The unbroken seal on King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1923. That piece of rope and clay remained entirely untouched for 3,245 years before this photo was taken.
This is one of my favorite pictures. The sense of time from it is palpable.
I love what it says about something as mundane as rope, that humans perfected it thousands of years ago and its form has remained essentially unchanged for millennia.
Yeah that was the thing that got me too. That rope looks immaculate. Like factory made even. It made me question if the picture was AI, which immediately annoys me whenever I have to even consider that possibility now.
For me it just speaks to how well those tombs were sealed. I have hemp and jute rope that don't look that good after a few months use. Granted this was probably unused before installed and not worked as much, but still 3000+ years is a long time for natural fibers.
I dug a bit more to find the origin of the photo and found that it's from a collection taken by Harry Burton. The series about Tutankhamun's Tomb can be seen here. Some of them have been colourized.
The description says
3 January 1924 | Harry Burton's photograph records the intact necropolis seal and cord fastening (Carter no. 238a) on the third (of four) great gilded shrines surrounding Tutankhamun's sarcophagus in the Burial chamber.
Did the rope fall to dust when touched or was it still "binding"?
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The unbroken seal on King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1923. That piece of rope and clay remained entirely untouched for 3,245 years before this photo was taken. | Spyke
This is one of my favorite pictures. The sense of time from it is palpable.
I love what it says about something as mundane as rope, that humans perfected it thousands of years ago and its form has remained essentially unchanged for millennia.
Yeah that was the thing that got me too. That rope looks immaculate. Like factory made even. It made me question if the picture was AI, which immediately annoys me whenever I have to even consider that possibility now.
Seriously cool though.
For me it just speaks to how well those tombs were sealed. I have hemp and jute rope that don't look that good after a few months use. Granted this was probably unused before installed and not worked as much, but still 3000+ years is a long time for natural fibers.
The desert climate helps, it woulda rotted out forever ago most places.
The rope is so tight and even it looks mass manufactured.
I dug a bit more to find the origin of the photo and found that it's from a collection taken by Harry Burton. The series about Tutankhamun's Tomb can be seen here. Some of them have been colourized.
The description says
Two photos seem to show doors like this.
January 1924 | Howard Carter opening the door of the second burial shrine (Carter no. 237), in Tutankhamun's Burial chamber.
4th January 1923 | Howard Carter (kneeling), Arthur Callender and an Egyptian workman in the Burial Chamber, looking through the open doors of the four gilded shrines towards the quartzite sarcophagus.
I like how the knotting makes it kinda look like a fist. Something about using 5 with one a bit off from the rest.
How are the door handles attached, they also look manufactured. Crazy what humans could do such a long time ago.
Wild to me that people dig around sealed, dusty, sandy tombs without any sort of mask on
Death will slay with his wings whoever disturbs the peace of the pharaoh.
@SnokenKeekaGuard It blows my mind that the rope held up for millenia.
They deserved the curse for breaking that seal!
Did the rope fall to dust when touched or was it still "binding"?