In 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter uncovered one of the greatest archaeological treasures of all time: the nearly intact tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. This remarkable discovery captivated the world and provided Egyptologists with unparalleled insight into royal burial practices of the New Kingdom era. Yet, despite the tomb’s wealth of artifacts, some objects initially received little attention—among them, a curious group of four rectangular, unbaked clay discs and four wooden emblems, discovered on what appeared to be a kind of mat in one corner of the burial chamber.
These unassuming clay items were sparsely documented during the original excavation. They were grouped together in notes, and notably absent from the more than 1,400 photographs taken by British photographer Harry Burton, who meticulously recorded the excavation process. In his official report, Carter merely speculated that the “four small clay containers” might have served as bases for the nearby “peculiar emblems”—a theory that, until recently, remained largely unchallenged.
However, two recent academic studies have cast new light on these enigmatic discs, suggesting they may have played a far more significant role in royal funerary rituals than previously thought—specifically, in ceremonies dedicated to Osiris, the god of the afterlife, resurrection, and fertility in ancient Egyptian mythology.
A Ritual Reimagined
“The burial chamber of Tutankhamun appears to have been arranged to represent a funerary rite later known as the ‘Awakening of Osiris,’ during which Horus—or a successor acting as Horus—revives the deceased Osiris so that he may rule in the afterlife,” explains Nicholas Brown, an archaeologist at Yale University and co-author of one of the new studies.
Brown argues that the clay discs were not simply supports for emblems but were likely used as libation vessels—ceremonial cups meant to hold liquid offerings as part of a sacred ritual. In this interpretation, the tomb itself becomes a stage for the “awakening” of Osiris, with Tutankhamun symbolically taking the god’s place to ensure his transition into the next world.
More Than Just Tutankhamun
These types of clay discs are not unique to Tutankhamun’s tomb. Archaeologists have identified around 100 similar examples from other sites, including two embalming pits in the iconic Valley of the Kings and another royal tomb—all dating to Tutankhamun’s reign or slightly after. Brown suggests the small number of surviving examples may be due to the fragility of Nile silt clay or the possibility that many were destroyed or discarded by tomb robbers.
Brown also points out that the clay used in the discs—sourced from the Nile—may hold symbolic meaning. The Nile was a potent emblem of fertility and rebirth, traits intimately associated with Osiris. “If one of the goals of funerary rituals was to resurrect the dead and rejuvenate their bodies in the afterlife,” Brown explains, “then it’s conceivable these vessels were filled with some kind of liquid offering—perhaps milk, wine, or water—for ritual use.”
He further notes that the form and placement of the discs suggest they were not meant to support the wooden emblems found nearby. “The bowls are too shallow, and the emblems too tall and unwieldy to have stood in them,” he argues. “They were laid on a mat, not upright, which supports the idea that they served a different, more ceremonial purpose.”
Reclaiming Osiris
Tutankhamun’s reign followed a turbulent period in Egyptian religious history. His predecessor, Akhenaten, had radically restructured the spiritual landscape of Egypt, promoting a form of monotheism centered around Aten, the sun disc. This religious shift marginalized traditional deities—most notably, Osiris—and disrupted long-held beliefs about resurrection and the afterlife.
Tutankhamun, however, is known to have reversed many of his father’s reforms. Brown believes the inclusion of Osirian ritual elements, such as the clay libation discs, was part of a broader effort to restore traditional religious practices. “Tutankhamun and his officials reinterpreted royal burial customs, reintroducing Osiris into the heart of funerary rites,” he explains. “The clay vessels are just one small but revealing piece of that revival.”
A Second Theory: The Book of the Dead
While Brown’s study offers a compelling reinterpretation, another Egyptologist has proposed a different explanation. Jacobus van Dijk, a professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, suggests that the mystery might be unraveled through ancient texts—specifically, a passage from the Book of the Dead, a funerary guide used for centuries in ancient Egypt.
In one passage, four small clay bowls are filled with milk and placed near the deceased. At dawn, the torches that burned through the night are extinguished, symbolizing the resurrection of both the sun god and Osiris—and, by extension, the rebirth of the dead. Van Dijk believes that this ritual context could explain the function of the discs, especially given that some found in the tomb of Pharaoh Horemheb contain pale residues—possibly remnants of milk or another ritual substance.
If these residues can be scientifically analyzed, they might finally provide concrete evidence of the ritual use of these vessels, bringing us one step closer to solving a mystery that has endured for more than 3,000 years.
