King Tutankhamun's iconic gold funerary mask is back on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, after more than two months of restoration work by a team of German experts.
The mask of the ancient Egyptian king was undergoing restoration to fix a botched repair from when its beard fell off over a year ago, leaving it with a visible crust of epoxy glue.
Speaking at a press conference, restoration specialist and head of the project's team Christian Eckmann pointed out that no chemical substances were used in melting the previously used adhesive substance, according to the antiquities ministry's statement .
Antiquities Minister Mamdouh El-Damaty said that the restoration unveiled a new archaeological discovery, as it revealed secrets about the original techniques the ancient Egyptians used to create the mask.
It has been discovered that a golden tube inside the beard was used to hold the mask together, in addition to beeswax which was a substance also used by the ancient Egyptians in the manufacturing process.
Eckmann added that mechanical methods were applied in the restoration, as wooden tools were used in order not to scratch the mask, as well as the beeswax, in an attempt to stay true to the original process the ancient Egyptians used to piece the beard and the rest of the mask together.
Eckmann also revealed that when British archaeologist Howard Carter unearthed the mask in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings in 1922, he removed the beard himself for the first time, as it was already loose.
The world-famous ancient masterpiece is often considered the leading treasure from the boy king's burial chamber, as well as the main highlight of Cairo's Egyptian Museum.
The decorated mask is one of the most significant works of art from the ancient world and the most recognizable symbol of ancient Egyptian civilization today.