Question: Who was King Tut?
When archaeologist Howard Carter (1873-1939) found the tomb of King Tut in the Valley of the Kings, in Luxor, Egypt, it was filled with a marvelous 3,000 year old find: more than 30,000 ancient objects, many of them gold. Soon after British Egyptologist Lord Carnarvon (who financed Carter), visited the tomb, he died, suddenly, and mysteriously enough to fuel a story about a mummy's curse. Who was King Tut, the occupant of the fateful tomb?
Answer: The tomb of the short-lived boy king, the pharaoh Tutankhamen (or Nebkheprure), was found in 1922 by Howard Carter. Little is known of Tutankhamen, who died as a teen, although the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb, with his mummified body inside, was of tremendous importance for the archaeology of Ancient Egypt. King Tut is believed to have been related in some unclear way to the so-called heretic king, Akhenaten (huband of Nefertiti, although, until DNA testing has been done, this relationship will remain uncertain.
King Tut was from the late 18th dynasty, which lasted from about 1550-1295 B.C.
The cause of death of Tutankhamen was thought to be tuberculosis, although a fragment of bone found inside the mummy's skull suggests a more violent death, possibly at the hands of General Horemheb, who suspiciously became the pharaoh Zeserkheperure-Setepenre.
Tutankhamen died at about the age of 19. He was succeeded by the court advisor Ay, who reigned from about 1325 to 1321 B.C. as the pharaoh Kheperkheperu-re.
King Tut was from the late 18th dynasty, which lasted from about 1550-1295 B.C.
The cause of death of Tutankhamen was thought to be tuberculosis, although a fragment of bone found inside the mummy's skull suggests a more violent death, possibly at the hands of General Horemheb, who suspiciously became the pharaoh Zeserkheperure-Setepenre.
Tutankhamen died at about the age of 19. He was succeeded by the court advisor Ay, who reigned from about 1325 to 1321 B.C. as the pharaoh Kheperkheperu-re.
Try the King Tut trivia quiz.
This article is one of the "stops" on the Virtual Amazing Race, a lesson plan suitable for grades 5 and up. The lesson plan features research on around-the-world topics and Web Page Design Using PowerPoint.
