Travel Resources Traveler Guides Travel Photo Albums Recommended Search

 

Ancient Egypt - King Tutankhamun.

Undisturbed for over 3,000 years, King Tutankhamun Tomb in Egypt Kings Valley was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter. King Tutankhamun Tomb was underneath the remains of workmen's huts built during the Ramesside Period.

     

2002 reconstruction
Dr. Robin Richards

2005 reconstruction
Egyptian team

2005 reconstruction
French team

King Tutankhamun tomb appears to have originally been intended for a private individual, not for royalty. There is some evidence to suggest that the King's tomb was hastily adapted for a royal occupant during its excavation. This is supported by the fact that only the burial chamber walls were decorated, unlike royal tombs in which nearly all walls were painted with scenes from the Book of the Dead.

King Tutankhamun tomb was densely packed with items, but they were in great disarray. Carter was able to photograph garlands of flowers, which disintegrated when touched. Due to the state of the tomb, and to Carter's meticulous recording technique, tomb took nearly a decade to empty, contents all being transported to Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Nebkheperre Tutankhamun, was Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt (ruled 1334 BC – 1325 BC), during the New Kingdom period of Egyptian history. King Tutankhamun began his reign at age 9. His original name, Tutankhaten, meant "Living Image of Aten", while Tutankhamun meant "Living Image of Amun". 

For a long time the cause of King Tutankhamun's death was unknown, and was the root of much speculation. How old was the king when he died? Did he suffer from any physical abnormalities? Had he been murdered? Many of these questions were finally answered in early 2005 when results of a set of CT scans on the mummy were released. The King Tutankhamun body was originally inspected by Howard Carter’s team in early 1920s, though they were primarily interested in recovering jewellery and amulets from body. To remove the objects from the body, which in many cases were stuck fast by the hardened embalming resins used, Carter's team cut up the mummy into various pieces: arms and legs were detached, torso cut in half and head was severed. Hot knives were used to remove it from the golden mask to which it was cemented by resin. Since the body was placed back in its sarcophagus in 1926, the mummy has subsequently been X-rayed three times: first in 1968 by group from Liverpool University, then in 1978 by group from Michigan University and finally in 2005 a team of Egyptian scientists led by Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities Dr. Zahi Hawass conducted CT scan on the mummy.

1,700 images were produced of King Tutankhamun's mummy during the 15-minute CT scan. Much was learned about the young king's life. King Tutankhamun age at death was estimated at 19 years. The king had been in general good health. He was slight of build, and was roughly 170 cm tall.

The 2005 conclusion by Egyptian scientists team, based on the CT scan findings, confirmed that King died of a swift attack of gangrene after breaking his leg. After consultations with Italian and Swiss experts, Egyptian scientists found that the fracture in his left leg most likely occurred only days before his death, which had then become gangrenous and led directly to death. 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, Egyptian team found evidence that great care had been given to the body of King Tutankhamun during embalming process. They found five distinct embalming materials, which were applied to the body at various stages of mummification process. This counters previous assertions that king’s body had been prepared carelessly and in a hurry.

King Tutankhamun Picture

Images are copyrighted - Tatariunas © 2006. Text sources: King Tutankhamun (Wikipedia), King Tut & Tutankhamun

Copyrights - King Tutankhamun