Tutankhamun’s Life and family

Tutankhamun's family tree is not completely clear. We know that his father was Akhenaten but

the identity of his mother is still unknown. There are three women that are considered to possibly

be Tutankhamun's mother; Kiya and Queen Nefertiti, who were wives of Akhenaten, so it is

possible that either of them could have been Tutankhuns mother. The third woman is a figure

known as the ‘younger lady’. She was discovered in the tomb with Akhenaten . DNA testing

suggests that this woman may be Tutankhamun's mother. Tutankhamun also had seven siblings,

six sisters; Meritaten, Meketaten, Ankhesenpaaten, Neferneferuaten, Neferneferure, Setepenre

and at least one brother, Smenkhkare. He was married to his sister Ankhesenpaaten and they had

two kids, both daughters that were unfortunately stillborn.

Tutankhamun became pharaoh at age C. 9 after the death of his father, Akhenaten in c. 1336

BCE. Tutankhamun most likely had little to do with ruling at this stage and most decisions were

made by his advisors. After ruling for a short nine years of ruling King Tutankhamun died at

roughly age 17.

 The discovery of Tutankhamun’s Tomb and its structure

Tutankhamun's Tomb was discovered in The Valley of the Kings, Egypt on November 26, 1922

by archaeologist Howard Carter. In 1917 Carter began to dig down to bedrock looking for a

tomb, after years of digging he and his team uncovered steps buried in the sand. As they cleared

the stairs they discovered a plaster wall with ‘Tutankhamun’ written on it. As they entered the

tomb they found golden treasures and Tutankhamun's mummy.

The tomb was far smaller than a regular tomb. It consisted of four main rooms; antechamber,

annex, burial chamber, and treasury room. The antechamber contained three funeral beds and

pieces of four chariots.. The annex contained objects used in everyday life such as; eating and

cooking utensils, clothing and tools. Inside the burial chamber was a golden box, inside there

was a stone sarcophagus, three golden coffins and the mummy of Tutankhamun. The walls were

painted with murals depicting Tutankhamun in the afterlife. The treasure room was filled with a

small shrine containing Tutankhamun's organs along with many golden treasures.
 Source/item 1 and what they inform us about Tutankhamun and his times

Within the tomb a model boat was found in the treasury. It was made up of a hull body
made of lebanon cedar (cedrus libani) wood, paddles for steering and a central cabin. It
measures roughly 93.5 cm in length, 18 cm in width and 10 cm in depth. The outer
walls were decorated with a red and blue checker pattern as well as the hull being
painted in patterned bands of red and blue. The paints used on this boat were made up
from mixtures of calcite, quartz, gypsum, huntite, iron oxide, wollastonite,
Cuprorivaite, paraffin wax and carbon.

The ancient Egyptians believed that these boats provided the deceased safe passage
across the Nile into the afterlife. Often a life size boat would be buried with pharaohs,
the exclusion of a life size boat in Tutankhamun's tomb is evidence that it was rushed
or that he died unexpectedly. Although Tutankhamun didn't get a big boat he got 35
small boats, this being one of them. The inclusion of boats in tombs tells us how
important their religion was and how much they relied on the Nile for transportation,
not just in the afterlife but in everyday life too.

Source/item 2 and what they inform us about Tutankhamun and his times
Inside the burial chamber was Tutankhamun's sarcophagus and inside it was the mummified

body of the pharaoh. Resting on the shoulders of the king was a golden death mask depicting

Tutankhamun as a god. The ancient Egyptians believed that the gods had skin of gold, bones of

silver and hair of lapis. It is constructed of sheets of gold weighing 10.23kg. The golden head is

wearing a striped nemes headdress typically worn by pharaohs, attached is also a fake beard that

links him to the image of an Egyptian god. The back of the mask is inscribed with spell 151b

from the book of the dead, it is used as a map of the afterlife. Some archaeologists think that the

mask could have possibly been made for Nefertiti because of the ear piercing in the mask. Ear

piercings were typically only worn by women.

Source/item 3 and what they inform us about Tutankhamun and his times

Within the tomb a 34cm dagger was found. It was made of iron with gold decorations. X-rays
showed high levels of nickel, which suggests it was created using extraterrestrial materials,
possibly a meteor. Blades were usually buried with pharaohs for the ‘opening of the mouth’
ceremony which was a ritual performed to benefit the dead so they can access the afterlife. By
being buried with a weapon such as this knife it confirms that the ancient Egyptians truly
believed that you would have needed protection in the afterlife.

1. Scientific analysis or forensic techniques used on Tutankhamun’s remains

Scientists have X-rayed and CT scanned the mummified body of Tutankhamun. The first X-ray

in 1968 showed that there was a bone fragment in his skull. This could have been a result of a

blow to the head, an accident during the mummification process or from the x-ray procedure.

The body of Tutankhamun was put in a van fitted with a CT-scanner. CT images of his left knee

showed a fracture in the lower thigh bone that was covered in dense embalming material

suggesting it occurred shortly before his death. The break would not have been life threatening,

it would have left an open wound.

2. Scientific analysis or forensic techniques used on Tutankhamun’s remains

Using DNA testing scientists were able to connect Tutankhamun to his grandmother, Tiye and

his father, Akhenaten; it also helped identify who his mother was. The DNA also showed that his

parents were siblings. Partial DNA was collected from Tutankhmuns two stillborn daughters that

suggests he was married to his sister.

Tutankhamun’s Death

Although we don’t know for sure how Tutankhamun died there have been many theories.

Research suggested that the king could have died from a combination of malaria and necrosis

from the broken bone in his left leg. Other studies show he may have died due to being the

product of incest. It has been suggested that because of his parents he inherited temporal lobe

epilepsy.
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Jarus, O. (2022) King tut: The life and death of the boy pharaoh, LiveScience. Purch. Available
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