King Tutankhamun, also known as King Tut, was an Egyptian Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. He ruled during the period known as the New Kingdom in Egyptian History. King Tut was a very important ruler, mostly because he was one of the few kings worshiped as a god. In modern times, King Tut is the most famous of the Pharaohs, and the only one with a nickname.
It is unknown who the parents of King tut were. In an inscription, he is known as a “king’s son,” but no one is sure what king was meant by this. Most Scholars think it was either Amenhotep III, or his son, Amenhotep IV. Whoever his father may have been, King Tut became a Pharaoh at nine years old and ruled for about ten years. Since he was so young, some and maybe all the decision making and responsibility did not come from him, but rather a high official named Ay. King Tut did not follow the religious views of the ruler before him, which made him significant. Also, Egyptian’s considered him a god and honored him in a cult-like manner during his lifetime.
King Tut died at the age of nineteen, but the cause of his death is uncertain. He was buried in a tomb in the Valley of the Kings. After years of searching, the discovery of his tomb came in 1922 by a man named Howard Carter. The reason the tomb became so difficult to find was because it had come to be buried by stone chips either dumped or washed there.
King Tut is the most famous, well-known Pharaoh of Egyptian times. He became Pharaoh at a young age, and died at a young age, and yet much still happened during his reign. The discovery of his tomb has lead and is leading to various other discoveries of King Tut himself, and certain events and items at the time of his reign.
References:
http://www.crystalinks.com/tut.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutankhamun
The first referenced website (http://www.crystalinks.com/tut.html) did debate and suggest possible causes for death. Before 2005, X-rays on the mummy revealed that there was a "dense spot" on the back of his head. Therefore, archeologists stated that it was possible King Tut was killed by being hit in the head. They even speculated that he could have been murdered by an ambitious and greedy sucessor to the throne.
ReplyDeleteA post 2005 CT scan revealed no spot, yet some archeologists believed he could have died from a leg infection shown by a fracture in the left leg. Therefore, the archeologists determined that King Tut was killed by a gangrene infection days after he fractured his leg.
However, as a result of the possible damage to his body caused by embalming and X-rays, debate still continues today as to the true cause of the death of King Tut.
Its amazing to me that such a young man could rule such a vast Empire! It is crazy for me to think about ruling another country, and yet he died so young in his ruling. It is very interesting when put into perspective.
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