In 1934 B.C. a little boy was born and yet didn’t know that one day he would rule the throne of Egypt. He would become ruler of that throne in 1333 B.C. and would sadly die in 1323 B.C. People truly believed that he was a god. King Tutankhamen (I will refer to him as King Tut) was this great god’s name. People considered him as a god because he was working on restoring the temples of the gods, but he died before he got to finish what he had started. This brings up what I am going to talk about in this essay: who King Tut is, the killing of King Tut, the tomb of King Tut, and the curse of King Tut.
Who was King Tutankhamen? He was born in Malkata, a place in southern Egypt. His name Tutankhamen means "the living image of Amen." His fathers name was Pharah Amenhotep III, his mothers name was Queen Tiye, and his older brothers name was Akhenhaten. His wife was his sister Ankhsenamun she was the daughter of Nefertiti. Egypt’s kings had more that one wife so this was possible. King Tut had hobbies like archery, swimming, hunting, and playing senet which was an Egyptian game. When King Tut took the throne of Egypt, he was only eight years old, so he couldn’t rule Egypt at this age, so his uncle Ay and his advisor Hornheb actually ruled Egypt. (Profile of King Tut)
The death of king Tut is still questioned today because archaeologists, scientists, Egyptian experts, and Egyptologists have presented ideas and debated on every single one of them. They are debating on whether it was natural death or it was possible that he was murdered. Some may say that he died from a blow the back of the head. They say this because 28 years ago an X-ray was taken of Tut’s mummy. The anatomy analyst and a trauma specialist revealed that he had a blow to the back of the head. They said that the blow was to the back of the head, which you wouldn’t injure in an accident and that someone had to sneak up behind him. (Mysterious Death of King Tut) X-rays also showed thickening of a bone in the cranium which only occurs after a build up of blood, so other scientists suggest that he was hit in the back of the head while he was sleeping and lingered for about two months. He may have also died of lung disease or even a brain tumor. This would explain the lump found on his head. He may have been poisoned, and it is now suggested that the blow to the back of the head might have happened after his death during mummification. Some researchers also think that instead of dying from a blow to the back of the head, he could have died from an infection from a broken leg. (Who Killed King Tut?) Overall there is no way of knowing how King Tut died. It is still a mystery till this day.
King Tut’s tomb was discovered and reveled to the world by a British archaeologist team, including Howard Carter, Lord Carnarvon, Lord’s daughter, Lady Evelyn, Arthur Calendar (assistant), and the pharaoh’s photographer, Harry Burton in November 4th of 1922. Many people were fascinated around the world because it was the only Egyptian tomb of the least damaged and the least touched. (The Tomb of King Tut) Tut’s tomb was not fit for a king but more for an official. Tut died at an early age, so he had to have that tomb. The rooms were changed to fit more for a king, but he did not have a pyramid like most Egyptian rulers. It had 5,000 fantastic and spectacular treasures. These treasures revealed the incredible wealth, culture, and art of the ancient Egypt. One of the coffins found in the tomb is worth $6 million dollars at today’s value. (The Tomb of King Tut) Ancient Egypt was wealthy, prosperous, and affluent as they buried their dead pharaoh in such a coffin. Many artifacts were found in his tomb: three coffins, the solid gold, lion statue, hippo statue, cow statue with the king, King Tut’s mummy, and more. King Tut’s mummy was found with 15 rings of various sizes on his fingers. Also he had 13 bracelets and assorted amulets and earrings, 415 statues of servants who were to do the kings chores in the after life. (Tut) It is believed that King Tut was a mean and harsh ruler. They think this because they saw pictures showing Tut kicking people.
The curse of King Tut is it a myth or a fact? In 1922 Howard Carter discovered the burial sight of King Tut in the Valley of the Kings. Due to this discovery many archaeologists went to the Valley of the Kings. Soon after, mysterious things have occurred. Many of the archaeologists that have entered the tomb got ill and eventually died. In recorded during the 1920’s more that two dozen men died shortly after entering the tomb. Thus was the beginning of the curse of King Tut. (Curse of King Tut) In the spring of 1923 Lord Carnarvon was bitten by a mosquito on the check. When he was shaving, he cut the mosquito bite. The cut got infected and Lord Carnarvon died, and at that same moment all the lights in the city of Cairo mysteriously went out. The morning that Lord Carnarvon died, his dog began to howl and then all of a sudden dropped dead. (Curse of King Tut) The curse of King Tut gained most of the publicity by the media. Another story is about Howard Carter’s pet. Right after Howard discovered King Tut’s tomb, his pet canary was killed by a cobra. Many people believed that King Tut’s curse was true until 1968. A French doctor, Carline Stenger-Phillip found an explanation for the mysterious deaths. He stated that since there were fruits and vegetables in the tomb, it was very likely that they grew mold and organic dust particles. The particles might have had a high allergic potency. (Curse of King Tut) To many the curse is still a mystery. Others believe it is just a superstition, but there are still others that believe in this curse.
I t was very sad that King Tut died at an early age. He didn’t get to rule Egypt for very long. Instead of him ruling Egypt, his uncle and his advisor ruled the empire because he was too young to rule Egypt at the time. He was said to be a god because he did so many things for the empire, yet he was also said to be a mean and harsh ruler. Then in 1922 the tomb was discovered and reveled to the public. This is where the curse of King Tut all started. To some people it is a myth, to others it is just superstition, but there are some people that think that the curse of King Tut is real.