King Tut’s Beard Broken, Glued Back on Crooked

The golden burial mask of Egypt’s King Tutankhamun was broken off during an attempted cleaning at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo sometime last year. Under orders to fix it quickly, curators used epoxy glue to reattach the beard. Epoxy sets very quickly. The beard ended up slightly crooked, with a visible gap between the face and beard, and some epoxy showing. What’s more, an attempt to remove the excess glue with a spatula ended up scratching the mask.   

Three of the museum's conservators reached by telephone gave differing accounts of when the incident occurred last year, and whether the beard was knocked off by accident while the mask's case was being cleaned, or was removed because it was loose.

They agree however that orders came from above to fix it quickly and that an inappropriate adhesive was used. All spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of professional reprisals.

An investigation by the Antiques Ministry is underway to determine exactly who did what to King Tut. -via The Mary Sue

(Image credit: Jon Bodsworth)


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The Cairo Museum has a much less than spotless record when it comes to caring for the antiquities in their possession. This absolutely isn't the first time this sort of thing has happened, only the most recent and egregious. I remember seeing a priceless necklace disintegrating in its case because it wasn't even sealed properly and water from the often-open window above it had gotten in. While I respect the desire for people to have their cultural artifacts on hand... I really think there needs to be a caveat on it that states 'as long as they are able to properly preserve them'.
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