God whose symbol was an ostrich feather. Signs and Symbols

The goddess Maat is perhaps the most revered among the pantheon of gods in Ancient Egypt. Her influence covered every member of society: from the pharaoh to the very bottom.

Meaning of the name

Maat is the goddess of truth and order. She is often called the goddess of justice. Literally, her name means “one who is true.” The ancient Egyptians believed that every person should live with the name Ma'at every day. Thus, it was understood that he must act according to his conscience and be honest.

An amazing fact is that the ancient Egyptians called the foundation of the throne of the pharaohs and gods with the same word - “maat”. In a literal sense, it was understood that justice and order are the basis of any power, both earthly and divine.

Origin of the Goddess

It is believed that Maat is the daughter of Ra himself - the sun god, the creator of everything on earth. She is also considered the wife of Thoth, the god of wisdom and knowledge. The Egyptians quite wisely believed that order and wisdom go hand in hand, so the marriage of the god Thoth and the goddess Maat is more than natural and logical.

In ancient texts it is also called the "Eye of Ra". Perhaps because the god Ra must always monitor justice and proper implementation of laws in the country, the embodiment of which was the goddess Maat.

Goddess image

Archaeologists have discovered a wide variety of images of the goddess Maat. Most often she is depicted as a woman with an ostrich feather in her hair. She was dressed in a white or red dress, and her skin had a yellow tint. The woman, as a rule, sat on the ground on her knees, holding the ankh - the cross of life - in her hands.

Sometimes it was depicted simply with one feather or cubit, which denoted a measure in Ancient Egypt. In this designation, Maat was represented as the measure of each person - that is, his conscience.

Images of the goddess Maat with wings or sitting on a flat hill, one of the sides of which was beveled, were also found. Rarely, but still there are drawings in which the goddess is holding scales in her hands.

One of the most famous images of the goddess Maat is in the tomb of Pharaoh Ramses XI. There he himself, in royal clothes, bows to the goddess, who is depicted much larger than the figure of the pharaoh. Researchers believe that in this way the greatness of the goddess was conveyed, who in some way took the pharaoh under her wing, gave him her protection and support.

Archaeologists have been finding certain symbols of Maat since the earliest times of the Old Kingdom, when the cult of worship of her began to actively spread throughout the country.

The role of Maat before the creation of the world

The ancient Egyptians attached great importance to the goddess Maat. They identified it not only with justice, but also with order throughout the world. They believed that Maat is the goddess of truth, she is a reflection of the entire world order around them - the change of seasons, the movement of stars in the sky, and so on. It was the basis of their worldview and ideas about the world around them. Therefore, they had no right to neglect its significance.

Principles of Ma'at

Being the goddess of truth and justice, naturally, Maat had her own set of rules that must be followed. Every Egyptian knew him and honored him, since the consequences could be tragic both in earthly life and in the afterlife.

In general, these 42 principles of Maat can easily be called a summary of the modern criminal code of any secular country. And they are even an expanded version of the mortal sins of the Orthodox. Although the ancient Egyptian civilization existed long before the birth of Christianity as a religion.

So, basically the goddess of truth Maat warns against murder, robbery, deception and gluttony. At the same time, she pays special attention to the psychological factor: do not offend or get angry for no reason, do not hurt loved ones with harsh words, do not be arrogant and do not try to make others cry.

It was the sacred duty of every Egyptian to strictly follow these rules. This applied to both ordinary Egyptians, workers, and the supreme nobility, priests and pharaohs.

Maat - woman or god

The goddess Maat is a personified image of the abstract concepts of truth, truth, order and justice. However, the ancient Egyptians believed that Maat lived among ordinary people for a very long time, like many other gods. But the sins and crimes of people forced her to leave the earthly world and join the host of great gods.

What does the goddess Maat look like? She was mostly depicted as a woman wearing a long dress. Although she was often depicted with wings, her head and body always remained human.

She was a kind of bridge between the worlds of gods and people. It determined the entire earthly order: the movement of planets and the relationships of people among themselves, justice and fairness.

Goddess Maat in Ancient Egypt

Maat has been known since the times of the Old Kingdom, that is, from 2700 BC. Unfortunately, experts were unable to establish the original place of origin of this cult, since it spread quite quickly throughout almost the entire territory of Ancient Egypt.

However, the Egyptians did not have a separate holiday dedicated to the goddess Maat. But its great significance during the afterlife judgment suggests that it was not a sign of disdain. Perhaps, on the contrary, every day the Egyptian had to live in accordance with his conscience, that is, “with Maat in his heart.” Thus, he constantly thought and thought about the goddess, about order, about justice, and about honor.

The Egyptian goddess Maat (of course, there are no photographs of her, only drawings) was not often depicted on the walls of temples and tombs. But still, she was the personification of very abstract concepts: “truth”, “justice”, “order”. At the same time, all Egyptians believed that they lived thanks to her, with her direct help and with her participation.

Priests of Ma'at

The Grand Vizier also bore the title of priest of Maat, since he was also the supreme judge. And according to the ancient Egyptians, it was simply impossible to administer justice without the participation of the goddess Maat. As a sign of his special status, the priest of Maat wore on his chest the image of the goddess, cast from pure gold.

Therefore, when they talk about the priests of Maat, they do not mean performers of religious rituals and clergy, but those who help administer the law and restore justice in the country.

Role in the afterlife

Great importance was attached to the role of the goddess Maat during the transition of the human soul from earthly life to the afterlife. It was believed that she played the main role during the afterlife trial. The jackal-headed god Anubis held a scale in his hands. On one side lay the heart of a recently deceased man. And on the other bowl, the goddess of justice Maat placed her ostrich feather. If a person’s heart turned out to be lighter than his, then his soul was considered pure and could proceed to heaven. For a “light” heart, it was necessary to live your whole life following the principles and precepts of this strict but fair goddess.

If a person lived a dishonest and sinful life, then his heart was outweighed by the feather of the goddess, and his soul was eaten by the terrible god Amtu in the form of the body of a lion with the head of a crocodile. This outcome was final for the soul - it no longer had the opportunity to be reborn and try to correct its previous mistakes of earthly life.

Therefore, the ancient Egyptians were very afraid to go against the principles of Maat - after all, their future afterlife depended on it. If a person has lived an honest and sinless life, then he has nothing to fear from this judgment - he goes to it with a light heart. Light enough to be lighter than the feather of Maat.

The meaning of Ma'at for the Egyptian pharaohs

The pharaohs of Ancient Egypt respected and appreciated the goddess Maat like no one else. They governed the state in accordance with its principles, according to its laws and regulations. The Egyptian goddess Maat helped them maintain order in the country. And they had to ask her for favor. After all, if various troubles and unrest began in the country, then ordinary Egyptians sincerely believed that the goddess had turned away from their pharaohs. This means chaos and destruction are coming. To appease the angry goddess, the priests prayed intensely and performed numerous rituals in her honor. Otherwise, the country will be doomed. And with it the people. And with the return of mercy from the goddess Maat, justice and proper order will reign in the state again.

The pharaohs especially revered the goddess Maat, since it was she who was responsible for political stability in the state, for its prosperity and stability. She gives the pharaoh a set of laws by which he is obliged to govern the state, and his subjects must sacredly honor and follow them. Otherwise, chaos will come to these lands and destroy everything in its path, sweep away the power of the pharaoh, and destroy the entire country and its inhabitants.

The role of the goddess for ordinary Egyptians

It is safe to say that Maat is the goddess of Egypt, who was one of the most revered. Above her in popularity was, perhaps, only the god Ra himself - the creator of the whole world and, according to legend, her father.

Initially, researchers of religious cults in Egypt were confused by the almost complete absence of their own temples in honor of the goddess. However, her images are found in almost all holy buildings in honor of other gods. Thus, the Egyptians showed that it was impossible to live without it.

And for ordinary Egyptians it was also a certain link between people from different strata. Just as a servant needed to honor and obey his master, so a master needed to care for and protect his servants. It was loyalty to the principles of the goddess Maat that allowed people from the lower strata to put up with their often unenviable position in society. The goddess Ma'at allowed different sections of society to live in balance with each other.

Temple of Hathor-Maat

Despite the fact that literally the entire life of the ancient Egyptians was saturated with the precepts of the goddess Maat, only one temple bears her name directly. Although, one way or another, her images are present in almost all religious and significant buildings in Egypt discovered by archaeologists and historians.

This temple is located in the city of Set Maat. Its name translates as "Valley of Truth". In modern life, this city was renamed Deir el-Madine - a monastic city. He played a big role in the life of Ancient Egypt - this is clear from the name. The pharaoh personally managed it, and funds for its maintenance were allocated from the state treasury.

Very close are: Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Valley of the Nobles. It is difficult to assume that such a neighborhood is accidental.The temple is located in the very center of the old city.

According to archaeologists and historians, the most highly qualified craftsmen in the country lived around the temple: sculptors, artists, carvers, architects. Perhaps in this majestic structure they underwent rites that allowed them to work in sacred places, build tombs for the pharaohs, and build and decorate religious buildings.

The high importance of this city is evidenced by the presence of well-armed guards to protect it from external enemies. There were even separate military units that served near the city walls day and night.

This city, which developed around the temple of Maat, can be called a kind of craftsman’s university, in which the most skilled craftsmen passed on the secrets of art to their students.

Symbols of Ma'at

As follows from the images of the goddess, her main symbol is an ostrich feather. It also serves as a measure of the sinfulness of the hearts of the dead Egyptians during the afterlife judgment. But the goddess has no sacred animals. Only one insect symbolizes it - the bee. And the fruit of her labors is wax. The goddess was always depicted in yellow shades. Perhaps in this way her origin was emphasized - the daughter of the sun god Ra.

Well, that’s how it was possible in Ancient Egypt to make the ostrich a symbol of justice. What is it about him that is so similar to justice?
It is in the ostrich, one of all the birds of Egypt, that the shaft divides the feather into equal halves. In other birds it is different: the fan to the right and left of the feather shaft is of unequal width. It’s symbolic, what can I say. In Egypt they were guided by the laws of universal harmony. That is why these laws were displayed in the image of the winged goddess Maat and her symbol - the ostrich feather. In Ancient Egypt, the goddess Maat was the embodiment of truth and justice, prudence, order, unity and harmony. The laws of the goddess Maat were the meaning of existence for the ancient Egyptians, and their application in life was a sacred duty. The ostrich feather was a symbol of the Egyptian goddess Maat and her hieroglyph. Being the goddess of law, justice, truth and world order, she was the female spear of Thoth. She was associated with the cult of Ra and bore the names “daughter of Ra” or “eye of Ra.”
Maat or the ostrich feather (feather of Maat) played a huge role in the afterlife court of Osiris. Remember I already wrote about this? The heart of the deceased was placed on one pan of the scales, and on the other - a figurine of Maat or a feather of Maat. If the heart outweighed the feather, then the deceased was considered a sinner, and his heart was devoured by the demon Ammit. If the heart was lighter than a feather, then this meant that the person was sinless and could join Osiris in the bright world (in our opinion - Paradise).

“The feather is what covers the wings.”

(Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language)

Greetings to everyone who has looked into our fairy forest!

Tell me, who among us has not dreamed of flying? Probably, we all have ever dreamed of having wings, because flight has been a forbidden dream of mankind since time immemorial. In order to somehow bring their dream closer, people have come up with a huge number of devices that allow us to move in the air, but not a single person has yet been able to acquire real wings and fly above the ground like a bird.

To get a little closer to your dream, today we are going again into the mysterious labyrinth of signs and symbols, where we will try to understand the secret of a bird’s feather and “try on” the wings.

Well? Let's fly!

The feather - with its conspicuous symbolic characteristic of lightness, which, according to the old concept, itself lifts the bird into the air, often symbolizes the heavens, height, speed, space, soul, the element of wind and air. Two feathers symbolize light and air, two poles, resurrection. But there are also meanings that are less applicable at first glance, which were given to the pen by different peoples of the world. A white feather sometimes symbolizes clouds, sea foam and... cowardice! Because a white feather or feathers in the tail of a fighting cock was considered a sign of a bad breed and therefore some timidity. And, for example, a feathered crown can represent the rays of the sun.

Aztec crown of Montezuma made of 400 feathers

Let's take a closer look at the versatility of the symbolism of the feather!

Symbolism of the feather among different peoples of the world.

Feathers are a common emblem of ascending prayer; hence the symbolism of the feathered wands of the Pueblo Indians, which were used in rituals to bring rain at the solstice.

The feathered sun, a disk with feathers directed both inward and outward, is the emblem of the Cosmos and the Center among the Plains Indians. Each feather in the feather headdress of the Indians of the North American prairies, by its origin, meant the memory of the military deeds of its wearer.

A distinctive feature of the Nepalese crown is the plume of bird of paradise feathers, symbolizing the exaltation of the king.

For the Egyptians, the feather means supreme power, truth, flight, weightlessness, height; emblem of the goddess Maat as Truth. Deities whose attributes are feathers also include Amon-Ra and Anheru, Osiris, Horus, Shu, Hathor, Apis, Mentu, Nefertium. In Amenti, Osiris weighs the soul, throwing the feathers of truth onto the other side of the scale.

Osiris weighs the soul

Even the ancient kings of Egypt wore a double crown with two ostrich feathers standing perpendicular to each other.

god Atef wearing a double crown (Upper and Lower Egypt) with feathers

The Scandinavian goddess of fertility, love and beauty, Freya, owned a magical feather cape that allowed her to fly through the air. And the feathered clothes of the Scandinavian shamans gave the ability to fly to other worlds and travel to gain new knowledge.

Goddess Freya

In Taoism, a feather is an attribute of a priest or “feathered sage”, meaning communication with the other world.

In Toltec culture, feathered sticks represent prayer and contemplation.

For Christians, the feather signifies contemplation and faith.

And in Great Britain, three feathers are associated with the lily and are the heraldic emblem of the Prince of Elle.

In general world religious symbolism, wearing feathers in clothing, feathered hairstyles, or having feather attributes means accepting the power and manna of the Bird. This allows the wearer to come into contact with the secret knowledge of birds, to know their magical power and to rise above this world.

FEATHER in legends and mythology.

It is impossible not to note the role played by the feather in various legends, epics and myths.

Even in childhood, our grandmothers read us a fairy tale about the beautiful Firebird, a feather from whose tail could replace the richest lighting for a long time, and when extinguished, it turned into gold. They also said that with the help of the Firebird’s feather it was possible to find treasures, since like attracts like. And so the golden feather attracts the gold stored in the earth.

Firebird

The prototype of the fire bird can be found among different peoples of the world.

Birds and feathers in general are significant elements of all mythopoetic traditions. They act as symbols of the divine essence, soul, life, sky, sun, thunder, wind, clouds, freedom, ascent, growth, ascension, inspiration, prophecy, prediction, fertility, abundance.

FEATHER in art.

The pen, with its mysterious symbolism of the unattainable, has become firmly entrenched in various areas of art.

In the 17th century, the philosophical idea of ​​the frailty of all things became popular, and it was then that the painting Vanitas (Vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas Vanity of vanities and everything is vanity) appeared. It was most clearly expressed in still life, where a bird's feather became an unspoken symbol of literary creativity and poetry for many times.

CLAESZ., Pieter Vanitas with Violinand Glass Ball (1628)

I would also like to note another unusual type of painting, where, in order to add fragility, airiness and sublimity to their paintings, they began to paint them directly on bird feathers. In fact, this is a very ancient form of art of the Maori people, but modern artists have mastered it to perfection and now exist in almost every country. The most famous of them, largely thanks to the Internet, is the British artist Ian Davey, who paints exclusively on swan feathers:

In its other variations, the feather in painting and sculpture symbolizes what we have already mentioned in the paragraphs above.

Let's look at a few examples of using the pen in sculpture:

In this sculpture, the feather acts as a symbol of literary creativity and distinguishes Ershov as a great Russian poet, writer and playwright.

Near the building of the Astrakhan Youth Theater on Mussa Jalil Street you can see several sculptures on a fairy-tale theme. One of these sculptures depicts Ivan the Fool and the Little Humpbacked Horse. In Ivanushka’s hands is the feather of the Firebird. The sculpture illustrates an episode of a fairy tale in which “The horse says to him: “There is something to marvel at!” Here lies the feather of the Firebird, But for your happiness, do not take it for yourself. It will bring with it much, much restlessness.” The author of the monument is Volgograd sculptor Sergei Aleksandrovich Shcherbakov.

The ancient Mayan society suffered from the exorbitant demands of the elite, who wanted to live beautifully. Noble people loved hats, richly decorated outfits, feathers of rare birds, jade, and shells. One such “master of life” can be recognized in the clay figurine (left). Here the feather, of course, symbolizes an attempt to elevate us to the rest of the world.

And modern British sculptor Kate McGuire spent 2 years collecting bird feathers to use them as material to create your incredible works.

Using the same feathers, the sculptor tried to give the audience the feeling that there was some kind of fantastic creature in front of them. Just amazing, isn't it?

The feather is very often used in tattoo art, where it has many different meanings and symbolic shades. Even the oldest shamans, healers and leaders of ancient Indian tribes made feather tattoos on their bodies in order to talk with the gods and understand them better. In the modern world, there are two ways to depict a feather in a tattoo - depict one feather or in combination with any object and depict a bird.

An ordinary bird feather can be a symbol of trust, flight, lightness, high spirituality, courage, love of freedom, creativity and will.

An eagle feather is a symbol of power, courage, and high flight.
The peacock feather is a symbol of nobility, wealth, love, a solar symbol.

The Firebird's feathers are a symbol of flame, grace, eternal beauty and mystery.

Wings as a symbol.

When talking about bird feathers, we cannot help but pay special attention to the wings, as a symbol close to the feather.

Wings have solar symbolism and mean deity, spiritual nature, the protecting and all-encompassing power of the deity, the ability to go beyond the earthly world, not experience fatigue, omnipresence, air, wind, instantaneous movement, flight of time, flight of thought, willpower, reason, freedom , victory, speed. Wings are attributes of fast-moving messenger gods and mean the ability for relationships between people and gods. Outstretched wings are divine protection or a heavenly veil that protects from the fierce heat of the Sun. The shadow of the wings signifies divine protection and trust. The winged sun or disk is a symbol of the Sun’s tireless journey across the sky, the triumph of light over darkness, the power and deity that has descended from Heaven.

Wings are an accessory of many supernatural beings (angels, demonic creatures, fairies, air spirits) in the cultures of the ancient world. For example, the god of time Chronos was depicted with four wings, two of them raised up and two down (a sign of the duality of time, physical and mental). The goddesses Athena, Artemis and Aphrodite were also represented as winged, since both love and victory are transitory, ephemeral, they can flutter and fly away forever.

Wings are given to those who have overcome a long, difficult and dangerous path to understanding the world around them. This is evidenced by allegorical tales, parables and legends.

Wings in fine art are a symbol of the exaltation of the spirit and the ascension of the body. Thanks to the lightness of the feathers and the flapping of the wings, it became possible to depict soaring, blowing, rising above the material world, and living in the heavens. In the broadest sense of the art of Classicism and Baroque, wings symbolize wind, blowing, as well as patronage and protection.

To depict flying mythological characters and fantastic creatures, they also borrowed wings from birds. The winged horse Pegasus is one of these creatures; he is also a guide of souls to the afterlife.

The winged goddess Iris is the messenger of Zeus and Hera, and also the rainbow that connects earth and sky.

Goddess Iris

The symbolism of wings in Christianity is associated with images of ancient mythology. Winged Angels who descend to earth and visit people, and the highest angelic ranks - Seraphim and Cherubim - are incorporeal, they are depicted as heads with two, four, Seraphim - with six wings.

Feather in scrapbooking.

Using real feathers:

Pen imprint on paper:

Cutting and chipboard:

Sergey Ivanov

The tomb of Tutankhamun, discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, is rightfully considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries. During the excavations, thousands of things that accompanied the king in another world again saw sunlight - to tell descendants about their owner and the era in which he lived.

Thus, in the famous pectoral with a scarab, the name of Tutankhamun is encrypted - Nebkheprura, “Lord of the transformations of the sun.” This is the throne name given to the king upon accession to the throne and reflected the main idea of ​​his reign. The semicircular basket under the hind legs of the sacred beetle is the hieroglyph for heaven, “lord.” The scarab with three vertical lines was read as khepru, "transformation", and the sun disk above the beetle's head conveyed the word ra, "sun".

Tutankhamun's parents were Akhenaten and Queen Kiya. Akhenaten ruled for only 17 years, but these years became the time of the deepest crisis in the worldview of the ancient Egyptians: the pharaoh exalted the only god - Aten, the solar disk, in his name destroying the names of all former gods and destroying their temples.

When Tutankhamun inherited the throne, he was only 6-7 years old. Apparently, under the influence of advisers Ey and Horemheb, in the 4th year of his reign, the young pharaoh canceled his father’s reforms, returning the former gods to Egypt and restoring their temples. These events meant the return of culture to its traditional course and gave hope for the revival of the country:

“...Gods and goddesses who are in this country! Their hearts are in joy. The lords of the sanctuaries are in jubilation... Rejoicing throughout the whole earth. Good plans have come true..."

One of the pectorals of Tutankhamun shows the king sitting on a throne in front of the winged goddess Maat - the embodiment of world order. The symbol of this goddess was an ostrich feather, as light as truth, that adorns Maat’s head. The king extends the sign of life ankh to the goddess, and she, in turn, spreads her wings in a gesture of protection and patronage. The pharaoh's head is crowned with a blue khepresh crown - an attribute of the king's military attire, which recalls the numerous scenes of hunting or defeating enemies presented on other objects of Tutankhamun. These compositions are endowed with deep symbolic meaning: the king does not just hunt or subjugate rebellious peoples, on a cosmic level he exterminates the enemies of the world order and establishes maat - order and justice. In Tutankhamun's right hand is a hake rod. It was identified with the staff of a shepherd watching over his flock, and the hieroglyph of this staff denoted magical knowledge, a means of fulfilling the divine plan.

One of the most impressive decorations of the young pharaoh was the golden corset that covered the king's upper body. This ceremonial decoration consists of three parts: a usekh necklace, a wide belt and two ribbons connecting these elements. The corset consists of many small gold plates, fastened with movable joints so as not to restrict the king’s movements. Each of the plates is inlaid with various stones - turquoise, lapis lazuli, carnelian or pieces of colored glass.

The usekh necklace was one of the most beloved pieces of jewelry by the Egyptians. It consisted of several horizontal low beads, fastened vertically into a wide collar that covered the owner's chest and back. The Egyptians often compared this decoration with the wings of goddesses that hugged and thus protected a person. Woven from many beads, the usekh necklace was a rather heavy piece of jewelry, so it was often accompanied by a mankhet counterweight that went down the back and held the usekh at chest level.

Adjacent to the corset necklace is a rectangular pectoral, on which the young ruler is represented standing in front of Amun-Ra, the ruler of Upper Egyptian Thebes, who returned to his monastery thanks to Tutankhamun. In one hand of Amon is an ankh, a sign of life, which God bestows on the ruler; in the other there is a long staff with the ideogram of the royal anniversary sed, a symbolic designation of the long years of reign. Behind Tutankhamun are the Lower Egyptian gods: Atum, the falcon-headed god crowned with the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, and the goddess Iusaas.

The lower part of the corset - a wide belt - consists of many drop-shaped elements, reproducing the plumage of divine wings with which the goddess (usually Nut, Isis or Nekhbet) protected the king. This design, called rishi, was very popular in Egypt during the New Kingdom.

Each of the decorations worn during life was suspended on a gold chain or ribbon made in the same style as the pectoral itself. The lock of one of the ribbons that supported the pendant in the form of a kite was made in the shape of two sleeping ducks (which completed the ends of the ribbon and were fastened together). The Egyptians loved images of sleeping birds, because they symbolized a short sleep, followed by a joyful awakening and continuation of life.

This motif becomes central to one of the pairs of Tutankhamun's earrings. The round medallion, the central element of the decoration, contains fantastic birds with the head of a duck and the body of a kite. The birds clutch in their paws the shen infinity signs, the shape of which is repeated by the open wings of the birds. The top part of the earrings resembles modern stud earrings. It consists of two hollow parts that are inserted into one another. The front side of the carnation is decorated with sacred cobras that protect the ruler.

The gold of Tutankhamun can tell a lot about the doctrine of royal power, the worldview of the ancient Egyptians, and even about the personal life of this king. Thus, in one of the many caskets, G. Carter discovered a pectoral with the name of Akhenaten. This find suggests that, despite his reforms, Tutankhamun retained respect and love for his father. In another casket, the necklace of Ankhesenamon, the beloved sister and wife of the young king, was found. Usually these decorations are seen only as precious material and skillful workmanship, but an inquisitive mind will see in them the personality and destiny of the ruler.

The country was reborn, but fate was unkind to the young king. His sudden death, which occurred in the 10th year of his reign, when Tutankhamun was only 16-17 years old, interrupted the thread of the 18th dynasty. The burial of Tutankhamun was hasty and modest - caring for the welfare of the state with a lack of funds in the treasury, the young king did not have time to prepare a luxurious tomb for himself. He was buried in a small tomb, which was simply forgotten a few years later. However, what he did for his country lives on in his monuments to this day.

“...Nothing like him has happened among the valiant of all countries together. Knowing like Ra, [skillful like] Ptah, comprehending like the One who defines the laws... the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, the ruler of the Both Lands... Nebkheprura, who pacified the Both Lands, the native son of Ra, his beloved... gifted with life, longevity , happiness, like Ra, forever, forever.”