Arguably the most famous sarcophagus from ancient Egypt, King Tut's fake beard has become a landmark of the time of pharaohs in the modern world, as much as mummies or great obelisks - now, news has come out that the famous beard had to be glued back after a cleaning accident.
In strange and historically sad news, it seems that King Tut's fake beard has become a victim of its times, after the famous death mask suffered an accident and Tutankhamen's iconic fake beard had to be glued back, forever damaging the famous relic from ancient Egypt.
According to The Associated Press, news about the King Tut fake beard issue came out last Wednesday, after conservators from the prestigious Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the capital city of the modern Middle East country, stated that the death mask of pharaoh Tutankhamen was knocked down during a cleaning session, which resulted in the breaking of the famous beard.
The Huffington Post reports that the King Tut fake beard was broken during an attempt at cleaning it back in October, and then the problem became bigger after experts tried to repair the damage, as the staff stuck it back using epoxy, which leaked into the rest of the mask, then drying up.
Unfortunately, this isn't where it stops for the priced archeological treasure. After the epoxy had dried up and workers attempted to scrape it off, the mask was ultimately scratched and damaged even further.
The International Business Times reports that part of the damage included the fact that now, between the beard and the main mask, there's a layer of the material used to bond back the two pieces, which is actually visible upon looking at the mask.
"The mask should have been taken to the conservation lab but they were in a rush to get it displayed quickly again and used this quick drying, irreversible material," said a conservator in a statement regarding King Tut's fake beard.
