Tutankhamun Biography
PHILADELPHIA, 2006 - Tutankhamun was one of the last kings of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty. Though he appears to have been a minor king and made only modest contributions to the Egyptian empire, he lives large in modern archaeology.
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age
of the Pharaohs
Photo courtesy of National Geographic Traveler
Very little is known about his life because he was the son of Akhenaten, a pharaoh who was declared a heretic (he introduced a new religion, the worship of Aten, banned other gods and shut down temples), and records mentioning him and his successors were destroyed by officials.
Tutankhamun was born around 1343 B.C. in the Egyptian city of Akhetan, now known as Amarna. His mother is believed to be one of Akhenaten’s minor wives, most likely Kiya. He became pharaoh at age 9 or 10, in 1333 B.C. In the third year of his reign, the king and his court were moved from Amarna to Memphis. Shortly thereafter, the name of the young king, originally Tutankhaten, was changed to Tutankhamun (meaning “the living image of god Amun”) in recognition of the ascendancy of Amun. At around the age of 12, scholars believe, Tutankhamun married his half-sister, Ankhesenamun, Akhenaten’s third daughter by his wife Nefertiti. The couple had no surviving children, although mummified fetuses of two daughters were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb.
In his name a mighty program of restoring and rebuilding old temples was undertaken. A stela found at Karnak commemorates the pious work, describing how the temples had “fallen into neglect.”
Tutankhamun died under mysterious circumstances in 1323 B.C., in the ninth year of his reign. Some Egyptologists believe he was murdered by his successor Ay. An X-ray taken in 1968 revealed damage to his skull, which could have been caused by a fall, a blow to the head, or during mummification.
Tutankhamun was buried in the Valley of the Kings, where he lay undisturbed for some 3,300 years until his tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in November 1922. Although the vast collection of treasures found in his tomb has been removed, his mummified remains still lie in a stone sarcophagus in his burial chamber.