Tutankhamun, or King Tutankhamun, was a young pharaoh. He became world-famous in 1922 when his tomb full of treasures was excavated.
Close-up of King Tutankhamun's iconic death mask
Tutankhamun, an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, was buried in a palatial tomb filled with gold artifacts in the Valley of the Kings near present-day Luxor. In 1922, an archaeological team led by British Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered his tomb.
Today, he is sometimes referred to as the "Young King" because he ascended the throne at the age of 9 or 10 in the 14th century BC and died about 10 years later. His tomb filled with treasure was found largely intact, which is unusual considering that most of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings had been looted in ancient times.
In 1922, the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb attracted worldwide attention, making Tutankhamun a household name.
Despite the grandeur of Tutankhamun's mausoleum, historical and archaeological evidence suggests that the young pharaoh was ill and overthrew the religious revolution initiated by his father Akhnaton during his short reign.
Son of changemakers
The reliefs show King Akhnathorn, Queen Nefertiti and their children, as well as the solar disc Aton
King Tutankhamun was born in ancient Egypt around 1341 BC. His father, Ahnathorn, was a revolutionary pharaoh who sought to focus Egyptian polytheism on the worship of the sun pan Atun. Under his fanaticism, Akhnaswun ordered the destruction or defacement of the names and images of other Egyptian gods. He also established a new capital in what is now Tyre El Amarna. He was able to carry out these actions without causing a widespread violent rebellion, but after his death, he was sentenced.
Tutankhamun's biological mother is unknown, but it is likely that she was not Queen Nefertiti, the wife of Akhnatun's Ming media, although Egyptologists still debate this. As a baby, Tutankhamun was fed by his half-sister Meritan. In a family portrait painted in a tomb in the ancient city of Amarna, Meritan feeds her infant brother.
Tutankhamun ascended the throne around 1332 BC, and given his youth, this young king relied heavily on his advisers. In a way, he changed his name from Tutankatan to Tutankhamun, removing the word "Atun" and replacing it with "Amun," the name of Egypt's main god. This change illustrates Tutankhamun's departure from his father's religious conversion, which brought Egypt back to its previous polytheistic faith.
Tutankhamun condemned his father's actions on a stele found in Karnak (near present-day Luxor), which reads that the religious revolution in Akhenaton led the gods to neglect Egypt. Part of the stele reads: "Temples and cities of gods and goddesses, from Ilifatin (all the way) to the delta swamps ... All fell into decay, their temples were destroyed, turned into overgrown mounds ... The gods ignored the land. The act may have helped him consolidate his power. Tutankhamun was still young when he ascended the throne, which meant he relied heavily on advisers when making decisions.
Illness and death
In 2007, King Tutankhamun's mummy was displayed in an incubator in his mausoleum in the Valley of the Kings.
Archaeological evidence suggests that Tutankhamun was in poor health. He suffers from a variety of diseases and diseases, including malaria and Kohler disease (a rare skeletal disease of the foot). Archaeologists have also found numerous walking sticks in Tutankhamun's tomb, suggesting that the pharaoh sometimes had difficulty walking.
Despite these diseases, he probably wore armor - it is not clear whether he personally went into battle. A 2018 analysis of leather armor found in Tutankhamun's tomb found that the armor had been pierced.
Tutankhamun may also have Marfan's disease, a genetic condition that makes people's fingers, arms and legs abnormally long.
Tutankhamun married his half-sister, Queen Ann Hshammon, and the couple had twin daughters, both stillborn; Their fetuses were buried in the altar of the pharaoh's tomb. The couple left no heir to the throne. The tomb of Queen Annehshamon has not yet been found.
The young king died in 1323 BC at the age of 18. His death was most likely accidental, and his grave appears to have been completed in a hurry. There are "brown spots" in the tomb. The spots turned out to be the remnants of microorganisms that once grew on the walls, possibly the result of the paint not drying when the pharaoh was buried in the tomb.
No one knows the cause of Tutankhamun's death. Egyptologists have made many hypotheses over the years, and a team of researchers has proposed that malaria and necrosis (necrosis of bone tissue) caused by a fracture of his left foot may have contributed to his death.
Burial and mummy of King Tutankhamun
Returning Egypt to traditional polytheism was so important to Tutankhamun and his advisors that he mummified himself in an unusual way to emphasize his strong connection to Osiris, the god of the underworld.
After Tutankhamun's death, his skin was soaked with oil, darkening his skin. His heart was also removed (which is not usually done). In addition, his penis was mummified at a 90-degree angle, which was also unusual. In legend, Osiris has black skin, powerful regeneration abilities and a heart that was chopped to pieces by his brother Seth.
However, large amounts of flammable oil caused Tutankhamun's mummy to catch fire shortly after burial.
Tutankhamun's tomb
Howard Carter's team discovered the entrance to the mausoleum on November 4, 1922, and entered it on November 26.
When people's eyes gradually get used to this shimmer, the interior of the room gradually emerges before people's eyes, its strange and wonderful mixture of unusual and beautiful objects, piled up, this tomb was later named KV62.
Carter and his team found a large number of undiscovered treasures in the tomb. "Our feelings and surprise are indescribable when a brighter light shows us these wonderful treasures: two statues of kings in ebony black, dressed in golden shoes and armed with scepters and maces, emerge from the cloaks of darkness; Gilded sofas, oddly shaped, with lion's heads, Hatthore heads, and hell beasts..." Among the many other treasures is a dagger, whose iron comes from a meteor. The most iconic treasure is his death mask, made of gold and inlaid stone and glass, worn by the king when he was found.
The discovery of the tomb of the Young King caused a media sensation. Newspapers reported that the opening of Tutankhamun's mausoleum awakened a myth of the curse that killed those who helped find it. The curse of mummies was refuted by a 2002 study that examined the records of 25 people who entered shortly after the tomb was discovered. The average life expectancy of those who enter the burial chamber reaches 70 years, and they live an average of 20 years after entering the burial chamber.
While the treasures are incredible, the tomb is unusually small for the pharaoh's tomb, with a total volume of 9,782 cubic feet (277 cubic meters). By comparison, Seti I (reigned from 1294 to 1279 BC) had a volume of 67,110 cubic feet (1,900 cubic meters). The space was divided into corridors, burial chambers, vestibules and two rooms now known as "annexes" and "treasure houses".
The small size of the tomb may have been due to the fact that the pharaoh died early and, unexpectedly, did not have time to dig a larger one. The tomb may not have been intended for the pharaoh at all.
Tutankhamun's tomb was not royally designed, it was probably hastily taken over after the young king's death to bury him, while the tomb prepared for him was not yet completed, and despite the name "Valley of the Kings", people other than pharaohs are also buried here.
South-facing view of the mausoleum's vestibule, after its discovery in 1922
In 2015, Egyptologist and independent scholar Nicholas Reeves published a paper arguing that Nefertiti was also buried in Tutankhamun's mausoleum and her remains hidden. However, GPR surveys failed to uncover conclusive evidence of hidden graves.
The discovery of his complete tomb and the sensation in the media about it made King Tutankhamun more concerned after his death than when he was alive.
Today, KV62's worldwide fame continues, and it is now a major tourist attraction. But visitor entry is strictly regulated, as changes in humidity (brought by people passing through the tomb) can damage the tomb and its frescoes. To help reduce the risk, the Getty Conservation Institute carried out conservation work on the mausoleum between 2009 and 2019, during which time conservation teams installed new ventilation systems in the mausoleum and conducted detailed inspections of the murals.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Western powers shipped Egyptian archaeological treasures back to their museums and private collections. Therefore, the Egyptian authorities instituted laws to ensure that Tutankhamun and his treasure would remain in the country.