His superb gold death mask is the most familiar treasure from Tutankhamun's tomb, but few realise the Egyptian pharaoh (1336-1327 BC) was also buried with a whole range of clothing - from sumptuous robes and stunning regalia to his baby clothes, a large supply of clean, neatly folded underwear and even several pairs of socks.

An exhibition now touring Europe takes us inside this ancient Egyptian wardrobe to show us the young king as he would actually have looked. And staring back at us we see a living human being instead of the remote, mythical figure who has for so long been locked in a cliched world of gold and curses ever since the discovery of his tomb in 1922.

Among the thousands of objects removed during the 10 years it took him to clear the tomb, archaeologist Howard Carter discovered great quantities of textiles of various sorts. These had originally been carefully folded and placed inside beautifully decorated storage chests, but thieves who struck not long after the burial pulled many of the garments out in their search for gold. The officials sent in to restore the tomb found something resembling a closing-down sale, and, in their attempts to tidy up quickly, stuffed the clothes back into the nearest box.

Despite their 3,000 year-old creases, Carter immediately realised the significance of this particular find and confidently announced that "it will be of extreme importance to the history of textile art and it needs very careful study".

Sadly, this unique material lay neglected for a full 70 years during which time it suffered irreparable damage. Its importance was realised only in the early 1990s when Yorkshire-born textile historian Dr Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood began her painstaking study of the young king's wardrobe.

Based at the Stitching Textile Research Centre in Leiden, in the Netherlands, her work over the last eight years has resulted in the new exhibition which gives fresh insight into the range of clothing worn by the pharaohs, and, since the king had also saved his baby clothes, those worn by royal princes. Because the original garments themselves have deteriorated so much - almost all are now badly faded and some little more than a black, crumbly mass - it was decided to save the fragile originals from even further damage by making exact copies.

Of the several hundred garments found in the tomb, the team prepared a representative collection of 36, ranging from the king's most elaborate, gold-encrusted tunics to the simple triangles of fabric worn as underwear. And then of course, the royal socks, made with a gap between the large and smaller toes for the thongs of his flip-flop type sandals, 47 pairs of which were found in the tomb.

The recreated garments had to be made of the finest linen, but modern machinery could not produce the fine quality of thread necessary for the gossamer-like material. So the team called in Swedish and Italian specialists who went back to the ancient methods of textile production.

The team also worked out the original vivid colours from the blackened originals. Again recreating the exact shades proved tricky. The indigo was finally matched in Japan, and although a Swedish craftsman came up with the perfect recipe for a plant-based red dye, the time-consuming dyeing process involving a mix ture of sheep excrement and rancid olive oil proved too much. The team had to resort to a more convenient synthetic red.

The basic construction of the garments is relatively simple, but the various effects which can be created are actually quite sophisticated and their sari-like drapery perfectly suited to Egypt's climate.

During the reconstruction, the team worked out that Tutankhamun had a 31 inch chest, 29 inch waist and 43 inch hips, a distinctive "pear shape" apparently shared by other members of his family, if the art of the time is to be believed.

The replicas have also solved the problem of how the clothes were originally worn. Vogelsang-Eastwood is a great believer in "hands-on" archaeology, and during their recreation had her students (and the author) try them on. By parading around in the regal replicas the team worked out the exact function of many of the more curious-looking garments. Two strange "headdresses", for example, were actually meant to be worn on the arms to form the wings of the falcon, emblem of the Egyptian king.

In fact, quite a number of the clothes were intended to enhance the king's status in their use of regal motifs and symbols of power as decoration. Bands of coloured hieroglyphs proclaim Tutankhamun to be "Protector of his country" and "Vanquisher of all the foes of Egypt", and even as he walked along he would be crushing his enemies with every step, grinding them face down into the dust, since their images were painted on the soles of his gilded sandals.

As "son of the Sun god", he would have quite literally dazzled his subjects in his glittering robes, their lavish gold and beaded decoration making a delicate tinkling sound whenever he moved.

Surrounded by clouds of perfumed incense, he would also have smelt quite ravishing, his body doused in sweet oils, thick black kohl encircling his eyes and to complete the look a fashionable wig worn over his shaven head.

With each outfit completed by a selection of golden collars, earrings, bracelets and one of the many royal crowns, the pharaoh must have been an awe-inspiring sight, a living god who must look the part at all times.

Yet the replicas prove many of the costumes were incredibly heavy to wear, especially during long state occasions in the oppressive Egyptian heat. For an adult they must have proved very uncomfortable, and for a child even more so.

Given that Tutankhamen became pharaoh at only nine years old and was dead by 20, it is difficult not to feel great sympathy for a child so dominated by those around him.

In the uncertain political times in which he lived, every aspect of his life was controlled, even to his choice of clothing. The mantle of state, however beautiful, must surely have been a very heavy burden.

 Joann Fletcher's book Egypt's Sun King: Amenhotep III, is published by Duncan Baird, price £16.99

 The exhibition will visit Edinburgh, Leeds and London.

 Tutankhamun's Wardrobe: Garments From The Tomb Of Tutankhamun by G. Vogelsang-Eastwood (Van Doorn & Co, Rotterdam).