LIFE
Tutankhamun was born in c1341. He was the son of the pharaoh Amenhotep IV (later Akhenaten). His mother was Akhenaten's sister. Her name is not known but his wet nurse was called Maia.
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| Wooden bust of the boy king, found in his tomb. Wikipedia |
He ascended to the throne in 1333 BC, at the age of nine taking the throne name Tutankhaten, means "Living Image of Aten."
Tutankhaten wed his half-sister Ankhesenpaaten, daughter of Queen Nefertiti, his step mother, at the age of nine when he ascended to the throne. They had two children, both stillborn.
In his third year on the Egyptian throne, Tutankhaten reversed several changes made during his father's reign. This included ending the worship of the god Aten and restored the god Amun to supremacy.
He changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun to mark a change of worship from Aten to Amun as supreme God.
Tutankhamun was slight of build, and was roughly 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) tall.
Tutankhamen's garments were dyed red using alizarin, a pigment extracted from the madder plant.
Tutankhamun reigned as pharaoh of Egypt for nine years before dying in c. 1323 BC.
Tutankhamun's infant daughters are unnamed, being referred to only as "the Osiris" on their coffins.
He is thought to have had a club foot and was buried with 130 staffs and walking sticks.
He was only about 18 years old when he died. Tutankhamun's cause of death is still not totally clear. Sickle cell anaemia, epilepsy, malaria, an infected broken leg and assassination have all been suggested.
Tutankhamun's mummified body contains the oldest known genetic proof of the existence of malaria.
In 2013, CT scans revealed that King Tut was bitten by a hippopotamus, perhaps contributing to his death.
The solid gold coffin of Tutankhamun is 73 inches long. The value of its gold is $4,3 million, but the casket is priceless.
He was buried with a home beer brewing kit in case he felt dry on the other side.
Equipment similar to that used in backgammon was excavated from Tutankhamun's tomb.
A dagger found in Tutankhamun's tomb was made from iron from a meteorite. Its finding proved early metal-working in Egypt.
Tutankhamun’s successors tried to erase his name from history. This meant his memory was preserved as the location of his tomb was forgotten, hiding it from robbers. It remained virtually untouched for thousands of years.
In 1914, George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, employed the British archaeologist Howard Carter to lead the archaeological dig in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt. Excavations and study were soon interrupted by the First World War, but they resumed towards the end of 1917.
On November 4, 1922, Howard Carter's waterboy stumbled across some steps leading under the desert surface. Carter had the steps partially dug out until the top of a mud-plastered doorway was found.
Picture below shows the Earl of Carnarvon, his daughter Lady Evelyn Herbert and Howard Carter at the top of the steps leading to the newly discovered tomb of Tutankhamun in November 1922.
On February 16, 1923, Carter opened the sealed doorway and found they led to the burial chamber of the ancient Egyptian Boy King Tutankhamun.
Tutankhamun's tomb is the only tomb to date to be discovered intact and complete. All others were looted some time during the years.
The death mask of Tutankhamun, possibly made for Queen Nefertiti, was uncovered for the first time in 3,250 years on October 28, 1925.
The beard of Tutankhamun's golden mask fell off during the cleaning process in the Egyptian Museum in 2014. The workers used epoxy glue to reattach the beard, but since that was not the professional method and permanent damage was done to the mask they were prosecuted for this in 2016.
Within a few years of Carter's discovery, rumors of a "curse of the pharaohs" started, emphasizing the early death of some of those who had entered Tutankhamun's tomb. The most prominent was the Earl of Carnarvon who died two months after the boy king's burial chamber was found. However, a study showed that of the 58 people who were present when the tomb and sarcophagus were opened, only eight died within a dozen years.
It's estimated that the iceberg that sank the Titanic started to develop during the reign of Tutankhamun.
When London held a Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition in 1972, a taxi driver was reported to have taken a man to Tooting Common by mistake.
The comedian Steve Martin released a song in 1978 called "King Tut" in 1978 with a backing group 'The Toot Uncommons'.
Source Daily Express
He is thought to have had a club foot and was buried with 130 staffs and walking sticks.
DEATH
He was only about 18 years old when he died. Tutankhamun's cause of death is still not totally clear. Sickle cell anaemia, epilepsy, malaria, an infected broken leg and assassination have all been suggested.
Tutankhamun's mummified body contains the oldest known genetic proof of the existence of malaria.
In 2013, CT scans revealed that King Tut was bitten by a hippopotamus, perhaps contributing to his death.
The solid gold coffin of Tutankhamun is 73 inches long. The value of its gold is $4,3 million, but the casket is priceless.
He was buried with a home beer brewing kit in case he felt dry on the other side.
Equipment similar to that used in backgammon was excavated from Tutankhamun's tomb.
 |
| A game box and pieces for playing the game of Senet found within the tomb of Tutankhamun |
A dagger found in Tutankhamun's tomb was made from iron from a meteorite. Its finding proved early metal-working in Egypt.
Tutankhamun’s successors tried to erase his name from history. This meant his memory was preserved as the location of his tomb was forgotten, hiding it from robbers. It remained virtually untouched for thousands of years.
EXCAVATION OF TOMB
In 1914, George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, employed the British archaeologist Howard Carter to lead the archaeological dig in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt. Excavations and study were soon interrupted by the First World War, but they resumed towards the end of 1917.
On November 4, 1922, Howard Carter's waterboy stumbled across some steps leading under the desert surface. Carter had the steps partially dug out until the top of a mud-plastered doorway was found.
Picture below shows the Earl of Carnarvon, his daughter Lady Evelyn Herbert and Howard Carter at the top of the steps leading to the newly discovered tomb of Tutankhamun in November 1922.
On February 16, 1923, Carter opened the sealed doorway and found they led to the burial chamber of the ancient Egyptian Boy King Tutankhamun.
Tutankhamun's tomb is the only tomb to date to be discovered intact and complete. All others were looted some time during the years.
The death mask of Tutankhamun, possibly made for Queen Nefertiti, was uncovered for the first time in 3,250 years on October 28, 1925.
The beard of Tutankhamun's golden mask fell off during the cleaning process in the Egyptian Museum in 2014. The workers used epoxy glue to reattach the beard, but since that was not the professional method and permanent damage was done to the mask they were prosecuted for this in 2016.
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| Tutankhamun's death mask. By Roland Unger |
Within a few years of Carter's discovery, rumors of a "curse of the pharaohs" started, emphasizing the early death of some of those who had entered Tutankhamun's tomb. The most prominent was the Earl of Carnarvon who died two months after the boy king's burial chamber was found. However, a study showed that of the 58 people who were present when the tomb and sarcophagus were opened, only eight died within a dozen years.
FUN TUTANKHAMUN FACTS
It's estimated that the iceberg that sank the Titanic started to develop during the reign of Tutankhamun.
When London held a Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition in 1972, a taxi driver was reported to have taken a man to Tooting Common by mistake.
The comedian Steve Martin released a song in 1978 called "King Tut" in 1978 with a backing group 'The Toot Uncommons'.
Source Daily Express
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