Someone Broke King Tutankhamun’s Mask And Used Superglue To Fix It

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Whether for his mummified remains, all the riches with which he was entombed, or the curse supposedly bestowed upon those who disturbed him in the afterlife, Egypt’s King Tutankhamun is truly one of the world’s first celebrities. Maybe that’s why the blue and gold decorative beard on his death mask was quickly repaired after some unknown catastrophe — no one wanted to earn a celebrity’s ill will:

If you’re thinking that looks like some kind of DIY repair engineered by a dad (or dad-like individual), you’d be right:

The blue and gold braided beard on the burial mask of famed pharaoh Tutankhamun was hastily glued back on with epoxy, damaging the relic after it was knocked during cleaning, conservators at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo have said. (Via AP)

The rushed repair was supposedly ordered from on high, but no one is willing to name names — including their own:

“Unfortunately he used a very irreversible material — epoxy has a very high property for attaching and is used on metal or stone but I think it wasn’t suitable for an outstanding object like Tutankhamun’s golden mask,” one conservator said.

“The mask should have been taken to the conservation lab but they were in a rush to get it displayed quickly again and used this quick drying, irreversible material,” the conservator added.

The conservator said there is now a visible gap between the face and the beard. “Now you can see a layer of transparent yellow.” (Via AP)

At least we can finally put to rest Steve Martin’s burning question, “How’d you get so funky?”

(Via AP and Slate)

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