In the first coffin of King Tutankhamun, garlands made of olives, lotus petals, and cornflowers were discovered. These botanical elements provided valuable insights into the time of year of his burial.
The discovery inside the outermost sarcophagus layer revealed specific details about the floral offerings used in the ancient Egyptian burial rites for the young pharaoh. The presence of these particular flowers and leaves suggests that King Tut's interment most likely occurred during the spring months, specifically March or April, when these plants would have been in bloom.
The key items found within the first coffin include:
- Garlands of olives: Indicating the seasonal availability of the plant.
- Lotus petals: A flower often associated with rebirth and the sun in ancient Egyptian symbolism.
- Cornflowers: Another seasonal bloom, reinforcing the spring burial theory.
These delicate floral remnants were crucial findings that offered archaeologists, like Howard Carter who first opened the tomb, a deeper understanding of the funerary practices and the precise season of King Tut's burial. While the initial coffin yielded these relatively fragile organic materials, subsequent layers, particularly the third and final coffin, presented significant challenges due to hardened resins that had cemented the pharaoh's remains to the solid gold coffin.
