The discovery of Tutankhamun s tomb BBC Global

Thirty-three centuries had passed since human feet last trod the floor on which we stood, and yet the signs of recent life were around us. A heart-filled bowl of mortar, a blackened lamp, the chips of wood left on the floor by a careless carpenter. We had penetrated two chambers, but when we came to a golden shrine with doors closed and sealed, we realized that we were to witness a spectacle such as no other man in our time had been privileged to see. I carefully cut the cord, removed the precious seal, drew back the bolt, and opened the door, when a second shrine was revealed, even more brilliant in workmanship than the last. With intense excitement, I went forward and unbolted the inner door. They slowly swung open, and there, filling the entire area within, stood an immense yellow quartzite sarcophagus. It affectionately barred any further progress until we could raise the lid. Then a decisive moment. In a dead silence, the huge lid, weighing over a ton and a quarter, was raised from its bed, light shining to the sarcophagus. A gasp of wonderment escaped our lips. So gorgeous was the sight that met our eyes. A golden effigy of the young king of magnificent workmanship filled the whole of the interior. This was but the lid of a series of three coffins, nested one within the other, enclosing the mortal remains of the young king Dudank Amon. Laid on that golden outer lid was a tiny wreath of flowers, as it pleased us to see, the lofty farewell offering of the widowed girl queen to her husband. Among all that regal splendor, there was nothing so beautiful as those few withered flowers. They told us what a shock period 3,300 years really was.