Tutankhamun was one of the famous and youngest rulers of Ancient Egypt.
He ruled the nation for nearly a decade starting from 1336 B.C. to 1327 B.C.
Born in Armana during 1334 B.C., Tutankhamun died when he was about 18-years old but the cause of his death is not known.
In November of 1922, the team of archaeologists Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon unearthed the boy of Tutankhamun’s untouched tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt.
Tutankhamun’s body was bordered with precious treasure such as gold jewelry, paintings, canopic jars, model boats, chariots, paintings, and chairs.
What they Found
According to archaeologists, the tomb was quite small for a Pharaoh and was constructed for an upper-class Egyptian but it was later utilized when Tutankhamun died early.
It consists of four principal rooms such as the treasury, burial chamber, annex, and the antechamber.
Carter entered the antechamber first and found a wide range of items that included pieces of four chariots and three funeral beds.
Meanwhile, the burial chamber was loaded with Tutankhamun’s mummy and the sarcophagus.
The mummy was confined in three nested caskets while the final coffin was glossed with solid gold.
On the other hand, the annex was filled with a wide range of objects such as oils, board games and dishes while the treasury section of the tomb was brimming with the Tutankhamun’s canopic chest along with gilded statues.
How did he Die?
Science professionals, however, noted that the cause of his death is yet to be determined as there have been multiple damages to his chests and legs.
Some theories suggest that Tutankhamun died from a hunting or chariot accident or perhaps he died on the trenches.
Others have proposed that the young King may have been killed.
Other than that, Tutankhamun’s body has also experienced multiple damages on various stages of the mummification process.
Experts argue that a chemical reaction from the mummification procedure resulted in his body to catch fire in the coffin.
The Curse
During the time that Tutankhamun’s tomb was unearthed; many people came into the conclusion that there was a curse that would affect anyone who gained access to the tomb.
Carnarvon died a year after opening the tomb while 12 other people who witnessed the discovery of Tutankhamun’s body died within a few years later.
Medical professionals, however, dismissed all the rumors by stating that people who died within 10 years of first coming into the tomb passed away due to health complications.
Facts about King Tut’s
- Tutankhamun has the smallest tomb of all Pharaohs in Ancient Egypt.
- It was also found out that he was buried on a second-hand coffin.
- Tutankhamun was fond of hunting. Archaeologists found an ostrich-feather fan in his burial chamber during the opening of his tomb.
- Tutankhamun’s heart is nowhere to be found on his body. Experts suggest that his internal organs were removed and preserved separately by Ancient Egyptians.
- Other than an ostrich-feather fan, two daggers were also discovered in Tutankhamun’s tomb.
- Tutankhamun’s musical instruments such as his two rattles, ivory clappers, and two trumpets were played in a BBC radio broadcast in 1939
- Despite it being the smallest tomb, Tutankhamun’s casket was considered as the world’s most expensive coffin.
- It took Carter and the rest of his team to itemize all the objects in King Tut’s tomb.
- Archaeologists and historians believe that Tutankhamun was originally named as Tutankhaten, which simply means as the living image of Aten. Tut along with his parents worshipped the sun god known as “Aten”. He later dropped the Aten and began worshipping Amun, who is known as the King of Gods. As a result, he changed his name to Tutankhamun which implies “the living image of Amun”.
What did you learn?
What is King Tut’s mask made of?
The mask of Tutankhamun was made of solid gold and weighs about 22 pounds.
What happened to the treasure in his tomb?
The treasure found on the coffin of Tutankhamun was displayed publicly around the world during the Treasures of Tutankhamun tour which began in 1972 and concluded in 1979.
Where is King Tut’s treasure now?
Today, the treasure of Tutankhamun is displayed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
How many objects were found in his tomb?
Overall, there were roughly 5,000 objects found on his tomb.
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