Nubi Hussein Abdel Rasoul, the son of the boy who discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun in Luxor, recounts how a fallen water jar led to uncovering the first steps to the tomb’s discovery.
He explained that his father was assisting workers by providing them with water during excavation work, until a water jar fell on one of the openings in the ground, a moment that led to the discovery of the first steps of the staircase leading to the tomb.
He said that British archaeologist Howard Carter noticed the tilted stone that caught the attention of the child Hussein Abdel Rasoul. Hussein Abdel-Rassoul, the 12-year-old water carrier often reported as the discoverer of the first step to the tomb on 9 November 1922. (Photo courtesy of Harry Burton, Oxford University )
Tutankhamun’s Necklace.
The artist who made this Pectoral used the hieroglyphic sign for 'horizon', which represents the sun rising between two mountains, with the scarab ( the sun-god) pushing the sun in front of it. He has also added uraei (cobras) with pendent 'life' signs (ankh) to the 'horizon' hieroglyph, showing that the rising sun is bringing life to Upper and Lower Egypt.
On the symbol for the sun-god's gold barque (boat) are two uraei, one in the prow and the other in the stern; on their heads are disk of the sun and their tails are replaced by three amulets symbolizing 'goodness' (nefer), 'life' (ankh) and 'stability' (djed).
The straps of the pectoral are made of separate inlaid gold plaques held together at the back and the sides by rows of small gold, carnelian and glass beads. The plaques use the same elements as those in the pendant, except that the sun's disk is substituted for the sign of the horizon, and the hieroglyphic sign for 'festival' is placed beneath the scarab.