The Mysterious Glass Scarab Found in King Tutankhamun’s Tomb

King Tutankhamun is one of Egypt’s most modernly well-known pharaohs. He was the last of his royal lineage to rule Egypt and claimed the throne when he was only eight years old.

While he was considered physically disabled due to a deformity in his left foot, bone necrosis, and scoliosis, during his nine-year reign, King Tut succeeded in restoring the ancient Egyptian religion after it was dissolved by his predecessor and father, King Akhenaten.

He pursued the restoration of diplomatic relations with other kingdoms as well as reinstating a stable economic foundation, both of which were also neglected by his father.

A Once-In-A-Lifetime Discovery

For such a young king with unlimited health problems, King Tut sought to restore Egypt to its former glory, even though his work was largely undone by his successors. He became synonymous with Egyptian royalty after his tomb was discovered in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter.

The “curse” that was supposedly laid upon those who disturbed his tomb bolstered Tutankhamun’s fame in the modern world. While it was later proven that each of the deaths that followed the entry of the tomb was not of any supernatural cause, the tale of the curse still lives.

What is lesser known is the curiosity surrounding one of the items found in King Tut’s tomb amongst the cache of priceless artifacts and treasures. In addition to the furniture, chariots, weapons, clothes, and 130 of his walking sticks, was a greatly embellished pectoral, a form of brooch.

In its center displayed what appeared to be a scarab beetle made of yellow glass. While beautiful, archaeologists found this item especially intriguing as glass only began being manufactured in 500 B.C. As King Tut was born in 1324 B.C., how did he come to have this magnificent gem?

Theories of the Glass’ Origin

The answer is otherworldly, literally. It wasn’t magic, sorcery, or the supernatural, but simple science. The “gemstone” is actually a piece of what is now known as Libyan Desert Silica Glass and is one of the rarest minerals on Earth. It is only found in one of the most remote areas in the Libyan Desert, the Great Sand Sea of the Gilf Kebir Plateau.

Made up of almost pure silicon-dioxide, it is very similar to quartz, but has a different crystal structure and contains trace elements of unusual elements such as iron, chromium, nickel, iridium, and cobalt.

Natural glass typically forms when the lava of a volcano rapidly cools and is known as obsidian. However, the crystalline structure of the desert glass is very different, and in addition, there are no extinct volcanic sites in the area where the glass was found.

In 2013 it was theorized that the glass may have been the accumulation of melted sand created when a comet entered the Earth’s atmosphere and exploded mid-air, causing a heat burst. However, the newest study concluded that an airburst alone would not be proficient in forming the desert glass.

When researchers analyzed the mineral zircon located in the glass, they discovered that the grains were actually an extremely rare mineral called reidite. Reidite only forms under extremely high pressure, such as that created by a meteorite impact.

Science Solves the Mystery

It was determined that a meteorite striking the Earth in the Libyan Desert is the only possible explanation for the creation of the desert glass. It is estimated to have occurred between 28 to 26 million years ago, even though the location of the crater caused by the meteorite still has not been located.

It is unknown if King Tut’s attendants were aware of the rarity of the glass when they brought it back to be used in making the royal pectoral, but there is no doubt that the mysterious and unusual adornment was truly fit for a king.

***Story originally published on Medium.com by the author.***