Inside King Tutankhamen's Tomb

While the thought of there being a curse surrounding the infamous King Tutankhamen is a little outdated (then again I believe they are using the word "curse" very loosely, more in the sense of a mystery), the evidence this crew believes they have found about his death and life is worth a some consideration. It is a reminder that we have no clue and that theories will constantly abound on Tut's death.

Nemes Crown

The Nemes Crown was more of a headdress than a crown. Known infamously due to its depiction on the gold mask of Tutankhamen it is the most familiar crown to readers. The Nemes Crown was a piece of striped cloth that was pulled tight across the forehead and tied into a tail at the back while two strands hung down each side of the face. The brow was decorated using the Wadjet and the Nekhbet. A plainer version of the Nemes Crown is known as a khat. Below is a picture of the Great Sphinx at Giza wearing the Nemes Crown.

Tutankhaten/Tutankhamen

Born Tutankhaten - meaning Living Image of Aten - King Tut quickly changed his name to Tutankhamen - meaning Living Image of Amen (alternately spelled with Tutenkh-, -amun and -amon). Ruling just after the crisis of Akhenaten, Tutankhamen ruled in 1333 BC – 1324 BC and was an Egyptian Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. His name is also seen written as Amen-tut-ankh due to scribal custom which placed the divine name at the beginning of the phrase in order to honor the divine being.

Family

Tutankhamen's parentage is rather uncertain. We known from an inscription that calls him a king's son that he is of royal blood. But whose? Originally he was thought to be a son of Amenhotep III and his Great Royal Wife Queen Tiye, but that changed when research showed that Queen Tiye would have been more than fifty years old at the time of Tutankhamen's birth. Theories later progressed to the commonly held hypothesis that Tutankhamen was the son of Akhenaten/Amenhotep IV and his minor wife Queen Kiya. Queen Kiya's title was "Greatly Beloved Wife of Akhenaten" so this supports that she likely had borne him an heir. Evidence for this theory is a relief in Akhenaten's tomb showing a royal fan bearer standing next to Kiya's death bed fanning someone, probably a wet nurse holding a baby, possibly Tutankhamen.

Professor James Allen argues that Tutankhamen is more likely the son of the short-lived king Smenkhkare rather than Akhenaten. Professor Allen argues that Akhenaten consciously chose a female co-regent named Neferneferuaten as his successor rather than Tutankhamen (his supposed son). Continuing with this theory is that Tutankhamen was the son of Smenkhkare and Meritaten (one of the six daughters of Akhenaten and Nefertiti). Smenkhkare appears in Egyptian history when Akhenaten entered year 14 of his reign and it is assumed that during this time Meritaten married Smenkhkare. To be the father of Tutankhamen, Smenkhkare needed at least a three year reign to have his son the right age to inherit the throne.

Tutankhamen was married to Ankhesenpaten one of the daughters of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. After they re-establishment the traditional Egyptian polytheistic religion the couple changed the –aten ending of their names to –amen. Here they became Ankhesenamen and Tutankhamen. It is believed they had two female children whose mummies were found in Tutankhamen's tomb. Medical science suggests that both girls were stillborn and DNA testing started late last year in 2008 to determine whether they are Ankhesenamen and Tutankhamen's children.

Impacts

Tutankhamen was just about 9 years old when he became pharaoh and began his 10 year reign. Historically Tutankhamen did little that was significant. Since Tutankhamen began his reign at such an early age, his vizier and eventual successor, Ay, probably made most of the important political decisions during early part, if not entirety, of Tutankhamen's reign. His major contribution was the re-establishment of the old religion that was stopped due to his father, Akhenaten. His only reigning significance was allowing Egypt regain her former self in her religion. Little else is known about Tutankhamen's reign due to such sketchy evidence and reliefs as this period in history is shrouded in mystery. Tutankhamen had a huge impact on Egyptian history after his death with the discovery of his tomb in the Valley of the Kings, discovered by Howard Carter, was almost completely intact and is now the most complete ancient Egyptian tomb ever found.

Death

Tutankhamen was buried in the Valley of the Kings after his death in 1324 BC. His tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter and was almost fully intact. His tomb has received worldwide coverage and sparked a renewed interest in ancient Egypt. The public now typically associate his world famous burial mask with everything Egyptian. With Carter's discovery that had virtually escaped the hands of robbers Egyptologists have been able to get a bigger glimpse of Egyptian burial techniques and items. Howard Carter had been searching for Tutankhamen's tomb for years on a grant from his patron Lord Carnavon. However, Lord Carnavon decided to stop the excavations due to financial reasons but was persuaded by by Carter to continue for one more season. The discovery of the tomb occurred within just a few days after resuming work.

Inside the noticeably small tomb, Tutankhamen's mummy lay within a nest of three coffins. The two outer coffins were made of gold hammered over wooden frames and the innermost made of 110 kilograms of solid gold. On the king’s head was the magnificent golden portrait mask which is now famous. Within the mummy's wrappings were numerous pieces of jewelry and amulets.

There is much speculation about Tutankhamen's extremely early death at the age of about 19. Early research showed trauma to his skull and it was presumed that the young pharaoh had been murdered of had had an accident. Later tests showed that the earlier findings where not as significant. However, the belief that Tutankhamen was murdered this still the most widely believed. One version of the evidence can be seen here, here, and here.

The New Kingdom Period

At the end of the Second Intermediate Period the Theban rulers of Dynasty 17 drove out the Hyksos kings. This started the beginning of the Egyptian Empire, or the New Kingdom Period. Ranging from the 18th-20th dynasties it is perhaps the most famous of all the ages because of the kings it saw sit on the throne. The successors of Dynasty 17 conducted such military campaigns that they extended Egypt's influence in the Near East and established Egyptian control of Nubia to the fourth cataract. As a consequence, the pharaohs gathered unimaginable wealth which allowed them to reinstate themselves as gods and lavish wealth into the religious system.

Thebes remained a main cultural and religious center throughout the New Kingdom Period. It was here that the pharaohs built their mortuary temples and were laid to rest mass rock-cut tombs decorated with exquisite paintings and painted reliefs illustrating religious texts concerning the afterlife. Due to the growing demand of the new tombs a town was established near Thebes to the west for the workers who thrived off of the work of kings. Here at Deir el-Medina the workers left an unimaginable wealth of information about life in an ancient Egyptian community of artisans and craftsmen.

The New Kingdom Period is now known for the monumental architecture, estuaries honoring the gods and pharaohs, political stability, economic prosperity, and countless artistic masterpieces. This time also contained some of Egypt's most famous pharaohs including Ahmose I, Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Amenhotep III, Akhenaten and Tutankhamen. Queen Hatsheput is a legend who concentrated on expanding Egypt's external trade, Thutmose III was the Napoleon of Egypt who expanded Egypt's army and wielded it with great success, and King Tut is the mysterious boy king.

Next to Tutankhamen, Amenhotep IV is one of the most famous pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty. He is the one who changed his name to Akhenaten to establish the worship of the Aten and whose exclusive worship of the Aten is often interpreted as history's first instance of monotheism. (Biblical scholars disagree however) Due to his quick betrayal of the old ways of the Egyptian religion Akhenaten's religious fervor is one of the reason why he was subsequently written out of Egyptian history and most traces of him destroyed (or attempts at least).

Ramses II, the Great, ruled during the 19th Dynasty and he sought to recover territories in the Levant that had been held by the 18th Dynasty lost due to Akhenaten's lack of interest outside of Egyptian borders. Ramses II is also famed for the large number of children he sired by his various wives and concubines. The mass funerary complex in the Valley of the Kings he built to house his family has proved to be the largest funerary complex in Egypt by far.

To close the New Kingdom Period, 20th dynasty pharaoh Ramses III was the last great king. In Year 8 of his reign, the Sea Peoples invaded Egypt by land and sea and Ramses III defeated them in world reknown battles. He claimed that he incorporated them as his subjects and settled them in Southern Canaan, although evidence suggests that they forced their way into Canaan. Cost to battles the Sea Peoples exhausted Egypt's treasury and aided in the gradual decline of the Egyptian Empire in abroad and at home. These difficulties were recorded with the first known labor strike in history occurring during Year 29 of Ramses III's reign. Food rations for royal tomb-builders and artisans in the village of Deir el Medina could not be provisioned and the people went on strike.

After Ramesses III's death the decline was quick and Egypt had seen its best years fly by as she headed again into a dark period, the Third Intermediate Period. As Egypt was beset by a series of droughts, below-normal flooding levels of the Nile, famine, civil unrest and official corruption she was done with the glory days.

18th Dynasty Rulers

Ahmose | c. 1550-1525 BC

Amenhotep I/Djeserkare | c. 1525-1504 BC

Thutmose I/Aakheperkare | c. 1504-1492 BC

Thutmose II | c .1492-1473 BC

Hatshepsut/Maatkare | c. 1473-1458 BC

Thutmose III/Menkheperre | c. 1458-1425 BC

Amenhotep II/Aaakheperure | c. 1427-1400 BC

Thutmose IV/Menkheperure | c. 1400-1390 BC

Amenhotep III/Nebmaatre | c. 1390-1352 BC

Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten/Neferkheperurawaenre | c. 1352-1336 BC

Neferneferuaten | c. 1336 BC

Tutankhaten/Tutankamen/Nebkheperure | c. 1336-1327 BC

Ay/Kheperkheperure | c. 1327-1323 BC

Horemheb/Djeserkheperure | c. 1323-1295 BC

19th Dynasty Rulers

Ramses I/Menpehtyre | c. 1295-1294 BC

Seti I/Menmaatre | c. 1294-1279 BC

Ramses II/Usermaatre Setepenre | c. 1279-1213 BC

Merenptah | c. 1213-1203 BC

Amenmessu | c. 1203-1200 BC

Sety II | c. 1200-1194 BC

Saptah | c. 1194-1188 BC

Tausret | c. 1188-1186 BC

20th Dynasty Rulers

Setnakht | c. 1186-1184 BC

Rameses III/Usermaatre Meryamun | c. 1184-1153 BC

Ramses IV | c. 1153-1147 BC

Ramses V | c. 1147-1143 BC

Ramses VI | c. 1143-1136 BC

Ramses VII | c. 1136-1129 BC

Ramses VIII | c. 1129-1126 BC

Ramses IX | c. 1126-1108 BC

Ramses X | c. 1108-1099 BC

Ramses XI | c. 1099-1069 BC