TUTANKHAMEN

AND HIS
MYSTERIES
PRESENTED BY : TIYA ARORA
CLASS 11TH
SUBMITTED TO : Mr. DURGESH THAKUR
GREENWAY MODERN SCHOOL
TUTANKHAMEN LIFE FACTS
• T ut a nk ha mu n w as bo rn i n c1 3 3 4 BC , p os s i bl y a t A ma rn a, t he c i t y o f h i s
f at he r, A khen a t en (t ho ug h T ut a nk h amu n’ s pa ren ta g e i s h ot l y d i s pu ted ).
T ut a nk ha mu n’ s mummy s ho ws t ha t h e  di ed wh en h e wa s ap prox i ma t el y
1 8 y ear s ol d , bu t i t i s n ot kn ow n exa c tl y ho w h e di ed. Tu t an kh a mun ’s
body s uf f ered d ama g e at va ri ou s st ag es – i mmedi at el y b ef or e or
i mmedi at el y af ter d ea th ; dur i n g th e c uri ous l y h as t y mu mmi f i ca ti on
p roc es s ; w i t hi n th e t omb (w h ere a ch emi c al r eac ti on ca us ed i t to i g n i t e
i n it s cof f i n ) ; a n d w hi l e bei n g ex tr ac ted f ro m th e co f f i n .

• O bv iou s da mag e t o T ut an k ha mun ’ s ch es t a n d l eg s s ug g es t a n a cci den t –

p erh aps a ch a ri o t o r h un ti n g ac ci den t, o r dea t h o n th e bat t l ef i el d.
O t her s h a ve s ug g es ted t ha t Tut an kha mu n m ay ha ve been  mur dered.

• T od ay , Tut a nk h amu n i s an c i en t Eg y p t’ s mos t f amo us ph ar ao h .  

• Tu ta n kh am un wa s ori g i n al l y n a med T ut a nk ha ten . T hi s na me, wh i c h l i t eral l y mea n s “l i vi ng i mag e
of th e A ten ”, re f l ect ed t h e f a ct th at T ut an k ha t en’ s par en ts w ors h i pp ed a s un g od k n ow n a s “t he
A ten ”. A f t er a f ew y ea rs on t he t hr on e t he y ou ng k i n g ch a ng ed hi s r el i g i on , aba n do ned t he A t en ,
a nd s ta rt ed t o w ors h i p t h e go d Amu n [w ho w as r evered as k i n g of t h e g ods ] . T h i s ca us ed h i m to
ch a ng e h i s n am e to Tu ta n kh amu n , or “l i v i n g i mag e o f A mu n” .

• Tu ta n kh am un wa s n ot , how ever , t h e na me by wh i c h h i s peo pl e k ne w h i m. Li k e al l of  E g y pt ’ s k i n g s,

Tu ta n kh am un a ctu al l y h a d f i ve r oy a l n a mes. T hes e t oo k t h e f orm of s ho rt s en ten ces t ha t ou tl i n ed
t he f ocu s of h i s rei g n . O f f i ci al l y h e wa s :

• (1 ) Hor us Na me: I ma g e o f bi rt h s
(2 ) Tw o La di es Name: B eau ti f ul of l aw s w ho q uel l s th e T wo La n ds / wh o ma kes c on ten t a l l t he g o ds
(3 ) G ol d en Ho rus Na me: El eva ted of a pp eara n ces f o r th e g o d/ hi s f at h er Re
(4 ) Pren o men : N ebkh eperu re
(5) No men: T ut an k ha mun
• T u t ank h amu n , a l s o s pel l ed   T u t ank h am en  a n d  T u t ankh am on , ori g i n a l n ame   T u t ank h at e n ,
byn a me  King T u t , ( f l o uri sh ed 1 4 t h cen t ury  BCE ),  ki n g o f  a nc i en t Eg y pt ( rei g n ed 1 3 3 3– 2 3  BCE ),
kn own ch i ef l y f o r h i s i nt a ct to mb, KV 6 2 (t omb 6 2 ), di s co vered i n t he  V al l ey o f t he K i n g s i n 1 9 2 2 .
D uri n g h i s r ei g n , p ow erf ul ad vi se rs r es to red t h e tra d i ti o na l E gy pt i a n  rel i gi on a nd  a rt, bo th of
wh ic h h a d been s et a s i d e by h i s p redec ess o r  A kh en at en, wh o h ad l ed th e “A ma rn a r evol ut i on . ”  

• Th e pa ren ta g e o f Tu ta n kh at en —a s he w as o ri g i na l l y kn ow n —re mai ns u n cert ai n , al t h oug h a si n gl e

bla ck f ra gm ent or i g i n a ti n g at A kh eta t on ( T el l el- A mar na), A k hen a ten ’ s ca pi t a l ci ty , n a mes h i m a s
a kin g ’ s s o n i n a  c on t ext s i mi l a r t o th a t o f t he p ri n ces s es of A khe na t en. Med i c al an a l y s i s of
Tu ta n kh at en ’ s  mummy s h ow s t h at h e s ha res very cl os e ph y s i c a l ch a rac teri s t i cs w i t h t he m ummy
di scov ered i n KV 55 (t omb 55) of t h e  Va l l ey of th e Ki n gs. Som e sc ho l a rs i den t i f y t hes e r ema i ns a s
t hose o f  Smen k hk are, w ho s eems to ha ve been c oreg en t w i th A kh ena t en i n th e f i n al y ea rs of h i s
rei gn ; ot h ers ha ve s u g g est ed t h e mummy may be A kh en at en hi ms el f .
• Wi th t he d eat h of Smen k hk are , t h e y ou n g Tut a n kh at en beca me ki n g, a n d wa s ma rri ed t o
A kh en at en ’s t h i rd da ug ht er, A n kh es en paa t on (l at er kn o wn a s  A n k hes en am en) , proba bl y th e el d es t
surv i v i n g pri nc es s of t h e roy al f ami l y . B eca us e a t h i s a cc es si on h e wa s st i l l ver y y o un g , t he el d erl y
of f ic i a l  A y, wh o h a d l o n g m ai n t a i n ed t i es wi t h t he roy al f ami l y , a n d t he g en era l o f t he a rmi es,  
Horemh eb, s erv ed a s Tu ta n kh at en ’ s chi ef a dv i s ers .

• By h i s th i rd reg n a l yea r T uta n kh a ten h a d ab an do n ed T el l el - A ma rn a a nd mov ed h i s res i den ce t o  

Memph i s, t he ad mi n i s t ra ti ve ca pi ta l , n ear mod ern  Cai ro. H e ch a ng ed hi s n a me t o Tu ta n kh a mun
a nd i s s ued a d ecr ee res to ri n g t he t empl es, i ma g es , pers on n el , a n d pri vi l eg es of t h e ol d g ods . H e
a lso beg an t h e pro tra c ted pro ces s o f res t ori n g th e s ac red sh ri nes o f  A mon, wh i c h h a d been
severel y d ama g ed du ri ng h i s f at her’ s ru l e. No p ros cr i p ti o n or p ers ecu ti on of th e  A to n, A khen a ten ’ s
g od, w as u n dert a ken , a n d r oy al v i n ey ard s an d reg i men ts o f t he a rmy were s t i l l n amed af ter t h e
A ton .
• I n a d d i t i o n t o a p a l a c e b u i l t a t   K a r n a k  a n d a m e m o r i a l t e m p l e i n w e s t e r n   T h e b e s, b o t h n o w l a r g e l y
v a n i s h e d , t h e c h i e f   e x t a n t  m o n u m e n t o f T u t a n k h a m u n i s t h e C o l o n n a d e o f t h e T e m p l e o f   L u x o r, w h i c h h e
d e c o r a t e d w i t h r e l i e f s d e p i c t i n g t h e   O p e t  f e s t i v a l , a n a n n u a l r i t e o f r e n e w a l i n v o l v i n g t h e k i n g , t h e t h r e e
c h i e f d e i t i e s o f K a r n a k ( A m o n ,   M u t, a n d   K h o n s) , a n d t h e l o c a l f o r m o f A m o n a t L u x o r .

• T u t a n k h a m u n u n e x p e c t e d l y d i e d i n h i s 1 9 t h y e a r . I n 2 0 1 0 s c i e n t i s t s f o u n d t r a c e s o f   m a l a r i a  p a r a s i t es i n
h i s m u m m i f i e d r e m a i n s a n d p o s i t e d t h a t m a l a r i a i n c o m b i n a t i o n w i t h d e g e n e r a t i v e   b o n e d i s e a s e  m a y h a v e
been the cause of death. Whatever the case, he died without designating an heir and was succeeded by Ay.
H e w a s b u r i e d i n a s m a l l   t o m b  h a s t i l y c o n v e r t e d f o r h i s u s e i n t h e V a l l e y o f t h e K i n g s ( h i s i n t e n d e d
sepulchre was probably taken over by Ay). Like other rulers associated with the Amarna period—
Akhenaten, Smenkhkare, and Ay—he was to suffer the posthumous fate of having his name stricken from
later king lists and his monuments usurped, primarily by his former general, Horemheb, who subsequently
became king. Although Tutankhamun’s tomb shows evidence of having been entered and briefly plundered,
t h e l o c a t i o n o f h i s b u r i a l w a s c l e a r l y f o r g o t t e n b y t h e t i m e o f t h e   2 0 t h d y n a s t y  ( 1 1 9 0 – 1 0 7 5   B C E ) , w h e n
c r a f t s m e n a s s i g n e d t o w o r k o n t h e n e a r b y t o m b o f   R a m s e s V I  b u i l t t e m p o r a r y s t o n e s h e l t e r s d i r e c t l y o v e r
its entrance. The tomb was preserved until a systematic search of the Valley of the Kings by the English
a r c h a e o l o g i s t   H o w a r d C a r t e r  r e v e a l e d i t s l o c a t i o n i n 1 9 2 2 .
 Howard Carter 
• I n si de h i s s ma l l t omb, t he k i n g ’s mu mmy l ay wi t h i n a nes t of
t hree  c of f i n s, th e i nn ermo s t o f s ol i d  g o l d, t he t w o ou ter on es of
g old h ammered ov er wo od en f ra mes . O n th e ki n g ’s h ead wa s a
mag n i f i c en t g o l den po rtr ai t  ma s k, a n d n umero us pi eces o f  jew el ry
 a nd  a mu l et s l ay up on th e  mum my a nd i n i t s wr ap pi n g s . Th e
cof f i ns a n d s t on e  s ar cop ha g us wer e s urr oun d ed by f ou r t ext -
covered s hr i n es of h a mmered  g o l d o ver w oo d, wh i ch pra cti ca l l y
f il led th e buri al ch amb er. Th e ot her roo ms were c ra mm ed wi th  
f ur n i t ure, s t at ua ry , c l ot h es ,  c ha ri ots , w ea pons , s ta f f s , a n d
n umer ous ot h er o bj ect s . But f o r h i s to mb, Tut a n kh amu n h a s
li tt le c l ai m to f a me; as i t i s, h e i s per ha ps bet ter kn ow n t h an a n y
of hi s l on g er- l i ve d a nd bet ter- do cum ent ed p redec es s ors a nd
suc ces s ors . Hi s ren ow n w as s ec ured af ter t h e hi g hl y po pul ar
“T reas u res of Tut a nk ha mun ” ex h i bi t t ra vel ed t he w orl d i n t he
1 9 6 0 s a n d ’ 7 0s . Th e tr eas u res are ho us ed a t th e  Eg y pti an M us eum
 in  Ca i r o.
SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT TUTANKHAMEN

• He was buried in a second-hand coff in

• Tutankhamun’s mummy lay within a nest of three golden coffins, which fitted snugly one
inside another like a set of Russian dolls. During the funeral ritual the combined coffins
were placed in a rectangular stone sarcophagus. Unfortunately, the outer coffin proved to
be slightly too big, and its toes peeked over the edge of the sarcophagus, preventing the
lid from closing. Carpenters were quickly summoned and the coffin’s toes were cut away.
More than 3,000 years later Howard Carter would find the fragments lying in the base of
the sarcophagus.

• All three of Tutankhamun’s coffins were similar in style: they were “anthropoid”, or
human-form coffins, shaped to look like the god of the dead, Osiris, lying on his back
and holding the crook and flail in his crossed arms. But the middle coffin had a slightly
different style and its face did not look like the faces on other two coffins. Nor did it
look like the face on Tutankhamun’s death mask.   Many Egyptologists now believe that
this middle coffin – along with some of Tutankhamun’s other grave goods – was
originally made for the mysterious “Neferneferuaten” – an enigmatic individual whose
name is recorded in inscriptions and who may have been Tutankhamun’s immediate
predecessor. We do not know what happened to Neferneferuaten, nor how Tutankhamun
came to be buried in his or her coffin.
• Tutankhamun loved to hunt ostriches
• Tutankhamun’s ostrich-feather fan was discovered lying in his burial chamber, close by
the king’s body. Originally the fan consisted of a long golden handle topped by a semi-
circular ‘palm’ that supported 42 alternating brown and white feathers. These feathers
crumbled away long ago, but their story is preserved in writing on the fan handle. This
tells us that that the feathers were taken from ostriches captured by the king himself
while hunting in the desert to the east of Heliopolis (near modern-day Cairo). The
embossed scene on the palm shows, on one face, Tutankhamun setting off in his chariot to
hunt ostrich, and on the reverse, the king returning in triumph with his prey.

• Ostriches were important birds in ancient Egypt, and their feathers and eggs were prized
as luxury items. Hunting ostriches was a royal sport that allowed the king to demonstrate
his control over nature. It was a substitute for battle and, as such, was a dangerous
occupation. We can see that Tutankhamun’s body was badly damaged before he was
mummified. Is the placement of his ostrich fan so close to his body significant? Is this,
perhaps, someone’s way of telling us that the young king died following a fatal accident
on an ostrich hunt?
• Tutankhamun’s heart is missing
• The ancient Egyptians believed that it was possible to live again after death, but
thought that this could only be achieved if the body was preserved in a lifelike
c o n d i t i o n . T h i s l e d t h e m t o d e v e l o p t h e s c i e n c e o f a r t i f i c i a l   m u m m i f i c a t i o n.

• Essentially, mummification involved desiccating the body in natron salt, then

wrapping it in many layers of bandages to preserve a lifelike shape. The body’s
internal organs were removed at the start of the mummification process and
preserved separately. The brain, its function then unknown, was simply thrown away
– the heart, rather than the brain, was regarded as the organ of reasoning. As such,
the heart would be required in the afterlife. It was therefore left in place and, if
accidentally removed, immediately sewn back; though not always in its original
location.

• Tutankhamun, however, has no heart. Instead he was provided with an amuletic

scarab inscribed with a funerary spell. This may have happened simply because the
undertakers were careless, but it could also be a sign that Tutankhamun died far from
home. By the time his body arrived at the undertakers’ workshop, his heart may have
been too decayed to be preserved .
• One of Tutankhamun’s favourite possessions
was an iron dagger
• Howard Carter discovered two daggers carefully wrapped inside
Tutankhamun’s mummy bandages. One dagger had a gold blade, while the
other had a blade made of iron. Each dagger had a gold sheath. Of the two,
the iron dagger was by far the more valuable because, during
Tutankhamun’s lifetime (he reigned from c1336–27 BC), iron, or “iron
from the sky” as it was known, was a rare and precious metal. As its name
suggests, Egypt’s “iron from the sky” was almost entirely obtained from
meteorites.

• Several other iron objects were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb: 16

miniature blades, a tiny headrest and an amulet. The fact that these pieces
are not particularly well made, combined with their small size, suggest
that they were made by local craftsmen who struggled to work the rare
meteorite iron.
• Th e da g g er bl a de, h ow ever, i s v ery di f f eren t . B eau ti f ul l y cra f t ed, i t i s l i kel y t o h av e been i mpo rt ed
t o Eg y pt f rom a reg i on ac cu st o med t o w ork i n g i ro n . Th e roy al di pl oma t i c a rc hi ves t el l u s t h at ,
severa l y ear s bef ore T ut a nk ha mu n’ s bi rt h , k i n g Tu s hr at t a o f Mi t a nn i s ent a meta l d ag g er t o E gy pt
a s a g i f t t o h i s n ew s o n- i n - l aw , Am enh ot ep I I I . G i v en t h e ra ri ty o f g oo d q u al i t y i r on a rt ef ac ts a t
t hi s t i m e, i t i s pos s i bl e th a t A men h ot ep’s d ag g er w as i nh eri te d by h i s g ra n ds on , Tu ta n kh a mun ,
a nd even t ua l l y buri ed w i t h h i m. G i ven i ts pr omi n en t l oc at i on wi th i n t he mu mmy ba n da g es, i t m ay
even be t h at Tu sh ra t ta ’s d ag g er w as u sed i n T ut an kh a mun ’ s mummi f i c at i o n r i t ua l .

• Tutankhamun was buried in the world’s most expensive coff in

• Two of Tutankhamun’s three coffins were made of wood, covered with gold sheet. But, to Howard
C a r t e r ’ s g r e a t s u r p r is e , t h e i n n e r m o s t c o f f i n w a s m a d e f r o m t h i c k s h e e t s o f b e a t e n g o ld . T h i s c o f f i n
m e a s u r e s 1 . 8 8 m i n l e n g t h , a n d w e i g h s 1 1 0 . 4 k g . I f i t w e r e t o b e s c r a p p e d t o d a y i t w o u ld b e w o r t h w e l l
o v e r £ 1 m . B u t a s T u t a n k h a m u n ’ s f i n a l r e s t i n g p l a c e i t i s , o f c o u r s e , p r i c e le s s .