Box in the Shape of a Cartouche

Box in the Shape of a Cartouche

The cartouche, an oval outline symbolic of the sun’s circuit, enclosed both the throne and birth names of the king. The hieroglyphs on the lid record the latter and his customary epithet, “Tutankhamun, Ruler of the Upper Egyptian Heliopolis (Thebes).” The original contents may have included coronation regalia. Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun 1332–1322 BCE

Photo by Kenneth Garrett © 2008 National Geographic