The historical study of the textile collection of Tutankhamun: function, symbolic meaning and Archaeometry

This study examines the textile collection of Tutankhamun from an archaeological and historical perspective, highlighting its role in understanding production systems, social meaning, and royal ideology in the Eighteenth Dynasty. The research reclassifies and contextualizes the textiles from tomb KV62, using archaeological documentation, comparative analysis, and interdisciplinary investigation to reconstruct their forms, functions, and contexts of use. The work aims to generate substantive and new insights into ancient Egyptian textile production by identifying the materials, construction methods, and decorative techniques of Tutankhamun’s garments. It provides essential data to interpret the history of textile art and the development of the textile industry during this period. The research explores the differences between garments used in daily life and those produced for ceremonial or funerary contexts and investigates the symbolic and ideological meanings expressed through decoration and design. It also seeks to provide knowledge about ancient weaving methods, tools, and workshop organization, clarifying how craft specialization and labor management operated within the royal sphere. The integration of archaeological documentation with non-invasive analytical techniques demonstrates the applicability of scientific methods in studying fragile heritage materials and reconstructing ancient production systems. The data derived from these analyses contribute to the broader understanding of Eighteenth Dynasty socio-economics and textile technology. By situating the Tutankhamun corpus within a comparative framework that includes other New Kingdom collections, such as those from Amarna, this research enhances our understanding of the structure, scale, and evolution of textile production in ancient Egypt.