Archeologist Notebook: King Tutʼs Tomb

Focusing Questions:
What do the contents of King Tutankhamun's tomb reveal about his life?

 
Background

What controversy preceded the reign of Tutankhamun?

In 1379 BCE Akhenaten became pharaoh. He and his wife Nefertiti placed a high priority on
family, art, and religion. Religion changed from worship of many deities (polytheism) to worship
of only Aten, the sun-disk god. Conflicts occurred among common people who refused to
worship Aten, because he was not a human form. Priests from the polytheistic tradition rebelled.
Because Akhenaten was a weak military ruler, territories were lost. Akhenaten died and priests
restored polytheism. Following this turmoil, Tutankhamun became pharaoh around 1361 BCE.

Who was Tutankhamun and how did he die?

Tutankhamun ascended to the throne at the age of nine. Mystery surrounds his short reign. Some
scholars believe delicate health caused his death at the age of 18. However, there is evidence that
he enjoyed swimming, archery, riding horses, and hunting. Recent forensic evidence showed that
his corpse had a broken ankle and knee, which may have caused a fatal infection. Whatever the
cause, Tutankhamun's death was unexpected. His tomb was small and hastily prepared compared
to the elaborate tombs of other pharaohs. This may be why his tomb, unlike the tombs of so
many other wealthy Egyptians, remained hidden from grave robbers for many centuries.

What was involved in the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun?

Howard Carter was one of the few archaeologists who believed there might be a hidden tomb of
a long-forgotten pharaoh named Tutankhamun. Six years of expensive digs in Egypt's Valley of
the Kings produced no results. As his funding ran out and he was about to give up, Carter finally
found evidence of a tomb. In 1922, careful excavations revealed it to be the burial crypt of
Tutankhamun. It was the first undisturbed tomb of a pharaoh found in modern times. In the crypt
with Tutankhamun's mummy were 5,000 objects. These objects had been placed near the boy
king's body 3,300 years ago to aid him in his journey to the afterlife.