Tut Exhibit - King Tutankhamun Exhibit, Collection: Other Items - Model Boomerang

The Tutankhamun Exhibit

Other Items

Model Boomerang

Model Boomerang

Carter found many weapons such as bows, arrows, throw sticks and boomerangs in the Annex of the tomb. Along with these real instruments were models. This boomerang, found in a box with several wooden ones, is one such model. Carved of ivory and capped in gold, it would be too delicate for frequent use, and the flat terminal is atypical for a boomerang. The inscription refers to Tutankhamun as "the God, Lord of the Two Lands, 'Ra is the Lord of Manifestations', Beloved of Ptah, Who is South of his Wall."

The boomerang was used in ancient Egypt in all periods primarily to hunt fowl in the marshes. Scenes of tomb owners, about to hurl the weapon, were part of the artists' repertoire as early as the Old Kingdom (2700-2150 B.C.). A depiction of the king hunting in on the left side of the golden shrine. There, Tutankhamun stands in a papyrus skiff in the marshes, the boomerang in his right hand and captured birds in his left. While this scene may reflect an activity which he hoped to include in his afterlife, it is possible that the action of hunting the fowl may represent the king triumphing over the evil denizens of the marsh. The model boomerang then would have magical significance as a ritual weapon to aid Tutankhamun in overcoming the obstacles he would face in his voyage to the afterlife.