King Tut

The Early Years King Tutankhamun was the son of the pharaoh Akhenaten (ah ke nat en) but it is uncertain who his mother is. She may have been Queen Kiya, one of Akhenaton’s wives. His original name was Tutankhaten, which means “living image of Aten.” (Aten was the sun god) Each Egyptian king had 5 names. One was given at birth and the rest were given when he came to the throne. About two years after he became king, he changed his name to Tutankhamun. Before, the names of the king and queen had honored Aten. Now they honored Amun.

King Tutankhamun In Power When Tut was 5, his father died of unknown causes and one of his wives, possibly Nefertiti, became ruler for a couple of years. King Tut came to the throne when he was only about 8 or 9 years old. He needed help ruling because he was so young, so Horemheb became is regent. Another important official who helped him was a man named Ay. When he came to power, he may have already been married Ankhsepaaten, (An ke sep atten)his half sister.

King Tut’s Death King Tut died around the age of 19. The cause of his death is still unknown but some possible causes include: Disease: he was generally very healthy Murder: marks on the back of his head show he may have been murdered, but these have been disproven by medical professionals Accident: he may have fallen off of a chariot and injured his knee which led to infection Battle Wounds: He was injured in battle which lead to infection

Tut’s Mysterious Death http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/king-tuts-tomb?gc=%2Fvideo%2Fhistory-civilization

Finding King Tut Before November 4, 1922, very little was known about King Tutankhamun. His name did not appear on any of the lists of kings made by the Egyptians, but did appear on some statues. King Tut is most famous because his tomb was found mostly intact. The treasures found there gave us a glimpse at what life was like for a king in Ancient Egypt.

King Tutankhamun’s Tomb

The Players Howard Carter: a British archeologist who first came to Egypt to copy the hieroglyphics found in tombs. Lady Evelyn: Daughter of Lord Carnavon, first woman to enter the tomb. Lord Carnavon: Financial backer for the King Tut excavation.

The Players Howard Carter: a British archeologist who first came to Egypt to copy the hieroglyphics found in tombs. He then went on to work with other archaeologists and learned how to excavate Carter worked in Egypt for many years before meeting Lord Carnarvon, a wealthy Englishman who moved to Egypt. Carter convinced Carnarvon to fund the finding of King Tut.

The Players Carter worked for a few years in the Valley of the Kings trying to find King Tut’s tomb, but could not. Carnarvon almost stopped funding the dig, but eventually agreed to give Carter a few more months. Carter decided to continue looking in the Valley of the Kings and one day, a worker was digging and found a step under the sand. They then cleared out the entire stairway that led to a blocked door.

Into the Tomb The door was sealed and stamped with the ancient cemetery gods as well as the name, Tutankahmun. Carter made a small hole in the door and put a candle inside to look around before entering the tomb. Lord Carnarvon asked “What do you see?” Carter replied, “Wonderful things!”

In the Tomb There were four chambers in the tomb. Each chamber was filled with objects including; gold, wood, precious stone, pottery and more. More than 5,000 objects were in the tombs, tangled in heaps. The mummy of king Tut was in the burial chamber, inside his nest of coffins and shrines.

Tomb layout of King Tut This supports the theory that his death was an accident, so there was not time to build a proper tomb. The layout of his tomb suggests that the tomb was not intended for him. The tomb was much smaller than what kings typically had.

Tomb of Ramses II This is what the tomb of a king typically looked like. It was larger, had more detail and more rooms.

THE TOMB OF KING TUTANKHAMUN Antechamber: Contained: chariots, food, funeral couches, thrones, two black guardian figures. This area was seen first by Carter.

TUTS TOMB Antechamber Life sized statues: 2 stood guard by the sealed door to burial chamber made of wood, painted with black resin and overlaid with gold in parts. They depict the pharaoh

TUTS TOMB Antechamber Golden Throne: Scene from back of throne Made of wood covered with sheet gold, and adorned with semiprecious stones and colored glass paste.

Treasures From Tut’s Tomb Benches/Chairs Canopic Jars Senet Board Game

Guardians of the tomb

TUTS TOMB Burial Chamber Gold/Wood Shrines Covered with thick gold foil, set on a wooden sledge 4 Shrines one inside the other

TUTS TOMB Outer Sarcophagus Weight 1 ¼ tons

Nesting Coffins

TUTS TOMB Arrangement of Coffins: (1)First Coffin It is made of Cypress wood overlaid with gold foil (2)Second Coffin This coffin of finer workmanship than the preceding, was also made of wood covered in gold foil (3)Third Coffin It is made of solid gold and weights 243 pounds. (4)The Mummy It was decorated with near 150 amulets, jewels and the superb golden mask inlaid with wonderful glass

King Tutankhamon’s Death Mask

TUTS TOMB Burial Chamber: Burial Mask: Made of solid gold, placed directly upon the pharaoh's mummy. Function: protection. Weight: 24 lbs. On the forehead of the mask are a royal uraeus and a vulture's head: symbols of the two deities of Lower and Upper Egypt: Wadjet and Nekhbet.

Archaeologist, Howard Carter (1922)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9u3or9Eedw

King Tut’s Curse?

"Death Shall Come on Swift Wings to Him Who Disturbs the Peace of the King.“ A cobra swallowed Carter’s pet canary on the day the tomb was opened. In ancient Egypt, a cobra symbolized royal power A sandstorm appeared as the last man climbed from the tomb into the sunlight. A hawk appeared, heading west-the spirit of the pharaoh cursing those who violated his tomb. Five Europeans and many local Egyptians died soon after the opening of the tomb

A few months after the tomb was open, Lord Carnavon became ill from a mosquito bite. He was there when they opened the tomb. A few months later, he died. Rumor said a mark similar to the mosquito bit was found in the exact same position on King Tut's cheek. All the lights in Cairo went out the instant Carnarvon died for no apparent reason. At the same time in England, Carnarvon’s beloved pet dog, Susie, howled and dropped dead Howard Carter, the man who discovered King Tut's tomb, lived to be 65. He died of natural causes. He never believed in a curse. 

The Egypt Song… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=960mk5JRSBk