In the book Tutankhamun and the Power of Symbols (2008) by Edward Lambelet, the author fulfils a very old dream of Landrock, an icon in the book business who settled in Egypt in the early 1930s. Landrock partnered with Lenhert, a talented photographer, and together they founded Lenhert and Landrock, a business for books and photography that remains open today in downtown Cairo.
When archaeologist Howard Carter first discovered the tomb in 1923, after 15 years of searching, it became the first tomb to be documented photographically. Two years later, Lenhert and Landrock opened their new business in Egypt, where Landrock aimed to publish the first illustrated, coloured book on Tutankhamun, capturing the treasures of the Golden King on display at the Egyptian Museum.
Some 300 photos were taken and hand-coloured by a German painter in Germany; however, the print house was bombed during World War II. Decades later, Dr Edward Lambelet fulfilled his stepfather’s dream by publishing the book in 2008.
Tutankhamun or Tutankhaten?
In his book, Professor Edward Lambelet explains that Tutankhamun was born and raised in the tradition and faith of King Akhenaten, believing in only one god, Aten. He was proclaimed king at the age of nine and died nine years later. He could have easily been forgotten, since his name had been “systematically erased by the priests of Amun, for they wanted to annihilate forever the last defender of the execrable heresy established by Akhenaten.”
His original name was Tutankhaten (the living image of Aten); however, he changed it to Tutankhamun (the living image of Amun) when he left Tell el-Amarna and returned to Thebes, re-establishing the old cult of Amun.
He was married in childhood to the third daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. He died nine years later; the cause of death remains unknown.
The book provides a brief religious background that deciphers the symbols engraved on his funerary objects and explains how the cycle of the sun mirrors the cycle of life: birth, life, death, regeneration, and resurrection. The path to resurrection in ancient Egypt is symbolized through Osiris and Ra—representing death and life—alongside the mummification process that restores the body for the afterlife. The Ka (vital energy) and Ba (the soul), along with magic spells and sacred words, enable the deceased to be resurrected.
From the book titled Tutankhamun and the Power of Symbols by Dr Edward Lambelet
The four masks of the Golden King
King Tut had several coffins, each with its own mask. The golden mask reflects an idealized expression; the inner coffin's mask conveys spirituality; the middle coffin expresses serenity; and the outer coffin expresses gravity.
From the book titled Tutankhamun and the Power of Symbols by Dr Edward Lambelet
The armchair
One of six chairs found in the tomb, it is carved from wood, coated with gold, and decorated with faience, glass, semi-precious stones, and silver. The legs take the shape of two lions representing the eastern and western horizons. The side panels depict cobras wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, protecting the king’s cartouche in its earlier form, when he was still called Tutankhaten.
On the back of the chair, the queen stands before her young husband, holding a small perfume vase, a symbol of long life. In the background, Aten, the solar disk of Amarna, spreads rays of life over the royal couple.
From the book titled Tutankhamun and the Power of Symbols by Dr Edward Lambelet
The box
This colourful wooden box depicts the king crushing enemies and wild animals, symbolizing the triumph of order over chaos, with troops marching behind him.
The scarab Khepri pushes the king’s name in the cartouche instead of the sun disc, the king taking the place of the sun god Ra.
From the book titled Tutankhamun and the Power of Symbols by Dr Edward Lambelet
The pectoral chest ornament
This vivid ornament features a Flacon OD identified with the sun god Ra-Horakhty, crowned with the solar disc and grasping the signs of eternal life (Ankh) and universal power (Shen).
From the book titled Tutankhamun and the Power of Symbols by Dr Edward LambeletThe celestial necklace
The celestial bark carries the moon—represented by a crescent and disc—as it carries the sun across the waters of heaven, marked by lotus flowers rising above the sky.
From the book titled Tutankhamun and the Power of Symbols by Dr Edward Lambelet
The Alabaster vase
This alabaster perfume vase takes the form of the union symbol Sematawi. Two Nile gods support hanging stems of lilies and papyrus, the heraldic plants of the two kingdoms of Egypt, while cobras protect them.
The Ankh is a symbol of eternal life or life after death; it can also mean “mirror.” Floral bouquets are likewise symbols of eternal life.
From the book titled Tutankhamun and the Power of Symbols by Dr Edward Lambelet
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