Tutankhamen (also known as Tutankhamun and King Tut) was an Egyptian pharoah who became the country’s ruler at the age of 9 following the death of his father, Pharoah Akhanaten. He died at the young age of 19 and was buried in the Valley of Kings.
“He was barely known to the modern world until 1922, when British archaeologist Howard Carter chiseled through a doorway and entered the boy pharaoh’s tomb, which had remained sealed for more than 3,200 years. The tomb’s vast hoard of artifacts and treasure, intended to accompany the king into the afterlife, revealed an incredible amount about royal life in ancient Egypt, and quickly made King Tut the world’s most famous pharaoh. Artifacts from King Tut’s tomb have toured the world in several blockbuster museum shows, including the worldwide 1972-79 “Treasures of Tutankhamun” exhibitions. Eight million visitors in seven U.S. cities viewed the exhibition of the golden burial mask and 50 other precious items from the tomb” – http://www.history.com
The pure gold mask of Tutankhamen (as seen on the right side of the postcard) is described by Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves as “perhaps the best-known object from ancient Egypt itself.”
RJ's Postcard Collection 