Tutankhamun- Not Just A Boy
As an only nine-year-old kid, he was taking charge of all Egypt. He became a kid King after the death of Akhenaten, who’s believed to be his father — married his half-sisterAnkhesenamun, who was the daughter of Akhenaten from his great royal wife, Nefertiti. During their marriage, they had lost two daughters, one during pregnancy and the other just after birth.
King Tut Early Life, King Tut Facts
He was born in 1342 BC and didn’t wait long to become the King of Egypt. His reign began in 1334 BC when he was just nine years old and ended in 1325 BC when he was only 19 years old.
King Tut’s mother is believed to be his father’s sister. Her name isn’t known, but she was called the Younger Lady; her mummy was found in the Valley of the Kings in tomb KV35. Although his name is so famous and known worldwide, it wasn’t his original one.
He was called Tutankhaten, which means the living image of Aten. Who was the only god during the reign of his father as he had ordered so, which had made the priests of god Amun Ra unpleased, who were used to have the highest power and big influence on the Egyptian people that had been lost after declaring Aten as the only god.
That’s why, after the death of Akhenaten and under the pressure of the priests, he changed his name to Tutankhamun to mean the living image of Amun, the Egyptian god, and the priests got their power and influence back as he was just a little boy.
Also, King Tut’s wife’s name was Ankhesenpaaten, which means living through Aten, changed to Ankhesenamun. And he had removed the capital from Akhetaten (Amarna), created by his father, to Thebes.
Due to King Tut’s age, the young Pharaoh couldn’t have full power and control. It was believed that Ay, his vizier and advisor, was the real man in charge, who eventually became the Pharaoh after his death.
King Tut’s Death, How Did King Tut Die?
His little Egyptian Pharaoh didn’t have the chance to be the real ruler, as he died at the age of 18 or 19. There’s no apparent reason for his death. It was once believed that he had been killed by a head strike, as an X-ray made in 1968 on the King Tut mummy showed two bone fragments inside the skull.
But then it was disapproved by further analysis that proved to be caused by a modern unwrapping of the mummy. Another theory of his death declared that it could be a chariot accident. They found the front part of his chest wall and ribs were missing and some crushing injuries.
But after going back to some photographs taken in 1926, it was found that the chest wall was intact, which means that a robbery could have happened. His death was declared to be caused by several reasons, such as weakness disorders, leg fractures, and severe malarial infection.
Tutankhamun Tomb, Why Is The Boy King Tutankhamun Famous?
King Tut is a worldwide celebrity; he may be one of the most famous kings in Egyptian history. However, it’s not his effect on Egyptian history or that he had won a lot of wars, expanded his empire, or built a lot of temples, but it was his tomb that gave him all this fame.
King Tut’s tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter. It was intact with all the pieces and treasures, remaining in good quality and unrobed, unlike most of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. A British archaeologist and Egyptologist who had found more than 5,000 pieces buried with the King, known as King Tut’s Treasure, starred the famous King Tut death mask, made from pure gold and with its own reputation.
This treasure is exposed in a special section at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. It contains all the jewelry and the King Tut wooden sarcophagus painted gold. It’s definitely worth a visit. While King Tut’s mummy is still resting in the King’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings.
No wonder it’s famous around the world; the treasure found inside the tomb is priceless and tells us a lot about how great the Pharaohs were and how death and burial were so special for them.
It’s considered one of the most amazing and important excavations of the century, and it was the reason Howard Carter held a unique position among archeologists. Maybe King Tutankhamun’s reign wasn’t so special, and he wasn’t a war master, a great invader, or a temple builder, but what he left us is so precious that he was definitelyn’t just a boy.
