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Tutankhamun

Sources and further study n The Boy Behind The Mask, by Charlotte Booth (Oneworld)n The Egyptians, by Michael Hayes (Lansdowne)n King Tuts Curse (National Geographic DVD)n Encyclopaedia Britannican Tutankhamun And The Golden Age Of The Pharaohs, Melbourne Museum, from April 8. More information: kingtutmelbourne.com.au

BackgroundTutankhamun was a pharaoh of the 18th dynasty in the New Kingdom. This was a line of monarchs that began with Ahmose, the king who expelled the Hyksos from Egypt and reunified the kingdom after a period of foreign domination in about 1550 BC. Under the 18th dynasty high offices in the pharaohs court began to be awarded based on training and merit rather than always being inherited. This allowed some common-born generals and viziers (chief advisors) to rise high up at court or even become pharaoh. There was also a move away from pyramid tombs for pharaohs toward tombs cut into the rock of mountains in a place we know as the Valley Of The Kings. During the period known as the New Kingdom, from 1550 BC to about 1075 BC, ancient Egypt was at its peak of wealth and power. Tutankhamuns reign came during a brief period of instability at the end of the 18th dynasty. His successor Ay died without an heir after only four years and he was succeeded by the general Horemheb, who also failed to produce an heir. Horemhebs vizier Paramesse was appointed pharaoh taking the name Ramses, beginning a new dynasty and restoring Egypts stability.

Although he was not the greatest pharaoh that ever lived, Tutankhamun is one of the most famous of ancient Egypts monarchs. The discovery of his intact tomb in 1922 made headlines around the world and the artefacts retrieved from the tomb have attracted millions of people to museums displaying his treasures. Often referred to simply as King Tut, the image of his golden face mask has become one of the most familiar ancient Egyptian artefacts. Although he reigned for only 10 years his is still an interesting story. His ancestry, court intrigues surrounding his life and death, and the sensational discovery of his burial chamber have made sure Tutankhamuns name lives on.

Editor: Troy Lennon Graphics: Paul Leigh and Will Pearce

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Tuts deathTutankhamun ascended the throne at the age of nine and seems to have been a healthy boy who grew to be an active teenager. He is often depicted riding his chariot and hunting, although there are also theories he suffered from health problems including the bone

disorder Kohler disease II. Some experts speculated he was

murdered by one of his advisors or generals, partly

suggested by the discovery of a head wound when the mummy

was examined in the 1960s. The wound was later found to have been caused during mummification. But more recent examination revealed the king probably died as the result of a fractured leg, made worse by the fact he was already

suffering malaria.

AkhenatenMarried to his queen Nefertiti, Amenhotep IV began his reign conventionally enough in 1353 BC. But five years into his kingship he changed his royal name to Akhenaten and began to worship Aten, the suns disc. There has been speculation he did so to try to curb some of the growing power of the priests of the chief god Amun, but others choose to believe he had some kind of religious experience. He did not ban worship of other gods but

he focused his worship on Aten and built monuments to the

sun god. He also built his own capital dedicated

to Aten Akhetaten. When Akhenaten

died in 1336 BC his co-regent for the last years of his reign, Smenkhkare, ascended the throne. Smenkhkare died in 1333 BC leaving Tut to ascend the throne. Tut abandoned his fathers religious

practices and his capital and returned to Memphis

and the old religion.

Boy kingIt is not known exactly when he was born but it is believed Tutankhamun was only about nine when he

ascended the throne after the death of his predecessor, Smenkhkare, in about 1333 BC. He was the son of Akhenaten, a pharaoh who abandoned the old religion of multiple gods (see Akhenaten) to worship Aten or the suns disc. When Tut came to the throne he was known as Tutankhaten but changed his name to the ending Amun, probably under pressure from his advisors, to reflect a return to the old religion whose

chief god was Amun. His reign seems to have been partly concerned with fixing problems caused during the reign of Akhenaten, including restoring the old religion, refilling the treasury and fixing trade relations with foreign powers. He also built many monuments, few of which survive. There are also images of him fighting in a war, but it is not known whether he personally took part in battle. But there is a theory that it may have been a war injury, combined with malaria, that contributed to his death (see Tuts death) in 1323 BC. He did not produce an heir and did not name a successor so he was succeeded by his chief advisor Ay.

Did you know?n Among the other famous rulers in the 18th dynasty was the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, who began as co-regent with her son Thutmose III but eventually ruled in her own right.n There are variations in the way ancient Egyptian words and names are spelt. Tutankhamun is also spelt Tutankhamen or Tutankhamon because when writing in hieroglyphs scribes often didnt write the vowels. n Nothing much is known about Tuts predecessor the pharaoh Smenkhkare. It is thought Smenkhkare might be Tutankhamuns brother but in one inscription he is given the name Ankhkheperure, which was also the coronation name of Nefertiti, causing some to speculate that he could have been Nefertiti.n Tutankhamun was married to Akhenatens daughter his half sister Ankhesenepaaten, who became Ankhesenamun. She was also the daughter of Nefertiti, but DNA evidence has shown Tuts mother was not Nefertiti but another of Akhenatens wives.n Although the tomb of Tutankhamun was filled with magnificent objects it was obvious to Howard Carter that the tomb was small and decorated with somewhat hastily executed paintings, suggesting the king had died unexpectedly and was buried in a hurry. One theory suggests his successor Ay quickly buried the king so he could assume power before the general Horemheb, who was engaged in battles outside the capital.n Some tombs in the Valley Of The Kings were coated with Aspergillus niger, a kind of mould. If the moulds spores are inhaled they can cause a lung disease that is not instantly fatal. There are also other substances and microbes in tombs but none of them capable of causing sudden death in anyone but the frail.

Howard Carter Born in England in 1873, Carter got his first taste of Egyptology as a 17-year-old artist. In 1890 he was asked to accompany an archaeological expedition to Egypt to record inscriptions and artworks. He spent years in Egypt recording new finds and is even credited with the discovery of the empty tombs of Hatshetsup and Thutmose IV. He met George Herbert, the fifth Lord Carnarvon, in about 1907 and Carnarvon financed his searches for the tomb of the lost king Tutankhamun. Carnarvon was on the verge of calling an end to excavations in 1922 when the tomb was found. Carter spent 10 years cataloguing finds from Tuts tomb and later retired from archaeology to write and to scout for antiquities for museums and collectors. He died in 1939.

Wiped off the king listsWhen Tutankhamun died he was succeeded by his vizier Ay, who reigned from 1323 until his death in 1319 BC. Ay named a successor, Nakhtmin, an army commander, but another general Horemheb seized power instead. Horemheb began to remove names of Akhenaten, Smenkhkare, Tutankhamun and Ay from any monuments and lists of pharaohs. In some cases Horemhebs name has been inscribed over the top of his predecessors. It is partly because of this that Tutankhamuns tomb was ignored by grave robbers for centuries, because he was almost unknown. However, British archaeologist Howard Carter had found evidence of a forgotten pharaoh whose name was inscribed on objects found in the Valley Of The Kings, the place where New Kingdom kings were buried. After five years searching for the tomb it was found in 1922, finally returning Tutankhamun to the king list.

Ancient Egyptians believed that after death a body had to remain intact so a persons spirit would last forever in the afterlife. They developed a process of preserving corpses by removing some of the internal organs and drying out the remaining body using a naturally occurring substance called natron a mixture of sodium

carbonate, sodium bicarbonate with traces of sodium chloride and sodium sulphate. The

organs were placed in canopic jars, except for the brain, which was considered worthless and was discarded. After 40 days the dried-out body was carefully rubbed with oils and resins to help preserve it. The eye sockets and abdomen

were stuffed with linen to make the body shape look more natural and the body was wrapped with linen

strips. In between the strips were placed charms and amulets to keep away evil spirits and to ensure safe passage in the afterlife.

The body was placed in a sarcophagus in Tuts case, several sarcophagi within each other and a ceremony known as the opening of the mouth was performed to

mystically open the dead persons mouth in the afterlife. The coffin was then placed in the tomb and it was sealed amid rituals, ceremonies and prayers.

Mummification

At last have made wonderful discovery in

Valley a magnificent tomb with seals intact

recovered same for your arrival congratulations

Howard Carters telegram of November 5, 1922, to Lord Carnarvon

on finding the tomb of Tutankhamun

Is there a curse?Even before Howard Carter discovered

the tomb of King Tut in 1922 there was talk of a mummys curse. The ancient Egyptians revered their pharaohs as gods and inscribed the tombs with spells to protect the dead in the afterlife. While

many believed these spells included curses, for centuries grave

robbers mostly ignored the rumours and usually came away unscathed after robbing tombs. But it was reported that on Tuts tomb was written the words Death will slay with his wings whoever disturbs the peace of the pharaoh. This turned out to be false; there was no such inscription. But when Lord Carnarvon (pictured), Carters patron, died suddenly in April 1923, some blamed it on the curse, especially since back home in England Carnarvons dog is alleged to have died at the exact same moment. The real cause of Carnarvons death was infection that had entered a shaving cut on top of a mosquito bite. Most of the people involved in the excavations lived long after entering the tomb, including Carter, who lived until 1939.

n Incision made in abdomen, so embalmer could reach inside and pull out the organs

n The cavity was filled with rags and sawdust toplump up the body to look more lifelike

n A mask that resembled the deceased to help the body see.

n To protect and aid the body on its journey to the afterlife, the linen contained amulets (charms to ward off evil and injury)

n The corpse was wrapped in layers of linen bandages. As many

as 20 layers have been used in some instances

Sarcophagus

Left: Akhenaten, and worshipping Aten (above)

Face of Tutankhamun A wood mannequin of Tutankhamun as a boy

Facial reconstruction of Tutankhamun

Anubis, god of mummification

Mummy mask of Tutankhamun (and

main picture)

Replica of the grave-chamber

of Tutankhamun

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