The Mystery of the Pharaoh Tomb – The Life and Death of Tutankhamun (Part 2)

Tutankhamun was the famous pharaoh of Egypt, who ruled from about 1332 to 1323 BC. His tomb was discovered in 1922 by a team of archaeologists, led by Howard Carter. The tomb is almost intact and has become the most important ancient artifact up to the present time.

18th Dynasty and New Kingdom
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The era known by many simply as “Ancient Egypt” spanned more than 5000 years, beginning around 5500 BC and ending around AD 641 when Egypt became a province of the Empire. Roman. Tutankhamun was part of the 18th Dynasty, who ruled during the New Kingdom of Egypt, also known as the Egyptian Empire. The New Kingdom lasted from the 16th to 11th centuries BC, and included the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties. This period has been described as the most prosperous in the history of ancient Egypt, marking its peak. high power of civilizations.

The 18th Dynasty is of particular interest because the most famous pharaohs today lived in this period. Hatshepsut, Egypt’s greatest female pharaoh, was also a member of the 18th Dynasty. There were also Tutankhamun’s father Akhenaten and his powerful wife Nefertiti.

Akhenaten and Tutankhaten

Tutankhamun was originally named Tutankhaten, which means “Embodiment of Aten”. The name was chosen by his father Akhenaten, who is also known as “Amenhotep IV”. By the time of Akhenaten, he abandoned the polytheism of Egypt to worship a single god – the sun god Aten. He tried to change the traditional culture of Egypt, eliminating all other gods, especially Amun. The monuments were destroyed, many members of the Egyptian nobility were forced to change their names to remove any connection with Amun.

The situation in Egypt was chaotic both religiously and politically. Because Amun is a god who is extremely respected by the people, even considered the lord of the gods, when he is defamed, although on the surface the court and mandarins agree to do it, in his heart he is extremely angry. upset. Therefore, after Akhenaten’s death, people returned to the old practice of polytheism. Akhenaten’s name was removed from the records of the Pharaohs, and his monuments and statues were destroyed.

It was for this reason that Tutankhamun changed his name from “The Incarnation of Aten” to “The Incarnation of Amun”. It is important that people do not hold grudges against him just because he is the son of Akhenaten. They realized that Tutankhamun had completely different qualities from his late father.

Tutankhamun – “The Pharaoh Boy”
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When he became Pharaoh, Tutankhamun was only 9 years old. His youth and immaturity made him nicknamed “The Boy King” or “The Pharaoh Boy”. Tutankhamun was the son of Akhenaten by his younger brother (or one of his cousins). The purpose of inbreeding is to maintain the power of the clan. Tutankhamun was also married to Ankhesenamun, his half-sister. Ankhesenamun was originally married to their own father.

Although the marriage was arranged, the two lived a rather happy life as the surviving paintings depict the king receiving gifts from his wife. They had two daughters together, but both died young, so at the time of Tutankhamun’s death, they had no heirs. Multigenerational inbreeding makes the children born less likely to survive.

As a Pharaoh, Tutankhamun was very much loved. Many Pharaohs were worshiped as gods only after they died, but Tutankhamun was revered as such by the people even while he was alive. Many decisions were made under Tutankhamun by the prime minister Ay, his powerful courtier. The country in economic and political turmoil after 12 years under Akhenaten was revived by Tutankhamun to its former glory. Several major works were built by Tutankhamun, including a magnificent temple to Amun, the god whose ancestors forced the Egyptians to renounce their beliefs.

Tutankhamun’s death

Not only did Tutankhamun’s children suffer the consequences of inbreeding, he himself also faced a number of health problems. Despite his young age, this pharaoh was forced to use a cane to walk due to necrosis of the left foot bone. In addition, Tutankhamun also has a rare genetic disorder called “Klippel-Feil syndrome”, where several bones in the neck become fused, making movement in the head and neck extremely difficult. Compared to other family members, Tutankhamun has a slightly oversized body and has scoliosis. He also had a cleft palate, and later genetic testing showed that Tutankhamun must have had malaria during his lifetime.

The “boy Pharaoh” should have been a symbol of the power of Egypt and the New Kingdom, but he was weak and could not produce an heir. However, in the end, all those diseases were not the cause of Tutankhamun’s death, it was a tragic accident.

For many years, the source of Tutankhamun’s death remained a mystery. Unlike many ancient Egyptian pharaohs and nobility, there are no surviving records of this young king’s death. Many archaeologists say that Tutankhamun died from a blow to the head and that this was most likely a murder. This theory arose from X-rays showing fragments of his skull, but the real cause was a careless accident when removing the gold mask from his skull. Mummies public in the 1920s.

It was not until 2005 when a team of scientists conducted a CT scan and discovered that Tutankhamun had suffered a severe broken leg before his death. The fracture was infected, and thousands of years before the discovery of antibiotics, this type of infection was considered a death sentence. Even without infection, Tutankhamun’s weak immune system could not fight off pneumonia or malaria, diseases he had contracted.

The consequences of inbreeding made Tutankhamun’s body extremely vulnerable, meaning he was unable to fight any wars during his reign. However, as a 19-year-old young man, he also participated in many physical activities that were popular at the time. Today, many archaeologists believe that the broken leg was caused by an accident during a chariot race. 19 years of life was not easy for Tutankhamun when carrying so many responsibilities and illnesses.

Tutankhamun’s Tomb
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Of course, the main reason Tutankhamun is known to the world is his almost intact tomb. Escaped from the hands of grave robbers for thousands of years, it was a treasure in its own right until it was discovered by archaeologist-Egyptologist Howard Carter in 1922.

Tutankhamun’s tomb was much smaller than that of other Pharaohs, probably because of his somewhat unexpected death. This may have been a mausoleum built for one of Tutankhamun’s female relatives or an Egyptian noble. The custom stipulates that the time from death to burial is only limited to a maximum of 70 days, so with such a short time, it is not enough to complete a more magnificent tomb, eventually forced to use graves built for someone else to replace.

In the few months after the burial, the tomb was broken into at least twice, some objects were taken away at this time. After that, the tomb was buried under the ruins of other tombs, so it was lucky to escape from grave diggers. As many as 5398 items were intact when the tomb was excavated. The ancient Egyptians believed that the dead should be buried with the items they needed in the “afterlife”. Among those items are the famous golden mask, golden coffin and more practical things like bows and arrows, thrones, food, wine, even new linen underwear. Many objects are of foreign origin, such as the elaborately crafted iron dagger with a gold sheath, indicating that diplomatic relations with other countries had greatly improved during Tutankhamun’s reign. .

Many scholars believe that up to 80% of the objects in Tutankhamun’s tomb were originally prepared for someone else, most likely his stepmother Nefertiti. Even Tutankhamun’s iconic mask found the inscription Ankhkheperure mery-Neferkheperure (Dear Ankhkheperure of Akhenaten). Ankhkheperure was Nefertiti’s title, used after Akhenaten’s death.

Deadly Curse

Referring to ancient Egypt, Tutankhamun is the first name that most of us think of, but instead of power, people know Tutankhamun because of his intact tomb and the many mysteries surrounding it. While most other tombs were stolen and badly damaged, Tutankhamun’s tomb has become the epitome of the lavish burial customs of the ancient Egyptians.

His short reign meant that to the people of ancient Egypt, he was rather mediocre, especially in light of the overwhelming shadow of his autocratic father and the changes in cultural beliefs he had made. However, at a time when archaeologists are desperate to find the remaining tombs, the excavation of an almost intact tomb like Tutankhamun’s is like an impossible dream. In addition to the items of the ancient civilization, there are also many rumors about the so-called “Curse of the Pharaohs”. The legend of the curse is said to affect everyone involved in the discovery and excavation of the tomb. Many people still believe in the magic of the curse even though only 8 of the 58 people who participated in the expedition died within a decade. For example, Lord Canarvon – that extremely rich English earl who financed Carter’s expedition – died 5 months after the tomb was discovered. The last survivor is Lord Canarvon’s daughter, who died in 1980.

Thousands of years after Tutankhamun’s death, there are still many theories and mysteries related to death and the tomb curse. Emergenceingame.Com will find out with readers in the next articles!
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