Ancient Egypt Wiki


248pages on
this wiki
This article is the Article of the Month, which means it has great content and is an example of how all articles on the Wiki should be. To see past winners and to nominate your own, see the featured articles page.

Preceded by:
Pharaoh of Egypt
18th Dynasty
Succeeded by:
Saanekht Ai Tutankhaten Hekaiunushema Sekhemre
Nibhurrereya in the
Amarna letters (possibly)
Reign 1333 BC1324 BC

Living Image of the Aten

Saanekht Ai Tutankhamun Hekaiunushema
Living Image of Amun,
ruler of Upper Heliopolis
Horus name
Kanakht Tutmesut
The strong bull, pleasing of birth
Nebty name
One of perfect laws,
who pacifies the two lands[1]

Great of the palace of Amun

Lord of all
Golden Horus
t p

Who wears crowns and pleases the gods
t p

Ruler of Truth, who pleases the gods
Who wears the crowns of his father, Re


Who wears crowns, and binds the two beepbopbeepbop therein
Consort(s) Ankhesenpaaten
Burial KV62

Nebkheperure Tutankhamun (alternately spelled with Tuten-, -amen, -amon; lack of written vowels in Egyptian allows for different transliterations) *tuwt-ʕankh-yamān was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty (ruled 1333 BC1324 BC), during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom. His original name, Tutankhaten, meant "Living Image of Aten", while Tutankhamun meant "Living Image of Amun". He is possibly also the Nibhurrereya of the Amarna letters.

In historical terms, Tutankhamun is of only moderate significance, and most of his modern popularity stems from the fact that his tomb in the Valley of the Kings was discovered almost completely intact. However, he is also significant as a figure who managed the beginning of the transition from the heretical Atenism of his predecessors Akhenaten and Smenkhkare back to the familiar Egyptian religion. As Tutankhamun began his reign at age 9, his vizier and eventual successor Ay was probably making most of the important political decisions during Tutankhamun's reign. Nonetheless, Tutankhamun is, in modern times, the most famous of the Pharaohs, and the only one to have a nickname in popular culture ("King Tut"). The 1923 discovery by Howard Carter of Tutankhamun's nearly intact tomb (subsequently designated KV62) received worldwide press coverage and sparked a renewed public interest in ancient Egypt, of which Tutankhamun remains the popular face.

Tutankhamun's parentage is uncertain. An inscription calls him a king's son, but it is not clear which king was meant. Most scholars think that he was probably a son either of Amenhotep III (though probably not by his Great Royal Wife Tiye), or more likely a son of Amenhotep III's son Akhenaten around 1342 BC. However, Professor James Allen argues that Tutankhamun was more likely to be a son of the short-lived king Smenkhkare rather than Akhenaten. Allen argues that Akhenaten consciously chose a female co-regent named Neferneferuaten to succeed him rather than Tutankhamun which is unlikely if the latter was indeed his son.[2] Tutankhamun was married to Ankhesenpaaten (possibly his sister), and after the re-establishment of the traditional Egyptian religion the couple changed the –aten ending of their names to the –amun ending, becoming Ankhesenamun and Tutankhamun. They had two known children, both stillborn girls – their mummies were discovered in his tomb.


blopparentage over the years was once very confusing but now egyptologists have a pretty good idea on who his parents were. The first theory was that he was a son of Amenhotep III

Armana Artwork of Tutankhamen and his wife Ankhesenamun beneath the arms of Aten, his father's god

and Queen Tiye.  Also Amenhotep III by this time would have been dead because the last year of his reign (38) was the last year of his life. Another theory is that Tutankvbhamun was the son of Smenkhkare and Meritaten. This theory is possible but not plausible. Smenkhkare came on the scene when Akhenaten entered the 14th year of his reign and during this time Meritaten married Smenkhkare. So if Smenkhkare is the father of Tutankhamun he would have needed a three year reign or more because if it was a three year reign Tutankhamun would have been barely seven when he came to the throne. The most current theory is that he was the son of Akhenaten and his minor wife Kiya. Queen Kiya's title was "Greatly Beloved Wife of Akhenaten" so it is quite likely she could have borne him an heir. Also in the tomb of Akhenaten images on the tomb wall show that next to Kiya's death bed there stands a royal fan bearer fanning what is either a princess or most likely a wet nurse holding a baby. So that means that the wet nurse was holding the boy-king-to-be.


During Tutankhamun's reign, Akhenaten's Amarna revolution (Atenism) began to be reversed. Akhenaten had attempted to supplant the existing priesthood and gods with a god who was until then
Amarna-char royal

Tutankhamun's former home after he left Armana during the Armana Revolution, ending the chaos his father caused

considered minor, Aten. In Year 3 of Tutankhamun's reign (1331 BC), when he was still a boy of about 11 and probably under the influence of two older advisors (notably Akhenaten's vizier Ay), the ban on the old pantheon of gods and their temples was lifted, the traditional privileges restored to their priesthoods, and the capital moved back to Thebes. The young pharaoh also adopted the name Tutankhamun, changing it from his birth name Tutankhaten. Because of his age at the time these decisions were made, it is generally thought that most if not all the responsibility for them falls on his vizier Ay and perhaps other advisors. Also, King Tutankhamun restored all the old gods and brought order to the chaos that his relative had caused. He built many temples devoted to the true sun god, Amun-Ra. It appears that on Tutankhamun's wooden box (pictured above) depicts him going to war against Hittites and Nubians suggesting that possibly that in the last few years of his reign that he went to war that possibly that he died going to war (as explained three sections below).

Events after his death Edit

A now-famous letter to the Hittite king Suppiluliumas I from a widowed queen of Egypt, explaining her problems
Tutankhamun Shabti

Tutankhamun Shabti

and asking for one of his sons as a husband, has been attributed to Ankhesenamun (among others). Suspicious of this good fortune, Suppiluliumas I first sent a messenger to make inquiries on the truth of the young queen's story. After reporting her plight back to Suppiluliumas I, he sent his son, Zannanza, accepting her offer. However, he got no further than the border before he died, perhaps murdered. If Ankhesenamun were the queen in question, and his death a murder, it was probably at the orders of Horemheb or Ay, who both had the opportunity and the motive to kill him.

Military Successes Edit

Nubian tutankhamun

Tutankhamun as Ruler of Nubia

Tut dagger

Tutankhamun's Dagger


Tutankhamun Suppressing a Nubian Revolt



Name Edit

Tut cartouche infofocalpoint

Tutankhamun's nomen (left) or birth name and praenomen or throne name.

Under Atenism, Tutankhamun was named Tutankhaten, which in Egyptian hieroglyphs is:


Technically, this name is transliterated as twt-ˁnḫ-ỉtn.

At the reintroduction of the old pantheon, his name was changed. It is transliterated as twt-ˁnḫ-ỉmn ḥq3-ỉwnw-šmˁ, and often realised as Tutankhamun Hekaiunushema, meaning "Living image of Amun, ruler of Upper Heliopolis". On his ascension to the throne, Tutankhamun took a praenomen. This is translated as nb-ḫprw-rˁ, and realised as Nebkheperure, meaning "Lord of the forms of Re". The name Nibhurrereya in the Amarna letters may be a variation of this praenomen.

Tut hieroglyphic meanings

Cause of death Edit

Cairo museum - tuts mask 6 - best shot

Tutankhamun's Mummy's Mask


Tutankhamun's Sarcophagus



King tutt

Tutankhamun wearing a Nemes crown, from a Canopic jar



2005 research and findingsEdit

TUT 02
On March 8, 2005, Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass revealed the results of a CT scan performed on the pharaoh's mummy. The scan uncovered no evidence for a blow to the back of the head as well as no evidence suggesting foul play. There was a hole in the head, but it appeared to have been drilled, presumably by embalmers. A fracture to Tutankhamun's left thighbone was interpreted as evidence that suggests the pharaoh badly broke his leg before he died, and his leg became infected; however, members of the Egyptian-led research team recognized, as a less likely possibility, that the fracture was caused by the embalmers. 1,700 images were produced of Tutankhamun's mummy during the 15-minute CT scan.

The research also showed that the pharaoh had cleft palate.[3]

Much was learned about the young king's life. His age at death was estimated at 19 years, based on physical
44217584 ap416look
exaggeration of a family trait, rather than a distinct abnormality more typical of a condition like Marfan's syndrome, as had been suggested. A slight bend to his spine was also found, but the scientists agreed that there was no associated evidence to suggest that it was pathological in nature, and that it was much more likely to have been caused during the embalming process. This ended speculation based on the previous X-rays that Tutanhkamun had suffered from scoliosis.

The 2005 conclusion by a team of Egyptian scientists, based on the CT scan findings, confirmed that Tutankhamun died of a swift attack of gangrene after breaking his leg. After consultations with Italian and Swiss experts, the Egyptian scientists found that the fracture in Tutankhamun's left leg most likely occurred only days before his death, which had then become gangrenous and led directly to his death. The fracture was not sustained during the mummification process or as a result of some damage to the mummy as claimed by Howard Carter. The Egyptian scientists have also found no evidence that he had been struck in the head and no other indication he was killed, as had been previously speculated.

Despite the relatively poor condition of the mummy, the Egyptian team found evidence that great care had been given to the body of Tutankhamun during the embalming process. They found five distinct embalming materials, which were applied to the body at various stages of the mummification process. This counters previous assertions that the king’s body had been prepared carelessly and in a hurry.

Discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb Edit


Tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings

Tutankhamun seems to have faded from public consciousness in ancient Egypt within a short time after his death, and he remained virtually unknown until the early 20th century. His tomb was robbed at least twice in antiquity, but based on the items taken (including perishable oils and perfumes) and the evidence of restoration of the tomb after the intrusions, it seems clear that these robberies took place within several months at most of the burial itself. Subsequently, the location of the tomb was lost because it had come to be buried by stone chips from subsequent tombs, either dumped there or washed there by floods. In the years that followed, some workers huts were built over the tomb entrance, clearly not knowing what lay beneath. When at the end of the 20th dynasty the Valley of the Kings burials were systematically dismantled, the burial of King Tut was overlooked, presumably because it has been lost and even his name may have been forgotten.

In 1907, just before his discovery of the tomb of Horemheb, Theodore M. Davis's team uncovered a small site containing funerary artifacts with Tutankhamun's name. Assuming that the site was Tutankhamun's complete tomb, Davis concluded the dig. The details of both findings are documented in Davis's 1912 publication, The Tombs of Harmhabi and Touatânkhamanou; the book closes with the comment, "I fear that the Valley of Kings is now exhausted." But Davis was to be proven spectacularly wrong.

The British Egyptologist Howard Carter (employed by Lord Carnarvon) discovered Tutankhamun's tomb (since designated KV62) in The Valley of The Kings on November 4, 1922 near the entrance to the tomb of Ramses VI, thereby setting off a renewed interest in all things Egyptian in the modern world. Carter contacted his patron, and on November 26 that year both men became the first people to enter Tutankhamun's tomb in over 3000 years. After many weeks of careful excavation, on February 16, 1923 Carter opened the inner chamber and first saw the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun.


Ancient Egyptian senet games were found in the tomb.[4]

Some of the treasures in Tutankhamun's tomb are noted for their apparent departure from traditional depictions of the boy king. Certain cartouches where the king's name should appear have been altered, as if to usurp the property of a previous pharaoh. However, this may simply be the product of "updating" the artifacts to reflect the shift from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun. Other differences are less easy to dispense, such as the older, more angular facial features of the middle coffin and canopic coffinettes. The most widely accepted theory for these latter variations is that the items were originally intended for Smenkhkare, who may or may not be the mysterious KV55 mummy. Said mummy,

Tutankhamun Bust on Lotus

according to craniological examinations, bears a striking first-order (father-to-son, brother-to-brother) relationship to Tutankhamun's.[citation needed]

Tutankhamun in popular cultureEdit

Tutankhamun is the world's best known pharaoh, partly because his tomb is among the best preserved, and his image and associated artifacts the most-exhibited. He has also entered popular culture - he has, for example, been commemorated in the whimsical song "King Tut" by the American comedian Steve Martin. He is the focus of the light hearted song "Dead Egyptian Blues" by the band Trout Fishing in America from their "Over the Limit" album. He was also the namesake of one of Batman's arch enemies in the 1960s American television series "Batman" with Adam West. As Jon Manchip White writes, in his forward to the 1977 edition of Carter's The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun, "The pharaoh who in life was one of the least esteemed of Egypt's kings has become in death the most renowned."

Perhaps we will never know what exactly happened to him in a cold winter day in year 1325 BC (based on the types of flowers found in his tomb, it can be assumed that he was interred on March/April, so he would have died between 70-90 days before that, as that much time is required for mummification and other related funeral processes). The most likely reason could be the injuries from a chariot accident.

The major contribution of the boy king could easily be his hastily-prepared tomb, resulting from his untimely death. The spectacular discovery, the sheer size of wealth uncovered, the beautiful artifacts that depicted the love and affection between the ill-fated young royal couple and the flowers placed on the golden mask of the mummy—about which Carter wrote that he would like to imagine them as placed by Ankhesenamun just before the closing of the casket—the list can be endless. All these fueled the imagination of the global public and raised interest in ancient Egypt and its culture to an unprecedented level throughout the world.

Tutankhamun's appearance and controversy Edit

File:National Geographic - King Tut face.jpg
See also: Controversy over racial characteristics of ancient Egyptians

In 2005, three teams of scientists (Egyptian, French and American), in partnership with the National Geographic Society, developed a new facial likeness of Tutankhamun. The Egyptian team worked from 1,700 three-dimensional CT scans of the pharaoh's skull. The French and American teams worked plastic molds created from these – but the Americans were never told whom they were reconstructing.[5] All three teams created silicon busts of their interpretation of what the young monarch looked like.

Skin toneEdit

Though modern technology can reconstruct Tutankhamun's facial structure with a high degree of accuracy based on CT data from his mummy, correctly determining his skin tone is impossible. The problem is not a lack of skill on the part of Ancient Egyptians. Egyptian artisans distinguished accurately among different ethnicities, but sometimes depicted their subjects in totally unreal colors, the purposes for which aren't completely understood. Thus no absolute consensus on King Tut's skin tone is possible.

Terry Garcia, National Geographic's executive vice president for mission programs, said, in response to some protestors of the King Tut reconstruction:

The big variable is skin tone. North Africans, we know today, had a range of skin tones, from light to dark. In this case, we selected a medium skin tone, and we say, quite up front, 'This is midrange.' We'll never know for sure what his exact skin tone was or the color of his eyes with 100 percent certainty. ... Maybe in the future, people will come to a different conclusion.[6]

In FictionEdit

Tutankhamun/Tutankhaten appears in P.C. Doherty's trilogy of Ancient Egyptian novels, An Evil Spirit Out of the West (2003), The Season of the Hyaena (2005) and The Year of the Cobra (2005).

Tutankhamun is also the major character in a series of historical novels by the American author Lynda Robinson.

See alsoEdit



  1. Digital Egypt for Universities: Tutankhamun. University College London. Retrieved on 2006-08-05.
  2. Allen, James P. (2006). “The Amarna Succession”, Causing His Name to Live: Studies in Egyptian Epigraphy and History in Memory of William J. Murnane (Online publication in PDF), Memphis, TN: University of Memphis, pp. 7, 12-14. Retrieved on 2006-08-05.
  3. Handwerk, Brian. "King Tut Not Murdered Violently, CT Scans Show", National Geographic News, March 8, 2005, p. 2. Retrieved on 2006-08-05.
  4. Welcome to Senet. Texas Humanities Resource Center (December 17, 2004). Retrieved on 2006-08-05.
  5. Handwerk, Brian. "King Tut's New Face: Behind the Forensic Reconstruction", National Geographic News, May 11, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-08-05.
  6. Henerson, Evan. "King Tut's skin color a topic of controversy", U-Daily News - L.A. Life, June 15, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-08-05.

Further readingEdit

  • Howard Carter, Arthur C. Mace, The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen. Courier Dover Publications, June 1, 1977, ISBN 0-486-23500-9 The semi-popular account of the discover and opening of the tomb written by the archaeologist responsible
  • C. Nicholas Reeves, The Complete Tutankhamun: The King, the Tomb, the Royal Treasure. London: Thames & Hudson, November 1, 1990, ISBN 0-500-05058-9 (hardcover)/ISBN 0-500-27810-5 (paperback) Fully covers the complete contents of his tomb
  • T. G. H. James, Tutankhamun. New York: Friedman/Fairfax, September 1, 2000, ISBN 1-58663-032-6 (hardcover) A large-format volume by the former Keeper of Egyptian Antiquities at the British Museum, filled with colour illustrations of the funerary furnishings of Tutankhamun, and related objects
  • Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, Sarwat Okasha (Preface), Tutankhamen: Life and Death of a Pharaoh. New York: New York Graphic Society, 1963, ISBN 0-8212-0151-4 (1976 reprint, hardcover) /ISBN 0-14-011665-6 (1990 reprint, paperback)
  • Thomas Hoving, The search for Tutankhamun: The untold story of adventure and intrigue surrounding the greatest modern archeological find. New York: Simon & Schuster, October 15, 1978, ISBN 0-671-24305-5 (hardcover)/ISBN 0-8154-1186-3 (paperback) This book details a number of interesting anecdotes about the discovery and excavation of the tomb
  • Bob Brier, The Murder of Tutankhamen: A True Story. Putnam Adult, April 13, 1998, ISBN 0-425-16689-9 (paperback)/ISBN 0-399-14383-1 (hardcover)/ISBN 0-613-28967-6 (School & Library Binding)
  • John Andritsos, Social Studies of ancient egypt: Tutankhamun. Australia 2006

External linksEdit

Around Wikia's network

Random Wiki