Heavenly! The iron objects from Tutankhamun's tomb

Tutankhamun’s burial goods included sixteen small iron spikes shafted in wood (Carter 316a-p), a small amulet made of iron in the shape of an udyat (eye of Horus), which served as an ornament for a golden bracelet (Carter 256,hh[2]), another amulet in the form of a miniature headrest (Carter 256,4,v), and also a golden dagger with an iron blade, richly decorated with stone and glass inlays, which is considered one of the most prominent of the burial goods (Carter 256k). With the exception of the iron points, which were deposited in the treasury of the tomb, all other iron objects belonged to the immediate furnishings of the royal mummy, which may well be interpreted as a sign of special esteem. The central object of this study is to comprehensively analyse the find group in its entirety for the first time by means of portable X-ray fluorescence analysis in order to gain information as to whether – which has so far been a point of some controversy – these objects are made of meteoric iron.

In addition to the scientific analysis, a major concern is to gain a better understanding of the hitherto unknown construction method of the dagger as a whole, but in particular the connection of blade and dagger handle as well as its pommel (made of rock crystal) by means of X-ray radiography. In this context, the question of whether the iron blade may have replaced a blade originally made of another metal will also be investigated. All objects will be documented in detail by means of high-resolution 3D digital microscopy, their manufacturing technique will be investigated and comprehensively published.

A further aspect of the investigations is the comparative study of a second dagger from the same tomb which, though it has a gold blade, is often referred to as a “twin” by virtue of its stylistic resemblance. In particular, comparison will focus on the granulation work decorating both daggers as well as their glass and stone inlays. The insights gained can serve to clarify the question of whether both objects are also similar in their production technique and whether further conclusions can be drawn about their actual origin, which is still under discussion.