Anubis Shrine

The Anubis Shrine from Tutankhamun's tomb features a life-size jackal god crouching alertly atop a gilded chest. Created around 1323 BCE, the wooden figure is coated with black resin to represent Anubis's role as lord of embalming, while gilded details pick out ears, collar, and claws. Howard Carter found the shrine in the tomb's Treasury, facing the burial chamber as if guarding the pharaoh's viscera.

The jackal's ears prick forward attentively, and his tail curls over the shrine's side with notable naturalism. Ancient Egyptians believed that jackals prowling cemeteries protected the dead, leading them to deify these animals as Anubis. The chest beneath the figure contained ritual objects wrapped in linen. A linen shawl dated to year seven of Akhenaten's reign draped over the figure when discovered.

The shrine now greets visitors at the Grand Egyptian Museum, one of the tomb's most evocative guardian figures.