On November 6, 2022, Howard Carter found the Boy King Tutankhamun’s tomb, which included elaborate jewellery, exquisite furniture, opulent clothing, and the renowned golden funerary mask.
Everything complemented the royal burial, which represented the most opulent periods in ancient Egypt’s history. Carter found a dagger inside the mummy’s casings, but it seemed out of place.
The issue wasn’t with the golden dagger’s sheath; rather, it was with the bright iron that made up its blade. The Egyptians didn’t discover how to process iron until decades after Tutankhamun passed away.
Assuming the dagger was imported, maybe from the antiquated Hittite Empire in Anatolia, where there was early ironwork, Carter had a straightforward answer.
It wasn’t until 2016 that it was confirmed that iron originated from much further afield, with the discovery that it contained high levels of nickel associated with meteoric iron.
According to the American website New Scientist, the Egyptians who wrapped the dagger close to their king’s body most likely thought of it as a gift from the gods.
The X-ray analysis, which was performed without harming the dagger, provided an explanation for this. It also showed a new method of Egyptology that emphasises preservation, whether it be through analysing mummies without unpacking them or simulating ancient landscapes in virtual form.
Carter could only have imagined the discoveries we can today make while preserving the relics for future generations.
‘Gods’ gave Tutankhamun a mystery dagger as a gift.
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