Sharpened Sticks from Tutankhamun's Embalming Cache
Description
Embalmer's Sticks (2). New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun, ca. 1336–1327 B.C. Reed (?). a: L. 19.8 cm (7 13/16 in.); b: L. 20.2 cm (7 15/16 in.). From: Embalming Cache of Tutankhamun (KV 54), Valley of the Kings, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Egypt. Excavation: Davis/Ayrton excavations, 1907–08. Credit: Gift of Theodore M. Davis, 1909.
AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano
Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
Two small pointed cylindrical sticks or reeds with a hollow/channeled tip, photographed on a plain light background.
The image shows two separate objects lying parallel on a neutral gray-white surface. Each object is a short cylindrical element with a tapered or sharpened end; the tips appear darkened and may be hollow or have an open channel (one end clearly shows a circular/oval opening). The surfaces are warm brown/orange with visible texture consistent with plant material (e.g., reed) and show light scuffs and wear. No carved decoration, pigment, or attached components are visible. There is no legible hieroglyphic text, cartouche, or other writing on the visible surfaces. No deities or royal names can be identified from this image. The catalogue’s proposed material of “reed (?)” is consistent with the plant-like form and surface texture, though the exact material cannot be confirmed from the photograph alone. The image does not provide evidence that the sticks are specifically from Tutankhamun’s embalming cache, but it does not clearly contradict the general description as sharpened sticks/reeds from such a cache.
Cross-references (4)
- Wikidata-Q Q116273560 tier-1
- Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
- Inventory-Number 09.184.358a, b tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
- MET-Object 549571 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access).
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.