Tutankhamen

Tutankamen was one of the great Pharoahs of Egypt. During his life he did many things and after his death he was known for great things. Tutankamen was a inormous figure in Egyptain history.

Not much is known about Tutankhamen's life, but his parents are thought to be Akhenaten and Kiya. He was born in 1370 B.C.E. Thutankamen became pharaoh at a very early age and reigned for eight years. His wife, Ankhnesamon, was often thought to be the cause for Akhenaton's reign as pharaoh.

Early in his reign he changed his name from Tutankhaten , living image of Aten, to Tutankhamun. Ankhesenpaaten changed her name to Ankhnesamun. They did this because Tutankhamen wanted to distinguish a difference between him and his father's religion. He did not worship one god like his father and wanted to make it known to all the people of Egypt. Little was recorded of his reign. His name was even omitted from the king lists of Abydos and Karnak.

Tutankhamun died from natural causes, gangrene caused by a broken leg. However, before recent finds Tutankhamun was thought to be murdered. The two prime suspects were Aye who succeeded him as king, and General Horemhab who in turn succeeded Aye to the throne. They both ruled Egypt during Tutankhamen's childhood. Tutankhamen died in 1352 B.C.E.

On November 22, 1922, Carter found Tutankhamen's tomb.

"Encased in a coffin of pure gold, the Egyptian King lay in the blackest darkness, surrounded by unfathomable silence. He was immersed in a small slice of the royal world of the pharaohs: golden chariots, statues of gold and ebony, a fleet of miniature ships to accommodate his trip to the netherworld, his throne of gold, toys from his youth, bottles of perfume, precious jewelry, and more. Every corner, every niche of this time capsule from ancient Egypt was filled with priceless objects." http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/tut.htm

Tutankhamen had three coffins, the inner most one being made of solid gold of an inch thick. The first coffin was made of wood and was 7ft 4in in length. The second coffin had some forms of dampness, it was 6ft 8in in length and in had gold inlaid on it. On his mummy alone there was outrageous amounts of jewelry. They were an outstanding 146 pieces. There were four rooms in his tomb, Annex, Antechamber, Burial Chamber, and Treasury. (Brandt 151)

In the course of his excavations, Carter observed that two robbers had made their entry into the tomb and made an opinion on what they had stole. On the first occasion the entrance passage had been cleared, then filled it. On the second occasion the filling had been there so the robbers had to dig a small tunnel under the ceiling of the passage and against the left wall. When these robberies were discovered officials entered the tomb and made some attempt to restore it, however there work was perfunctory. After they did this they patched the whole made by the robbers and repeated the act of blocking the inner and outer doorways. (Edwards 42)

Tutankhamen was a great pharaoh. Even though he was not known by many people before his amazing tomb was found, he was still an important figure in Ancient Egyptian history.

Brandt, Anthony, The Tomb of Tutankhamen - Howard Carter. National Geographic Society, London, 1873.

Edwards, I.E.S., The Treasures of Tutankhamun.The Viking Press Inc., New York, 1972.