TUTANKAHMUN






King Tutankhamun (1336-1327 BC)

Tutankhamun is one of the best-known rulers of ancient Egypt, mainly because of the spectacular discovery of his tomb made by Howard Carter in 1922. There is textual evidence which shows that he was born a prince, but some uncertainty still persists about his parentage. It is almost certain that he was the son of King Akhenaten (1353-1337 BC). However, until the question of whether there was a joint rule between Akhenaten and his father, King Amenophis III, is resolved, the theoretical possibility that Tutankhamun may have been a son of Amenophis III remains. If Tutankhamun was a son of Akhenaten, the question of his mother is equally intriguing. He is never represented as a child in the company of Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti (these always show only daughters, no sons), so he may have been born to one of Akhenaten's minor queens, perhaps Queen Kiya. Tutankhamun succeeded King Smenkhkare but his relationship to him is uncertain. The young king was at first called Tutankhaten ("The living image of the Aten") and probably reigned from Akhetaten (modern El-Amarna), the capital of Egypt founded by King Akhenaten. But soon, probably before the end of his second year, Tutankhamun abandoned El-Amarna and moved his residence to Mennufer (Memphis) in the north. The move probably coincided with the change of his name to Tutankhamun ("The living image of the god Amun"). This was a formal renunciation of Akhenaten's religious doctrine which centred on the worship of the Aten (Sun Disc). It was also a return to the traditional Egyptian religious values. Like other Egyptian kings, Tutankhamun had five official royal names. Two of these were written in cartouches (ornamental oval frames): Tutankhaten/Tutankhamun (in full: Tutankhamun heka-iunu-shema, i.e. "ruler of the Upper Egyptian On=modern Luxor) and Nebkheprure. Tutankhamun married Ankhesenpaten (she later changed her name to Ankhesenamun), one of the daughters of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. It seems that their two children were stillborn and were buried with the king in his tomb. During his reign, Tutankhamun tried to restore the economic and ideological position of temples, especially those of Amun, which had suffered during the reign of Akhenaten. There was an extensive programm of restoration of temple property and renovation of buildings which had fallen into disrepair. Some limited new construction work was also undertaken. Because of his very young age, it seems likely that the king must have relied quite heavily on the advice of his courtiers, such as Ay (who later succeeded him on the throne) and General Haremhab (who also later ascended the Egyptian throne as a pharaoh). Tutankhamun died in his tenth year, when he was about eighteen years old. The precise cause of his death remains uncertain even after the medical examination of his mummy. He was buried in a hastily prepared tomb (number KV 62 of modern numbering) in the Valley of the Kings, the traditional burial place of his predecessors. The person responsible for his burial, and shown on one of the walls in Tutankhamun's tomb, was Ay who succeeded him on the Egyptian throne.
Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922. Over the next several years, Carter's expedition carefully uncovered the riches within, including the gold mask above. A number of mysterious deaths that followed the opening of the tomb set off wild rumors of a mummy's curse. (Brier 33-56) Today, Tutankhamen is known to countless people the world over, in part because his is the only pharaoh's tomb ever discovered intact. Tutankhamen’s burial site had somehow escaped pillaging by grave robbers for over 3000 years. (78-91) His mummy and its magnificent solid gold sarcophagus, along with wall paintings, furniture, weapons, games and other artifacts have survived to the present, giving us a unique glimpse at the trappings of an ancient pharaoh. (Budge 21-26). The death mask of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun is made of gold inlaid with colored glass and semiprecious stone. The mask comes from the innermost mummy case in the pharaoh's tomb, and stands 54 cm (21 in) high