He was one of the most famous pharaohs who ruled Egypt more than 3,300 years ago.
And now a new study suggests that Tutankhamun, who was known as the ‘boy King of Cairo’ had a bed fit for a king.
Research suggests that King Tut slept on a very early version of a modern camping bed which folded up into a Z-shape, and would have been extremely sophisticated for its time.
Research suggests that King Tut slept on a very early version of a modern camping bed which folded up into a Z-shape, and would have been extremely sophisticated for its time
King Tut’s three-fold bed was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter when he first entered the pharaoh’s treasure-packed tomb.
Researchers from Musashino University in Tokyo have now analysed the bed, and suggested that it was extremely sophisticated for its time.
Speaking to Live Science, Ms Naoko Nishimoto, one of the researchers who worked on the project, said: ‘No detailed study has been made of this bed since Carter sketched it almost a hundred years ago.
KING TUT’S FOLDING CAMP BED
The bed was made from four wooden ‘lion’ legs, along with copper-alloy drums that bore the majority of the weight.
Given the elaborate wooden leg shape, folding the bed was no mean feat, and the designers had to use ingenious hinges over the legs.
Ms Nishimoto said: ‘In this way, the legs took the strain off the hinges.’
On top of the legs was a mat, woven from three thin strings of linen.
Researchers analysed how King Tut slept on a very early version of a modern camping bed which folded up into a Z-shape
While holes could be seen around the double hinges, the researchers suggest that these were not used to pᴀss the strings through.
Ms Nishimoto said: ‘They were made with the intention to pᴀss strings through them, but they were not used after all.’
If the strings had been pᴀssed through here, the bed wouldn’t have been able to fold.
Ms Nishimoto added: ‘This trial-and-error process clearly shows that this three-fold bed was the first ever made.’
Their analysis suggests that two-fold beds may have existed before King Tut’s camping bed, but that his three-fold bed was revolutionary.
Three-fold beds would have been more comfortable, steadier and more compact, according to the researchers.
Ms Nishimoto said: ‘Traces of trials and errors tell us that the artisans involved in the bed production did not have any other three-fold beds for reference.
The bed was made from four wooden ‘lion’ legs, along with copper-alloy drums that bore the majority of the weight
