King Tutankhamun: Ancient Egypt’s Enigma

Contents:King Tutankhamun

1. Introduction
2. The Early Life of King Tutankhamun
3. The Dynasty of Tutankhamun
4. Ascending to the Throne
5. The Religious Reforms
6. Tutankhamun’s Marriage
7. The Mysterious Death
8. The Discovery of the Tomb
9. The Treasures of Tutankhamun
10. The Curse of the Pharaoh
11. Modern Studies and Mysteries
12. Conclusion
13. FAQs

1. Introduction: King Tutankhamun

King Tutankhamun, The man known to history as Tutankhamun was born in the middle of the 14th century BC during the Eighteenth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. Although we cannot be sure of his exact date or even year of birth, it is generally agreed that it occurred sometime in the late 1340s BC. Tutankhamun’s parentage is disputed, though his father was most probably Akhenaten, King Tutankhamun, who ruled Egypt as Amenhotep IV before he established a monotheistic religion known as Atenism focused on the worship of the sun disc Aten, beginning about five years before Tutankhamun was born King Tutankhamun.

2. The Early Life of King Tutankhamun

Around the same time he changed his name to Akhenaten. Akhenaten had at least six daughters with his Great Royal Wife Queen Nefertiti. It is possible that she was also Tutankhamun’s mother. Alternatively, his mother may have been a wife of Akhenaten’s known only as ‘the Younger Lady’. At his birth, Tutankhamun was given the name Tutankhaten, or ‘the Living Image of Aten’ in honour of the sun god.

3. The Dynasty of Tutankhamun

Despite being one of the best-known pharaohs or kings of ancient Egypt as a result of the discovery of his tomb and famous death mask by Howard Carter in 1922, details of Tutankhamun’s short life and reign are still being pieced together by archaeologists and Egyptologists using artefacts from his tomb and other evidence.

4. Ascending to the Throne

He is likely to have been born in Amarna, the modern-day name of Akhetaton, the short-lived capital city founded by his father on the eastern bank of the River Nile around 200 miles south of Egypt’s modern-day Cairo. The young Egyptian prince was born with a club foot on his left leg, forcing him to use a walking stick throughout his life.

5. The Religious Reforms

He was brought up by his wet nurse, a woman named Maia from his father’s harem. Among the artefacts found in Tutankhamun’s tomb are toys he owned and played with as a child, including an ivory monkey with moving arms and a small wooden bird. At around the age of four, he learned how to write, starting with the cursive hieratic script used daily before moving on to the formal and sacred hieroglyphs found on ancient Egyptian monuments.

6. Tutankhamun’s Marriage

Tutankhaten learned to write by copying out ancient texts which also offered political wisdom for kings and princes preparing for kingship. He would also have studied administration, geography, history, diplomacy, and religion, as well as the theory and practice of warfare, which included chariot-riding and archery.

7. The Mysterious Death

Tutankhaten grew up during a revolutionary period in Egyptian history driven by his father’s religious changes. The traditional Egyptian polytheistic belief system involved worshipping many different gods, amongst whom the creator god Amun and the sun god Ra were most prominent. However, Akhenaten had introduced the cult of the Aten, a sun god depicted as a golden disc with rays of light radiating downwards in a fan.

8. The Discovery of the Tomb

By 1909, following the recommendation of Gaston Maspero, the director of the antiquities service, Carter began his collaboration with George Herbert, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, who began to visit Egypt every year to help his recovery from a car accident. When Davis gave up his concession for the Valley of the Kings, Carter and Carnarvon believed that there were more discoveries to be made in the area and successfully obtained permission to dig.

9. The Treasures of Tutankhamun

By the 26th of November, the entrance corridor had been cleared. Accompanied by Carnarvon and his daughter, Lady Evelyn Herbert, Carter poked a hole into the antechamber and asked for a candle. As he peered inside, he saw a glittering collection of golden treasures and could hardly believe his eyes. Carnarvon broke the silence and asked Carter if he could see anything, to which the archaeologist replied, “Yes, wonderful things.

10. The Curse of the Pharaoh

It wasn’t until September 1925 that work began to remove the pharaoh’s body from his coffins. After the lids of the first two coffins were removed, the golden innermost coffin was revealed in all its splendour. As the two inner coffins were stuck together by the resin used to seal the coffins, they were brought to the antechamber where the lid of the golden coffin could be opened, revealing the mummy with the famous gold death mask on its head.

11. Modern Studies and Mysteries

An official opening of the tomb was then held on the 29th of November. The discovery was reported in The Times of London the following morning. As the man who discovered an intact royal tomb in the Valley of the Kings, Carter knew he had a great responsibility. He installed a steel gate at the tomb’s entrance to bolster security, and he decided to document each item from the tomb in its original location and after it had been taken for examination.

12. Conclusion:King Tutankhamun

King Tutankhamun, despite being the most famous of all Egyptian pharaohs, whose death mask has become a symbol of ancient Egypt, He grew up in Akhenaten’s court at Amarna, where he witnessed the establishment of the cult of Aten, the memory of which was later obliterated by his successors.
After spending the first decade of his life accompanied by religious upheaval and political disorder, Tutankhamun came to the throne and began the process of restoring the old gods and disestablishing the cult of Aten, abandoning Amarna for the traditional political and religious centres of Memphis and Thebes.

FAQs:King Tutankhamun

1. Who was King Tutankhamun?

• An ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, known for his nearly intact tomb discovered in 1922.

2.How old was Tutankhamun ?

• Tutankhamun became king at around nine years old.

3.What significant changes did Tutankhamun make during his reign?

• He reversed his father’s monotheistic religious reforms, restoring traditional polytheistic worship.

4. Who discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb?

• Howard Carter discovered the tomb in 1922.

5. What are some notable artifacts found in Tutankhamun’s tomb?

• Notable artifacts include the golden death mask, jewelry, and chariots.

6. What theories exist about Tutankhamun’s death?

• Theories about his death include an accident or possible murder, though no definitive cause has been confirmed.

7. is the Curse of the Pharaoh true?**

• The Curse of the Pharaoh refers to the legend that those who disturbed Tutankhamun’s tomb would suffer misfortune or death.