King Tutankhamun [toot-tan-kha-mon] became an Egyptian pharaoh in 1333 BC, when he was only nine years old. He ruled Egypt for nine years until he died at the age of 18 in 1325 BC.

Although he was not an important king, Tutankhamun is well known today because his tomb contained amazing treasures and was found almost untouched by a British archaeologist in 1922, almost 3,000 years after he had been buried. King Tutankhamun was buried in a tomb deep in the Valley of the Kings, a place where royal Egyptians were buried.

It was believed that whoever entered Tut's tomb would immediately die because of a curse placed on his tomb. Several workers did die, but they died from bacteria sealed in the tomb, not the curse. The bacteria got on the workers' food and in the air they breathed, killing them.

The archeologists discovered many treasures in King Tut's tomb including thrones, beds, chariots, cloths, and statues of gods. Most of his treasures were made from gold, ivory, and precious stones. His coffin was the most magnificent. It was made from solid gold, and weighed 2,500 pounds. Today it is worth $13 million. The headpiece is a stunning example of ancient goldsmith's art. It was made of gold, ebony, and turquoise, and it was lined with many different stones and colored glass.

There were 4 rooms in his burial chamber. They held more than 5,000 objects, including finely carved chests, beds, chariots, linens, clothing, jewelry, statues of Tut and Egyptian gods, figures of animals, models of ships, and toys.