Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered nearly intact in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings in 1922.
British archaeologist Howard Carter found the entrance on 4 November 1922 while working with financial support from George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon. The tomb, designated KV62, contained the burial of Tutankhamun, a pharaoh who ruled during Egypt’s Eighteenth Dynasty.
The chambers held thousands of objects, including the famous gold funerary mask, chariots, furniture, weapons, jewelry, and ritual equipment. The burial was relatively small for a king, and some objects appear to have been made originally for other individuals or adapted for the young pharaoh.
Tutankhamun became king as a child and died at about nineteen years old, probably around 1323 BCE. The discovery created worldwide interest in ancient Egypt and helped popularize the modern idea of “King Tut,” although the tomb had not been completely untouched by ancient robbers.