Tutankhamun's trumpets were found in 1922 by Howard Carter during the excavation of Tutankhamun's tomb.
Engraved with decorative images of the gods Ra-Horakhty, Ptah, and Amun, the trumpets are considered to be the oldest operational trumpets in the world.
One of the trumpets is made of sterling
silver and one of bronze or copper.
The trumpets were sounded during an
international BBC broadcast aired on 16 April 1939. This being the first time the trumpets were played for over 3,000 years.
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| Ancient Egyptian trumpet, mute and bells. |
Tutankhamun was about 8-9 years of age when he ascended the throne and became pharaoh. He was buried in a tomb that was unusually small for his status. There were 5,398 items found in the tomb, including a solid gold coffin, thrones, face mask, archery bows, sandals, trumpets, a lotus chalice, gold toe stalls, furniture, food, wine, and fresh linen underwear.
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| Detail of the throne of King Tutankhamun that was found in his tomb (KV62) at the Valley of the Kings |
Tutankhamun ruled from 1333 BCE until his death in 1323 BCE.
