One of the most intricately decorated objects in the
tomb, this wooden chest, which was found in the
Antechamber, illustrates the innovation of the
frenzied battle. A fierce confrontation takes place
on both sides of the box; pictured here is the king
in his chariot fighting against the Asiatics. On the
other side the king battles against the Nubians.
Scenes such as these were the apparent influence for
the artists who composed the military reliefs for
the pharaohs of the Nineteenth Dynasty, where the
enemy is also frequently depicted as a confused mass
without the traditional registers. The absence of
these groundlines make possible the chaotic disarray
of the enemy. Chaos and disorder were anathema to
the ancient Egyptian, since they represented the
opposites of maat, the balance and harmony upon
which the entire culture was based. these battle
scenes, therefore, appear to have symbolic
significance.
The curved lid is divided into two
sections, each of which has a horizontal panel
portraying the king pursuing wild animals. The
smaller sides each have two representations of
Tutankhamun as a sphinx treading upon his enemies.
On the long horizontal panel here, the king
shoots his arrows into the fray. Behind him are
three registers of subordinate personnel. The
inscription before Tutankhamun refers to him as:
"The good god, the Son of Amon, the Valiant one,
without his equal, A Possessor of strength who
tramples hundreds of thousands, who makes them into
a pile of corpses." Both his throne name,
Nebkheperura, and his personal name, Tutankhamun,
appearing under the designation, the "good god, Son
of Ra", are written in front of him.