King Tutankhamun, the pharaoh who ruled Egypt over 3,300 years ago, slept on the forerunner of our modern camping bed.
British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered a unique three-layer bed made of light hardwood when he entered the treasury of King Tut's tomb in 1922.
This piece of furniture was smaller and closer to the ground than the other five ordinary beds found in King Tut's burial chamber. However, it had a remarkable level of comfort, a rather elegant design, and sophisticated technology.
Research has shown that the bed is folded into a Z shape thanks to an ingenious mechanism. This is the only camping bed ever found. No other pharaohs except King Tut had such a bed.
A bunk bed model from Gebelein in Egypt, which measures about 5 inches by 12 inches (13 by 30 centimeters) and dates from the 18th Dynasty, suggests that two or more beds may have existed, or at least were designed before the camping bed of King Tooth appeared.
But the King Boy's three-fold bed was revolutionary, the researchers say, adding that it is more stable, comfortable and much more compact than the two-fold bed.
Research shows that the artisans of that time did not have a sample of such a bed and it was specially created for the pharaoh Tut.
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Research into the technical features of the clamshell has shown a unique interaction of form and function. The result is a comfortable hybrid system of wood frame, bronze hinges and a weaving mat.
The bed consists of four wooden "lion" legs (legs), which rest on copper plates that would support the weight of a person.
However, given the complex shape of the legs, folding the bed was difficult. To solve this problem, the ancient artisans developed some ingenious loops and placed them on four auxiliary legs. In this way, the legs took stress off the hinges when the bed was in use.
The complex folding system required two different types of hinges: single loops with plugs were used on the middle and end pairs of legs near the footboard, and a double hinge system was developed for the front pair of auxiliary legs. The bivalve legs can be turned inward at the same time when the bed is folded down.
Trial and error method
Stretched over the frame from end to end, the rug was woven on three thin slings. You can see the holes around the double pivots, they were made to fit the slings there, but they were not used. Indeed, the bed could not be folded if the slings were threaded through these holes.
Tutankhamun's bed was folded in a Z shape thanks to the original mechanism
This process of trial and error clearly shows that this three-layer bed was made for the first time. The bed not only shows the high level of craftsmanship of the ancient Egyptian artisans, but also gives an idea of the preferences of the young Tutankhamun.
Despite the fact that the frail young king may never have participated in long and grueling expeditions, he nonetheless loved hunting and camping. (Researchers suggest that the boy king suffered from malaria and clubfoot, so he was forced to use a cane) …
His bed was a work of art, but it is essentially a folding bed.