Third shrine | Tutankhamun Archive

The third shrine
(TAA i.3.26)

[Carter calls it the second shrine]

Howard Carter's notes made in preparation of the complete publication of Tutankhamun's tomb

This section:
Concept & Direction: Jaromir Malek
Scanning: Kent Rawlinson, Keunjoo Kim and Jenni Navratil
Transcription and editing:
Lindsay Allen and Jaromir Malek
Coordination: Elizabeth Fleming

TAA i.3.26.1

THE SECOND SHRINE (Plates ... No. 238.)

The second shrine was fitted over so as to completely enclose the first innermost shrine (No. 239). It is constructed of wood, and its external and internal surfaces are entirely coated with gesso, and overlaid with a thin layer of gold laid on as gold leaf. Structurally, it takes the characteristic Egyptian shrine-form, since it has the customary shrine-roof with receding slopes towards the back, otherwise the essential parts of its crowning members and under-structure are precisely the same as those of the first innermost shrine. Its workmanship, however, taken as a whole, is the finer of the two, especially in the case of its overall decoration of incised figures and texts.

Like the former shrine, it is of rectangular oblong shape. Its slightly elevated roof with curved front, receding slope towards the back, with vertical sides and end, rests upon an overhanging cavetto cornice. Beneath this crowning cornice is a plain roll moulding which is also carried down the external angles of the under-structure. These uppermost members of the entablature surmount a chief beam or frieze. The understructure consists of four corner posts, broad side and end panels, and a dado. The corner posts fulfil a double purpose, for while they form the styles of the side and end wall panels, they also act as the door posts of the front. The front of the shrine comprises, beneath the crowning cornice and roll moulding, a chief beam or over door frieze, two door posts, and a sill; to which are hung its folding doors.

Its external dimensions, given in 'mean measurement', are as follows:- Base 335.5 x 207 cents.; abutment of cornice - 330.5 x 202 cents.; extreme edges of cornice 256.5 x 229 cents.

From ground to maximum height of roof - 208 cents.; height to top

TAA i.3.26.2

of cornice - 188 cents.; height to abutment of cornice - 165 cents.
Opening of doorway - 161.5 cents. wide, and 137.5 cents. high.
Batter - i.e. receding slope from ground upwards - approximately 15 mills. per one metre vertical.

It is constructed of ten separate members and sections:- The roof in two separate sections; the cavetto cornice and roll moulding in four separate members; two side sections, comprising a chief beam or frieze, panel and dado; one end section, consisting of two corner posts, chief beam or frieze, panel and dado; and one front section, which includes the chief beam or over door frieze, two corner posts, a sill, and two folding doors.

The roof sections have their central meeting edges rebated, and for convenience of transport as well as for lowering them on to the cornice members to which they are tongued, they have each four (two on each side) silver coated copper handles of staple form (see fig. .. ). Their tongues are made of wood and copper, alternate.

The four members of the cavetto cornice and roll moulding are tongued (of wood and copper alternate) to the chief beam or frieze of the side, end, and front sections (see fig. .. ). The repeated ornament of their over hanging hollow moulding seems to have been derived from temporary wattle and daub palm leaf fencing. The tips of the palm leaves projecting above the fence being blown by the wind into an over hanging curve. The roll moulding is evidently the top horizontal rail of the fence, bound to the vertical stems to hold them in place.

The four sections of the under-structure are constructed

TAA i.3.26.3

and joined up in similar manner as the first innermost shrine (see p. .. ).

The various sections and members of this shrine bear the following "guide" marks and cardinal points:-

L. R.
Exterior - front cornice - <> <> <> <>
" frieze - <> <>
" left door - <> right door - <>
Right side cornice - <> <> <>
" " frieze - <>
" " styles - <> <>
" " panel - <> <>
Left side cornice - <> <> <>
" " frieze - <> <>
" " styles - <> <>
" " panel - <> <>
Back end cornice - <>
" " frieze - <>
Scratched upon the gold overlay, 'orientation' marks
Interior - front of roof - <>
right side styles - <> <>
" " panel - <> <>
left side styles - <> <>
" " panel - <> <>
Painted in black upon the gold overlay 'guide' marks

The shrine, however, was erected in the exact opposite orientation - namely, the front facing east instead of towards the west.

TAA i.3.26.4

The folding doors were bolted in similar manner as the doors of the first innermost shrine, but in addition they were secured by a cord bound and tied to the central pair of staples fixed to the meeting styles for that express purpose. Affixed to the cord was a seal. This original seal was discovered intact, proving that the doors had not been opened since they were closed and sealed at the time of the burial of the king.

The seal of clay, or Nile mud, probably made plastic with oil, bears two impressions in relief obtained from separate incised seals:- one showing the prenomen of the King surmounting a recumbent figure of Anubis over nine Asiatic captives; the other, a counter-seal, showing only the recumbent figure of the Anubis animal over nine alien captives. The matrixes were evidently engraved (intaglio) upon some hard material, like stone or metal, and took either the form of signet-rings or ordinary stamp-shaped seals.

The first device is evidently of the house of Tutankhamen, while the second would seem, with little doubt, to be a departmental seal of the necropolis administration.

Although these seal impressions may be said to be good imprints, the perfunctory manner in which the ceremony was performed caused much of their details to be wanting. Thus the imprints are not sufficiently perfect to give an absolute rendering of the matrixes. The imprint of the principal seal, however, is sufficiently good to identify the three rows of three captives, beneath the King's cartouche and the Anubis animal, as definitely Asiatic (see fig. ...; cf. seal impressions e and i, pp. ... ). The impressions of the counter-seal is, unfortunately, not so good. Here the three rows of three alien captives beneath the Anubis animal, appear at first sight to be all Africans in contradistinction to the Asiatics

TAA i.3.26.5

on the former seal, but careful examination and comparison with similar seal impressions in this tomb, some possibly from the same matrix, leaves little doubt that they represent both Asiatic and African captives. Nevertheless, it is not possible to tell with any exactitude their order: probably the first five represent Asiatic captives, and the succeeding four African captives (see fig. ..; cf. seal impressions h, j, & l, p. ...).

TAA i.3.26.6 = line-drawing

Second shrine No. 238
165
166
202.5
20
19.5
318.5
202
23
6

TAA i.3.26.7 to 11

TAA i.3.26.7
= Burton photo. 631