Tutankhamun (/ËtuËtÉnkÉËËmuËn/;[3] alternatively spelled with Tutenkh-, -amen, [a]-amon; c. 1341 â c. 1323 BC) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty (ruled c. 1332â1323 BC in the conventional chronology), during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom. He has, since the discovery of his intact tomb, been referred to colloquially as King Tut.
His original name, Tutankhaten, means 'Living Image of Aten', while Tutankhamun means 'Living Image of Amun'. In hieroglyphs, the name Tutankhamun was typically written Amen-tut-ankh, because of a scribal custom that placed a divine name at the beginning of a phrase to show appropriate reverence.[4] He is possibly also the Nibhurrereya of the Amarna letters, and likely the 18th dynasty king Rathotis who, according to Manetho, an ancient historian, had reigned for nine yearsâa figure that conforms with Flavius Josephus's version of Manetho's Epitome.[5]
The 1922 discovery by Howard Carter of Tutankhamun's nearly intact tomb, funded by Lord Carnarvon,[6][7] received worldwide press coverage. It sparked a renewed public interest in ancient Egypt, for which Tutankhamun's mask, now in the Egyptian Museum, remains a popular symbol. Listen to headphones and speakers at the same time. In February 2010, genetic testing confirmed that he was the son of the mummy found in the tomb KV55, believed by some to be Akhenaten. His mother was his father's sister and wife, whose name is unknown but whose remains are positively identified as 'The Younger Lady' mummy found in KV35.[8] The deaths of a few involved in the discovery of Tutankhamun's mummy have been popularly attributed to the curse of the pharaohs.[9]
Life
Tutankhamun was most likely the son of Akhenaten (formerly Amenhotep IV) and one of Akhenaten's sisters,[2] or possibly one of his cousins.[10] As a prince, he was known as Tutankhaten.[11] He ascended to the throne in 1333 BC, at the age of nine or ten, taking the throne name Nebkheperure.[12] His wet nurse was a woman called Maia, known from her tomb at Saqqara.[13] His teacher was most likely Sennedjem.
Tutankhamun receives flowers from Ankhesenamun
When he became king, he married his half-sister, Ankhesenpaaten, who later changed her name to Ankhesenamun. They had two daughters, neither of whom survived infancy.[8]Computed tomography studies released in 2011 revealed that one daughter was born prematurely at 5â6 months of pregnancy and the other at full-term, 9 months.[14] The daughter born at 9 months gestation had spina bifida, scoliosis, and Sprengel's deformity (a condition affecting the placement of the scapula).[15]
Reign
Tutankhamun was nine years old when he became Pharaoh, and he reigned for about ten years.[16] Tutankhamun is historically significant because his reign was near the apogee of Egypt as a world power and because he rejected the radical religious innovations introduced by his predecessor and father, Akhenaten.[17] Secondly, his tomb in the Valley of the Kings was discovered by Carter almost completely intactâthe most complete ancient Egyptian royal tomb found. As Tutankhamun began his reign so young, his vizier and eventual successor, Ay, was probably making most of the important political decisions during Tutankhamun's reign.
Kings were venerated after their deaths through mortuary cults and associated temples. Tutankhamun was one of the few kings worshiped in this manner during his lifetime.[18] A stela discovered at Karnak and dedicated to Amun-Ra and Tutankhamun indicates that the king could be appealed to in his deified state for forgiveness and to free the petitioner from an ailment caused by sin. Temples of his cult were built as far away as in Kawa and Faras in Nubia. The title of the sister of the Viceroy of Kush included a reference to the deified king, indicative of the universality of his cult.[19]
The country was economically weak and in turmoil following the reign of Akhenaten. Diplomatic relations with other kingdoms had been neglected, and Tutankhamun sought to restore them, in particular with the Mitanni. Evidence of his success is suggested by the gifts from various countries found in his tomb. Despite his efforts for improved relations, battles with Nubians and Asiatics were recorded in his mortuary temple at Thebes. His tomb contained body armor, folding stools appropriate for military campaigns, and bows, and he was trained in archery.[20] However, given his youth and physical disabilities, which seemed to require the use of a cane in order to walk, most historians speculate that he did not personally take part in these battles.[8][21][22]
As part of his restoration, the king initiated building projects, in particular at Karnak in Thebes, where he dedicated a temple to Amun. Many monuments were erected, and an inscription on his tomb door declares the king had 'spent his life in fashioning the images of the gods'. The traditional festivals were now celebrated again, including those related to the Apis Bull, Horemakhet, and Opet. His restoration stela says:
The temples of the gods and goddesses .. were in ruins. Their shrines were deserted and overgrown. Their sanctuaries were as non-existent and their courts were used as roads .. the gods turned their backs upon this land .. If anyone made a prayer to a god for advice he would never respond.[23]
Given his age, the king probably had very powerful advisers, presumably including General Horemheb (Grand Vizier Ay's possible son in law and successor) and Grand Vizier Ay (who succeeded Tutankhamun). Horemheb records that the king appointed him 'lord of the land' as hereditary prince to maintain law. He also noted his ability to calm the young king when his temper flared.[24]
In his third regnal year, under the influence of his advisors, Tutankhamun reversed several changes made during his father's reign. He ended the worship of the god Aten and restored the god Amun to supremacy. The ban on the cult of Amun was lifted and traditional privileges were restored to its priesthood. The capital was moved back to Thebes and the city of Akhetaten abandoned.[25] This is when he changed his name to Tutankhamun, 'Living image of Amun', reinforcing the restoration of Amun.
Health and appearance
Close-up of Tutankhamun's head
Tutankhamun was slight of build, and roughly 167 cm (5 ft 6 in) tall.[26][27] He had large front incisors and an overbite characteristic of the Thutmosid royal line to which he belonged. Between September 2007 and October 2009, various mummies were subjected to detailed anthropological, radiological, and genetic studies as part of the King Tutankhamun Family Project. The research showed that Tutankhamun also had 'a slightly cleft palate'[28] and possibly a mild case of scoliosis, a medical condition in which the spine deviates to the side from the normal position. It was posited in the 2002 documentary 'Assassination of King Tut' for the Discovery Channel that he suffered from Klippel-Feil syndrome, but subsequent analysis excluded this as an acceptable diagnosis.[29] Examination of Tutankhamun's body has also revealed deformations in his left foot, caused by necrosis of bone tissue. The affliction may have forced Tutankhamun to walk with the use of a cane, many of which were found in his tomb.[30] In DNA tests of Tutankhamun's mummy, scientists found DNA from the mosquito-borne parasites that cause malaria. This is currently the oldest known genetic proof of the disease. More than one strain of the malaria parasite was found, indicating that Tutankhamun contracted multiple malarial infections.[30]
Genealogy
In 2008, a team began DNA research on Tutankhamun and the mummified remains of other members of his family. The results indicated that his father was Akhenaten, and that his mother was not one of Akhenaten's known wives but one of his father's five sisters. The techniques used in the study, however, have been questioned.[31][32] The team reported it was over 99.99 percent certain that Amenhotep III was the father of the individual in KV55, who was in turn the father of Tutankhamun.[33] The young king's mother was found through the DNA testing of a mummy designated as 'The Younger Lady' (KV35YL), which was found lying beside Queen Tiye in the alcove of KV35. Her DNA proved that, like his father, she was a child of Amenhotep III and Tiye; thus, Tutankhamun's parents were brother and sister.[33] Queen Tiye held much political influence at court and acted as an adviser to her son after the death of her husband. Some geneticists dispute these findings, however, and 'complain that the team used inappropriate analysis techniques.'[34]
Statue of Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun at Luxor, hacked at during the damnatio memoriae campaign against the Amarna era pharaohs
While the data are still incomplete, the study suggests that one of the mummified fetuses found in Tutankhamun's tomb is the daughter of Tutankhamun himself, and the other fetus is probably his child as well. So far, only partial data for the two female mummies from KV21 has been obtained.[33] One of them, KV21A, may be the infants' mother, and, thus, Tutankhamun's wife, Ankhesenamun. It is known from history that she was the daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, and thus likely to be her husband's half-sister. One consequence of inbreeding can be children whose genetic defects do not allow them to be brought to term.[citation needed]
Death
There are no surviving records of Tutankhamun's death. The cause of his death has been the subject of considerable debate and major studies have been conducted to establish it. A CT scan taken in 2005 showed that he had suffered a compound left leg fracture[35] shortly before his death, and that the leg had become infected. DNA analysis conducted in 2010 showed the presence of malaria in his system, leading to the belief that a combination of malaria and Köhler disease II led to his death.[36]
Research conducted in 2005 by archaeologists, radiologists, and geneticists, who performed CT scans on the mummy, found that he was not killed by a blow to the head, as previously thought.[33] New CT images discovered congenital flaws, which are more common among the children of incest. Siblings are more likely to pass on twin copies of deleteriousalleles, which is why children of incest more commonly manifest genetic defects.[37] It is suspected he also had a partially cleft palate, another congenital defect.[33]
Stripped of all its jewels, Tutankhamun's mummy remains in the Valley of the Kings in the KV62 chamber.
Various other diseases, invoked as possible explanations to his early demise, included Marfan syndrome, Wilson-Turner X-linked mental retardation syndrome, Fröhlich syndrome (adiposogenital dystrophy), Klinefelter syndrome, androgen insensitivity syndrome, aromatase excess syndrome in conjunction with sagittal craniosynostosis syndrome, AntleyâBixler syndrome or one of its variants,[38] and temporal lobe epilepsy.[39]
A research team conducted further CT scans, STR analysis have rejected the hypothesis of gynecomastia and craniosynostoses (e.g., Antley-Bixler syndrome) or Marfan syndrome, but an accumulation of malformations in Tutankhamun's family was evident. Several pathologies including Köhler disease II were diagnosed in Tutankhamun; none alone would have caused death. Genetic testing for STEVOR, AMA1, or MSP1 genes specific for Plasmodium falciparum revealed indications of malaria tropica in 4 mummies, including Tutankhamun's.[8] However, their exact contribution to the causality of his death still is highly debated.
As stated above, the team discovered DNA from several strains of a parasite, proving that he was repeatedly infected with the most severe strain of malaria, several times in his short life. Malaria can cause a fatal immune response in the body or trigger circulatory shock which can also lead to death. If Tutankhamun did suffer from a bone disease which was crippling, it may not have been fatal. 'Perhaps he struggled against other [congenital flaws] until a severe bout of malaria or a leg broken in an accident added one strain too many to a body that could no longer carry the load', wrote Zahi Hawass, archeologist and head of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquity involved in the research.[40]
A review of the medical findings to date found that he suffered from mild kyphoscoliosis, pes planus (flat feet), hypophalangism of the right foot, bone necrosis of the second and third metatarsal bones of the left foot, malaria, and a complex bone fracture of the right knee, which occurred shortly before his death.[41]
Several experts argue that Ancient Egyptian DNA does not always survive to a level that's easily retrievable and question the validity and reliability of the genetic data that is collected from Ancient Egyptian sources. One expert argues that most of the injuries inflicted upon Tutankhamun had to have happened prior and during mummification, due to a test he performed upon dried bones that crumbled when he attempted to cut them, ruling out that Tutankhamun's chest had been cut by Carter or anyone after him.[42] Several experts support the notion that King Tutankhamun died as the result of an accident, whether it be from hunting or chariot crash. Some believe that Tutankhamun died suddenly away from home and had to be rushed back for mummification. Dr. Jo Marchant, a historian, admits in her book 'The Shadow King' that she too, personally believes that Pharaoh Tutankhamun died as the result of an accident, stating that all the evidence suggests that Tutankhamn had been a young man who must have taken one risk too many and ended his life early, also stating that the accident theory supports all of the oddities surrounding Tutankhamun's mummification and burial; she likewise points out that many scientists agree that while Ashraj Selim and his team are wonderful and skilled radiologists, they are not experienced in examining ancient mummies, and therefore cannot easily diagnose an ancient mummy.[42]
Tomb
Howard Carter and associates opening the shrine doors in the burial chamber (1924 reconstruction of the 1923 event)
Tutankhamun was buried in a tomb that was unusually small considering his status. His death may have occurred unexpectedly, before the completion of a grander royal tomb, causing his mummy to be buried in a tomb intended for someone else. This would preserve the observance of the customary 70 days between death and burial.[43]
In 1915, George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, the financial backer of the search for and the excavation of Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, employed English archaeologist Howard Carter to explore it. After a systematic search, Carter discovered the actual tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62) in November 1922,[44] and unsealed the burial chamber on 16 February 1923.[45]
On 4 November 2007, 85 years to the day after Carter's discovery, Tutankhamun's mummy was placed on display in his underground tomb at Luxor, when the linen-wrapped mummy was removed from its golden sarcophagus to a climate-controlled glass box. The case was designed to prevent the heightened rate of decomposition caused by the humidity and warmth from tourists visiting the tomb.[46]
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, these robberies likely took place within several months at most of the initial burial. The location of the tomb was lost because it had come to be buried by debris from subsequent tombs, and worker's houses were built over the tomb entrance. Tutankhamun's tomb was unaffected when the Valley of the Kings burial sites were systematically dismantled at the end of the 20th Dynasty.[citation needed]
There were 5,398 items found in the tomb, including a solid gold coffin, face mask, thrones, archery bows, trumpets, a lotus chalice, food, wine, sandals, and fresh linen underwear. Howard Carter took 10 years to catalog the items.[47] Recent analysis suggests a dagger recovered from the tomb had an iron blade made from a meteorite; study of artifacts of the time including other artifacts from Tutankhamun's tomb could provide valuable insights into metalworking technologies around the Mediterranean at the time.[48][49][50][51]
According to Nicholas Reeves, almost 80% of Tutankhamun's burial equipment originated from the female pharaoh Neferneferuaten's funerary goods, including the Mask of Tutankhamun[52][53]In 2015, Reeves published evidence showing that an earlier cartouche on Tutankhamun's famous gold mask read 'Ankhkheperure mery-Neferkheperure' (Ankhkheperure beloved of Akhenaten); therefore, the mask was originally made for Nefertiti, Akhenaten's chief queen, who used the royal name Ankhkheperure when she most likely assumed the throne after her husband's death.[54]
This development implies that either Neferneferuaten (likely Nefertiti if she assumed the throne after Akhenaten's death) was deposed in a struggle for power, possibly deprived of a royal burialâand buried as a Queenâor that she was buried with a different set of king's funerary equipmentâpossibly Akhenaten's own funerary equipment by Tutankhamun's officials since Tutankhamun succeeded her as king.[55] Neferneferuaten was likely succeeded by Tutankhamun based on the presence of her funerary goods in his tomb.
In January 2019, it was announced that the tomb would re-open to visitors after nine years of restoration.[56]
Curse
For many years, rumors of a 'curse of the pharaohs' (probably fueled by newspapers seeking sales at the time of the discovery)[57] persisted, emphasizing the early death of some of those who had entered the tomb. The most prominent was George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon who died on 5 April 1923, 5 months after the discovery of the first step leading down to the tomb on 4 November 1922.
A study of documents and academic sources led The Lancet to conclude that Carnarvon's death had nothing to do with Tutankhamun's tomb, regardless of whether because of a curse or exposure to toxic fungi (mycotoxins).[58] The cause of Carnarvon's death was pneumonia supervening on [facial] erysipelas (a streptococcal infection of the skin and underlying soft tissue). Pneumonia was thought to be only one of various complications, arising from the progressively invasive infection, that eventually resulted in multiorgan failure'.[59] The Earl had been 'prone to frequent and severe lung infections' according to The Lancet and there had been a 'general belief .. that one acute attack of bronchitis could have killed him. In such a debilitated state, the Earl's immune system was easily overwhelmed by erysipelas'.[58]
A study showed that of the 58 people who were present when the tomb and sarcophagus were opened, only eight died within a dozen years. All the others were still alive, including Howard Carter,[60] who died of lymphoma in 1939 at the age of 64.[61][62] The last survivors included Lady Evelyn Herbert, Lord Carnarvon's daughter who was among the first people to enter the tomb after its discovery in November 1922, who lived for a further 57 years and died in 1980,[63] and American archaeologist J.O. Kinnaman who died in 1961, 39 years after the event.[64]
Legacy
Pectoral belonging to Tutankhamun, representing his prenomen
If Tutankhamun is the world's best known pharaoh, it is largely because his tomb is among the best preserved, and his image and associated artifacts the most exhibited. As Jon Manchip White writes, in his foreword 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 Pharaohs has become in death the most renowned'.
The discoveries in the tomb were prominent news in the 1920s. Tutankhamen came to be called by a modern neologism, 'King Tut'. Ancient Egyptian references became common in popular culture, including Tin Pan Alley songs; the most popular of the latter was 'Old King Tut' by Harry Von Tilzer from 1923, which was recorded by such prominent artists of the time as Jones & Hare and Sophie Tucker. 'King Tut' became the name of products, businesses, and the pet dog of U.S. President Herbert Hoover.
Relics from Tutankhamun's tomb are among the most traveled artifacts in the world. They have been to many countries, but probably the best-known exhibition tour was The Treasures of Tutankhamun tour, which ran from 1972 to 1979. This exhibition was first shown in London at the British Museum from 30 March until 30 September 1972. More than 1.6 million visitors saw the exhibition, some queuing for up to eight hours. It remains the most popular exhibition in the Museum's history.[65] The exhibition moved on to many other countries, including the United States, Soviet Union, Japan, France, Canada, and West Germany. The Metropolitan Museum of Art organized the U.S. exhibition, which ran from 17 November 1976 through 15 April 1979. More than eight million attended.
Gilded bier with representations of Sekhmet, the protector of kings, from the base of Tutankhamun's sarcophagus
Tutankhamun British Museum 2019 Schedule
In 2005, Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, in partnership with Arts and Exhibitions International and the National Geographic Society, launched a tour of Tutankhamun treasures and other 18th Dynasty funerary objects, this time called Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. It featured the same exhibits as Tutankhamen: The Golden Hereafter in a slightly different format. It was expected to draw more than three million people.[66]
Tutankhamun's chest, now in the Cairo Museum
The exhibition started in Los Angeles, then moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Chicago and Philadelphia. The exhibition then moved to London[67] before finally returning to Egypt in August 2008. An encore of the exhibition in the United States ran at the Dallas Museum of Art from October 2008 to May 2009.[68] The tour continued to other U.S. cities.[69] After Dallas the exhibition moved to the de Young Museum in San Francisco, followed by the Discovery Times Square Exposition in New York City.[70]
Tate Modern
In 2011, the exhibition visited Australia for the first time, opening at the Melbourne Museum in April for its only Australian stop before Egypt's treasures returned to Cairo in December 2011.[71]
The exhibition included 80 exhibits from the reigns of Tutankhamun's immediate predecessors in the 18th dynasty, such as Hatshepsut, whose trade policies greatly increased the wealth of that dynasty and enabled the lavish wealth of Tutankhamun's burial artifacts, as well as 50 from Tutankhamun's tomb. The exhibition does not include the gold mask that was a feature of the 1972â1979 tour, as the Egyptian government has decided that damage which occurred to previous artifacts on tours precludes this one from joining them.[72]
Names
At the reintroduction of traditional religious practice, his name changed. It is transliterated as twt-ê¥nḫ-á»mn ḥqê£-á»wnw-Å¡mê¥, and according to modern Egyptological convention is written Tutankhamun Hekaiunushema, meaning 'Living image of Amun, ruler of Upper Heliopolis'. On his ascension to the throne, Tutankhamun took a prenomen. This is transliterated as nb-ḫprw-rê¥, and, again, according to modern Egyptological convention is written Nebkheperure, meaning 'Lord of the forms of Re'. The name Nibhurrereya (??????) in the Amarna letters may be closer to how his prenomen was actually pronounced.
Ancestry
See alsoReferences
Footnotes
Citations
Sources
Further reading
External links
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tutankhamun&oldid=904166648'
(CNN) â Egypt is attempting to halt the sale of an ancient statue at Christie's auction house in London over concerns that it may have been stolen.
The 11-inch statue with features reminiscent of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun is set to lead a London auction on July 4, according to Christie's. Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities has appealed to Christie's and UNESCO to halt the sale, and requested to see documents proving its provenance, according to a statement from the ministry.
Officials from the Egyptian embassy in London asked the UK Foreign Office to return the statue, as well as calling for the sale of other Egyptian artifacts at the planned auction to be halted.
'Once again, we will not be negligent or allow anybody to sell any Egyptian artifact whatsoever,' reads the statement.
However Christie's has moved to assuage worries over the ownership of the statue.
'Ancient objects by their nature cannot be traced over millennia,' the auction house in a statement sent to CNN. 'It is hugely important to establish recent ownership and legal right to sell which we have clearly done.'
In a press release on the auction, Christie's revealed the statue was acquired from Munich-based dealer Heinz Herzer in 1985, and was previously owned by Joseph Messina and Prinz Wilhelm von Thurn und Taxis.
'We would not offer for sale any object where there was concern over ownership or export,' continued the statement. 'Christie's strictly adheres to bilateral treaties and international laws with respect to cultural property and patrimony.'
The statue is currently part of the Resandro Collection, one of the best known private collections of Egyptian art in the world, and the auction house estimates that the statue will fetch more than £4.0 million ($5.1 million).
Half life black ops mod. 'The facial features -- the full mouth with slightly drooping lower lips, and almond-shaped, slanted eyes, with a deep depression between the eyes and eyebrows -- are those of Tutankhamun,' reads the statement from Christie's, which adds that the 'piece exudes strength and serenity.'
The controversy is the latest stage in Egypt's ongoing struggle to prevent the sale of stolen artifacts and bring them back to the country.
In January, a section of a tablet that was stolen from the Karnak Open Air Museum in Luxor, Egypt, in 1988, was was successfully recovered and returned to Egypt after being listed for auction in London.
The Ministry of Antiquities had been monitoring international auction houses for the artifact, and managed to have it removed from sale and returned to Egypt.
Other nations are also attempting to recover stolen objects.
In November 2018, a delegation from Easter Island, a Chilean dependency in the Pacific Ocean, traveled to the British Museum and made an appeal for the return of famous artifacts -- including the towering Hoa Hakananai'a statue.
It is one of the most revered of the island's moai, which are believed to contain the spirits of ancestors, and officials from the museum traveled to the island in early June for further talks.
This story was first published on CNN.com, 'Egypt protests London auction of Tutankhamun statue.'
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