON THE LEFT IS ABOUT 2,700 YEARS OLD, AND THE OTHER OF ATHA-NEB IS ABOUT 2,400 YEARS OLD
As far back as 1888, Flinders Petrie was confronted by the problem of preserving a coffin from which the stucco was peeling. After much consideration, he dropped melted paraffin wax on the weak spots, and thought he had solved the difficulty. To his dismay the wax made matters worse. The outer margins of the wax contracted in cooling, and formed saucer-like depressions which pulled the stucco away from the wood.
He was so gravely concerned that for days he racked his brains to find a remedy. At last, he took a brazier full of glowing charcoal, and held it near the waxen saucers. To his joy he saw the wax melting into the cracks and under the stucco, cementing it firmly to the wood again.