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This is the newest version of what King Tut REALLY looked like - created from
CT scan images
King Tutankhamun
King Tutankhamun (sometimes spelled "mon" or "men"instead of "mun"), or King Tut as he is most commonly called, was not an important king or pharaoh back in Ancient Egypt. The main reason he is so well known today is because of the treasures found in his tomb. When his tomb was discovered with nearly everything still in place and in excellent condition, it was almost like a miracle. So many of the other tombs opened before King Tut's had been found robbed and ruined by grave robbers
This is not to say that King Tut's tomb had not been raided. It is thought that
at least two different times robbers did break in and make off with some of the
riches. The robberies took place not long after the tomb was completed and were
discovered. Much of what was taken was replaced and the area resealed. Still,
we'll never know just how much has been lost forever
Before we talk more about the discovery and treasures of King Tut, let's
look at what we do know -- or think we know -- about the person. It isn't much!
First, there is doubt about who King Tut's father and mother were. Most
believe his father was King Akhenaten and his mother was probably Kiya, a minor
wife of Akhenaten (Akhenaten's first/main wife was Queen Nefretiti)
King Tutankhamun was only 9 when he became pharaoh and died when he was
only 18 or 19 years old
He was married to one of his half-sisters. She was his father's daughter
born to Queen Nefretiti and several years older than King Tut
Tutankhamun had 2 daughters but both were stillborn and buried in the
tomb along with him. He had no living children at the time of his death
His name was not Tutankhamun when he became pharaoh. He changed it to
that from a similar sounding Tutankhaten. This is one of the
reasons many believe his father was Akhenaten. His original name,
Tutankhaten, means "Living Image of Aten",
while Tutankhamun meant "Living Image of Amun"
King Akhenaten, in power before King Tut, was not well liked because he
tried to change the religion of the time from worshipping many gods and
goddesses to worshipping only one. Having the name Tutankhaten would have
reminded everyone of the previous pharaoh that no one liked. So, it seems
likely this might be a reason why he changed his name
Not a lot happened while the "Boy King" was pharaoh. But, what
did happen was no doubt done with the help of one or more advisors. The gods
and goddesses of old were restored once again and order was restored. Many
temples devoted to Amun-Ra were built. The capital that had been moved from
Thebes was return so Thebes was once again the capital
Tutankhamun came to the throne about 1333 BC. He died in mid-January
1324 BC. Because he was only a pharaoh for a short time, there wasn't a lot of
time to build Tut's tomb. His tomb was very small compared to many of the other
pharaohs' tombs
Now, back to information about why King Tut is without a doubt the most
well-known pharaoh of Ancient Egypt today. Oh, did you know that King
Tutankhamun is the only pharaoh so popular he has two nicknames: King Tut and
also The Boy King
The area where King Tutankhamun and other pharaohs have been found is
called the Valley of the Kings. Each site is numbered, and Tut's is site KV 62
In November 1922 an archeologist named Howard Carter entered King Tut’s
tomb for the first time. He wasn't even sure if it was Tut's resting place. If
it was, he wasn't sure if the King would still be there or if any of his
worldly goods with be there with him. What Howard Carter from England did know
was that he had been looking for Tutankhamun for over 15 years
First, Carter found the steps leading to Tutankhamun's tomb. He didn't
go on because he needed to let Lord Carnarvon know he should come from England
to witness the find. Lord Carnarvon had given Howard Carter money for all these
years to continue to search. He would definitely want to be there
It took Lord Carnarvon and his daughter about three weeks to arrive in
Egypt. Can you imagine how hard it must have been for Howard Carter to wait?
Lord Carnarvon, Carnarvon's daughter, and others watched as Carter
peeked into the first room through a small hole found in one corner. Using only
the light of a candle, Howard Carter stared in awe
This is what Carter wrote in his journal about what he saw, how he felt
and the first words he said at that moment:
"At first I could see nothing, the hot air escaping from the chamber causing the candle flame to flicker, but presently, as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues, and gold - everywhere the glint of gold
For the moment - an eternity it must have seemed to the others standing
by - I was struck dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon, unable to stand
the suspense any longer, inquired anxiously, 'Can you see anything?', it was all I could do to get out the words, 'Yes, wonderful things'."
As it turns out, this was only the first room they saw -- the antechamber. It led to another door which turned out to be the annex (storage area) that was stuffed full of all kinds of wonderful riches. Another door on the other side of the room was where the burial chamber and treasury were
discovered
As it turned out, Howard Carter had to continue to be a patient man. He finally
found King Tut's tomb after 15 years, but it was well over another year later
before he was able to open Tut's coffins for the first time
Why? Because all of the artifacts in the antechamber and the annex had to be
very carefully removed first. Then, there were many items in the burial chamber
to be moved and cataloged before the coffins were opened and Carter got his
first look at the mummy of the Boy King.
At least Howard Carter lived to see all of the treasures. Lord Carnarvon
wasn't that lucky. He only lived a few months after his first look in the tomb.
Lord Carnarvon got an infection from a mosquito bite and died a few weeks after
that. He never saw any of the riches found in the burial chamber -- never saw
King Tut's golden coffins, never saw King Tut's mummy
Howard Carter, on the other hand, got to see every single piece taken
from the tomb of King Tutankhmum. It took Carter almost ten years to catalog
every item that was found in KV62!
So, how did King Tut die? For years lots of people thought King Tut was
murdered because there was a dent in the back of his head. New studies show
that dent was caused after Tut's death probably during the process of
mummification
Others think it may have happened during the time Howard Carter was
getting the artifacts from King Tut. Some reports state he and his workers were
not careful in the way they treated the mummy. In fact, they actually cut the
mummy into pieces so they could get the treasures easier and quicker. But, in
defense of Carter, the mummy was covered with resin that had hardened over the
thousands of years, and it would have been very difficult to remove everything
without any damage at all.
A very detailed CT scan done in March 2005 showed the King's left leg
had been badly broken shortly before his death. How this happened is not known.
Experts now think it's almost certain he got an infection from this injury -- a
deadly infection called gangrene. Because there were no medicines at that time
to cure the infection, it quickly got worse and the Boy King died
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