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King Tut - The Child Pharaoh

King Tut as he is widely known is the Pharaoh Tutankhamun, successor to King Akhenaten.

He is the 13th Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. And as of recently, it was discovered through DNA testing that his father was indeed King Akhenaten himself. This was under speculation for a long time

He took over the throne of Egypt when he was only 9 years old. Can you imagine being a God King at 9?

Of course, as ruling an entire country on his own was impossible, he had to rely on his Vizier Ay for much of the decision making. Ay would eventually succeed him as king. He also enlisted the help of General Horemheb, commander in chief of the army, who also became Pharaoh later.

King Tut Tutankhamun ruled for about 10 years, which would make him a young 19 year old man at the time of his death. His death has been at the center of so much investigation and speculation since the discovery of his mummy.

One of the most important actions that he took was to reestablish the traditional religious beliefs of ancient Egypt that his father had changed. King Akhenaten had revolutionized the ancient religion and formed what could be considered an early form of monotheism.

This was not taken well at all by the ancient Egyptians.

It was this action that made the people fall in love. They were so relieved that they started following him and formed a cult honoring him.

I guess people really do fear change, even back in those days!

King Tut in Battle
Other than the reversal of that religious revolution, his reign was not very notable. There were some battles fought against Asiatics and Nubians, but also nothing of great importance to ancient Egyptian history.

So, the question now is: How come he is so famous?


Well, that all comes down to the discovery of his tomb...

...The discovery of his tomb is perhaps one of the greatest events in archaeology. Tutankamun's tomb was discovered by accident, and it was mostly untouched by grave robbers.

It's not the his burial was greater than other Pharaohs, on the contrary, Pharaohs of the Pyramid Age probably had treasures thousands of times more magnificent than Tut's. But they were desecrated and stripped clean of all that was within reach.

Back of King Tut's Mask And as luck would have it, King Tut's tomb was found by the famous Egyptologist, Howard Carter, in all its glory.

Until now, the exhibition of his burial treasure is one of the most viewed in the world. It's so popular that it tours around like a rock star!

It's strange to think, the ancient Egyptians relied heavily on their burial practices and the sanctity of the tomb in order to be accepted into an eternal afterlife. And now, due to the popularity and majesty of Tutankhamun's tomb, he will also live forever.

He is by far the most famous ancient Egyptian King!

He was married, but he was succeeded by his Vizier Ay, as he did not have any living heirs at the time of his death.

His death is much more famous than his reign: the tomb, the death mask, and the cause...

Murder, accident, disease, or genetic disorder? All of these were at one point or another believed to be the cause of his death. At first, they basically peeled the mask and amulets off of his mummy. Then with X-rays they found what they thought was a blow to the back of the head - which spun the idea of murder and treachery. Was it Ay? Maybe it was an accident?

And just recently, the new theory is that it may have been malaria, combined with his already fragile health, which killed him so young.

Whatever the case, he is a sight to see! The Egyptian Museum has displays of King Tut and his awe-inspiring treasures. You should also check when his next visit to your country is. His death mask has a following all on its own!



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