00:00For more than 3,000 years, the gold mask of pharaoh Tutankhamen stayed hidden in the Valley of the Kings.
00:07This artifact, which stands about 21 inches tall, shows how skilled and artistic the ancient Egyptians were.
00:14But nobody expected that x-rays would reveal its biggest secret.
00:19King Tut was the last ruler of his family during the 18th dynasty.
00:23He took the throne at just 9 years old, but ruled for only 10 years before he passed away unexpectedly.
00:30If we're being honest, back in ancient Egypt, he was mostly forgotten by the rulers who came after him.
00:36His tomb wasn't a big deal for them, so much so that even the grave robbers forgot about him.
00:42It might sound a bit sad, but the truth is that it was actually great news for us.
00:47Since his tomb was practically forgotten, it ended up being perfectly preserved.
00:52While the other tombs in the Valley of the Kings were looted, his remained sealed and untouched.
00:57So, when it was discovered back in 1922, it had over 5,000 precious objects inside.
01:05That made Tutankhamen basically an instant celebrity and one of the best-known pharaohs nowadays.
01:13Among the treasures was the most stunning piece, his golden mask.
01:17This mask is said to be an exact image of the king's face, or at least it was supposed to be, but we'll get to that later.
01:26The purpose of this accurate representation of his face was to make sure that his soul would recognize him in the afterlife and return to his mummified body.
01:35In ancient Egyptian beliefs, this would allow him to continue living in the afterlife.
01:40The details of the mask clearly looked incredibly difficult to create.
01:45But people didn't realize how complex it truly was until many years later.
01:50The first x-rays of the mask were taken in 1967.
01:55Back then, the main reason for these scans was practical – conservation.
01:59The mask was heading to Paris for an exhibition.
02:02And it was the first time it had ever left Paris.
02:05This would help them keep track of any changes during the exhibit.
02:09Plus, the images could give clues about how the mask was made.
02:13But back then, they probably didn't fully realize just how complex its construction was.
02:20I mean, Egyptian goldsmiths didn't use modern soldering techniques.
02:24So, how did they make this mask?
02:27New x-rays taken in 2007 gave us some answers.
02:31It turned out the Egyptians didn't use pure gold, which is 24 carats.
02:35The mask was actually made of 23 carat gold, meaning it was mixed with another material.
02:42So, specialists discovered that the gold sheets contained a small amount of copper, a reddish-brown metal.
02:48This was likely done to make the material more flexible and easier to shape.
02:53They would then shape the gold sheets by heating and hammering them over and over again.
02:57But there was one more secret inside the mask that wasn't discovered until 2015.
03:04The year before, the staff at Cairo's Egyptian Museum were working on the mask display when the long beard of the mask accidentally got knocked off.
03:13Another theory is that the beard had become loose over time and just fell off.
03:17Either way, the fact that King Tut's beard came off caused a lot of stress.
03:23After all, we're talking about one of Cairo's biggest tourist attractions.
03:28So, the experts had to fix the problem quickly.
03:31The restoration process started with a detailed recording of the mask's condition.
03:36To do this, they had to take a full three-dimensional scan of the artifact.
03:41And, by accident, they found something very interesting in the mask.
03:45Inside the royal beard, there is a gold tube, an intriguing structure that the Egyptians likely used to attach the beard to the rest of the mask.
03:54And that proved, once again, that the process of making this mask was even more complex than experts thought.
04:03But the mysteries don't stop there.
04:06Remember how we mentioned that the mask was thought to perfectly represent King Tutankhamen's face?
04:11Well, that might not be entirely true.
04:14Some popular theories suggest the mask was never meant for him and was actually made for someone else.
04:22A study published in 2015 suggested the mask was originally made for a female pharaoh, his supposed stepmother, the famous and beautiful Egyptian queen Nefertiti.
04:32The biggest clue comes from an inscription on the mask.
04:36At first glance, it seemed to belong to Tutankhamen.
04:40But after a close examination, researchers noted that something else was actually written underneath King Tut's name.
04:47The royal name stamp seems to have been altered, and originally, it had something written on it that translates to Queen Nefertiti.
04:55There is another feature of King Tut's golden mask that was overlooked for years, which adds even more mystery.
05:06As we mentioned earlier, experts believe he wasn't respected much by the pharaohs who came after him.
05:12And one of the clues that made archaeologists think this is the pierced ears on the mask.
05:17Some researchers believe that King Tutankhamen wouldn't have worn earrings after he was a kid.
05:23So, according to their theory, by the time he passed away at 18, he shouldn't have been represented with pierced ears.
05:30This could also support the idea that the mask originally belonged to Nefertiti, or maybe to someone who wasn't even connected to King Tut.
05:38But the mask isn't the only source of mystery.
05:43In fact, his whole tomb is full of puzzles.
05:46Recently, historians found a sign that the place where King Tut was supposed to be buried was changed at the last minute.
05:54For years, experts wonder why a pharaoh who ruled for nine years ended up in such a simple tomb.
06:01When compared to the grandeur of other pharaohs' tombs, his tomb seemed, well, a bit plain.
06:07The idea that a king like Tutankhamen would have such an unremarkable resting place just doesn't match up with the power and importance he must have had in ancient Egypt.
06:18So, what happened?
06:20Well, apparently, this might have something to do with his successor, Pharaoh Ai.
06:25After King Tutankhamen passed away, researchers believe that Ai made sure to erase him from Egypt's history.
06:32So, one theory suggests that he was probably behind the quick decision to place King Tut's body in a smaller, less impressive tomb.
06:41When experts looked at Ai's own tomb, they found something interesting.
06:45There is a large wall covered in painted baboons.
06:49This is the same type of artwork found in Tutankhamen's tomb.
06:52It seems like the same person might have chosen the artwork for both tombs.
06:57Now, the design and decoration of the two tombs are almost identical, suggesting there was a shared hand behind both.
07:06But there is one key difference.
07:09Ai's tomb is fit for a king.
07:11It's much bigger and more impressive, even though the style and artwork are similar to what you see in Tutankhamen's tomb.
07:18So, the theory suggests that Ai decided what went into both tombs.
07:24Since Tut passed away unexpectedly at a young age, his grand tomb wasn't finished in time.
07:30Normally, pharaohs start building their tombs while they're still alive to make sure everything is perfect.
07:36But Tut passed away when he was just 18, so there wasn't enough time.
07:40Ai may have taken advantage of the situation, ordering a smaller tomb for Tut and keeping a larger one for himself.
07:48Experts believe this theory explains why Tutankhamen's tomb is so simple and how Ai managed to wipe his memory from history so easily.
07:57But in the end, the story of King Tut's mask and tomb is full of mystery and intrigue.
08:04Each new discovery sheds more light on what really happened all those years ago.
08:08But one thing is for sure, the secrets of ancient Egypt still have much to reveal.
08:14And King Tutankhamen will continue to fascinate people for years to come.
Comments