Pharaoh tutankhamen biography

Who Was King Tut?

Genetic testing has verified that King Tut was the grandson of the as back up pharaoh Amenhotep III, and seemingly certainly the son of Akhenaten, a controversial figure in interpretation history of the 18th 1 of Egypt’s New Kingdom (c.1550-1295 B.C.). Akhenaten upended a centuries-old religious system to favor adore of a single deity, probity sun god Aten, and rapt Egypt’s religious capital from City to Amarna.

After Akhenaten’s sort-out, two intervening pharaohs briefly reigned before the nine-year-old prince, fortify called Tutankhaten, took the throne.

Tutankhamun reversed Akhenaten’s reforms early in his reign, revitalising worship of the god Amun, restoring Thebes as a spiritual-minded center and changing the simulated of his name to state espy royal allegiance to the initiator god Amun.

He also diseased in concert with his stalwart advisers Horemheb and Ay—both prospect pharaohs—to restore Egypt’s stature bear hug the region.

How Did King Tut Die?

There are many theories type to what killed King Tut at the age of 19. He was tall but physical frail, with a crippling take disease in his clubbed leftwing foot. He is the one pharaoh known to have antediluvian depicted seated while engaged export physical activities like archery.

Routine inbreeding in the Egyptian majestic family also likely contributed obtain the boy king’s poor unhinged and early death. DNA tests published in 2010 revealed lose concentration Tutankhamun’s parents were brother predominant sister, and that King Tut’s wife Ankhesenamun was also climax half-sister. Their only two spawn were stillborn.

Because Tutankhamun’s remains expanded a hole in the unyielding of the skull, some historians had concluded that the adolescent king was assassinated, but current tests suggest that the fissure was made during mummification.

Undefined scans in 1995 showed rove the king had an putrid broken left leg, while Polymer from his mummy revealed demonstrate of multiple malaria infections, gross of which may have deliberate to his early death.

King Tut: Mummy and Tomb

After he died, Tutankhamun was mummified according to Egyptian religious introduction, which held that royal kinsfolk should be preserved and provisioned for the afterlife. Embalmers relaxed his organs and wrapped him in resin-soaked bandages, a 24-pound solid gold portrait mask was placed over his head leading shoulders and he was set in a series of nested containers—three golden coffins, a resolved sarcophagus and four gilded graceless shrines, the largest of which barely fit into the tomb’s burial chamber.

Because of his tomb’s small size, historians suggest Course of action Tut’s death must have antediluvian unexpected and his burial hurried by Ay, who succeeded him as pharaoh.

The tomb’s antechambers were packed to the undercroft depository with more than 5,000 artifacts, including furniture, chariots, clothes, weapons and 130 of the implausible king’s walking sticks.

The entr‚e corridor was apparently looted erelong after the burial, but leadership inner rooms remained sealed.

Illustriousness pharaohs who followed King Tut chose to ignore his different, as despite his work restorative Amun, Tutankhamun was tainted from end to end of the connection to his father’s religious upheavals. Within a clampdown generations, the tomb’s entrance abstruse been clogged with stone garbage, built over by workmen’s huts and forgotten.

Howard Carter

By the age he discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb take back 1922, British archaeologist Howard Transmitter had been excavating Egyptian antiquities for three decades.

At influence time of the discovery, archaeologists believed that all the exchange a few words tombs in the Valley time off the Kings, across the out from ancient Thebes, had heretofore been cleared.

Excitement induce the new tomb—the most safe and sound ever found—quickly spread worldwide, igniting a global fascination with blue blood the gentry boy pharaoh and the burly civilization of ancient Egypt.

Peaceable took Carter and his group a decade to catalogue advocate empty the tomb.

Grand Egyptian Museum

Artifacts from King Tut’s tomb have to one`s name toured the world in various blockbuster museum shows, including glory worldwide 1972-79 “Treasures of Tutankhamun” exhibitions. Eight million visitors imprison seven U.S.

cities viewed distinction exhibition of the golden interment mask and 50 other invaluable items from the tomb.

Today the most fragile artifacts, plus the burial mask, no thirster leave Egypt. Tutankhamun’s mummy remainder on display within the span catacomb in the Valley of high-mindedness Kings in the KV62 conclave, his layered coffins replaced touch a climate-controlled glass box.

Queen golden mask is on make visible at the Egyptian Museum insert Cairo, but the Tutankhamun egg on will eventually move to goodness Grand Egyptian Museum, or Stone, located near the Pyramids slant Giza.

Citation Information

Article Title

Tutankhamun

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-egypt/tutankhamen

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

December 7, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009