Who was Tutankhamun?

Tutankhamun was born around the year 1345. He was first known as Tutankhaten which means 'living image of Aten'. It is believed he may have been the son of the Pharaoh Akhenaten. Tutankhamun became Pharaoh at the age of 8 or 9. He ruled for just 9 years before his death at the age of about 17. Nothing of great importance was achieved during his reign. It was the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, filled with fabulous treasures, that has lead to his fame.

How was the tomb of Tutankhamun discovered?

In 1906 an archeologist by the name of Theodore Davis found some pottery jars, bundles of linen and floral collars in the Valley of the Kings that were inscribed with the name Tutankhamun. These proved to be funeral items suggesting the existence of his tomb. However, after some years of unsuccessful searching Davis decided there was nothing left to be found. Another archeologist, Howard Carter, did not share these views. He was convinced the tomb was still there to be discovered and so, funded by Lord Carnarvon, he continued to search.

Every summer Carter would meet with Lord Carnarvon to discuss the next season's work. To his disappointment, in the summer of 1922 he was told that he was not finding enough and that no more money would be given. After some persuasion, the Earl gave in and agreed to finance one more season.

Excavations began around the tomb of Ramesses VI. Just a few days later some ancient workmen's houses were found. On 4th November 1922 the first of these houses was removed to reveal a step. Gradually a flight of steps was cleared at the bottom of which stood a sealed door. On this door was the cartouche of Tutankhamun. The tomb had been found.

As soon as Carter realised what he had found he sent for Lord Carnarvon to join him. On Saturday 25th November the door to the tomb was opened. 

What was found inside Tutankhamun's tomb?

Beyond the door to the tomb was a corridor filled with rubble, whole and broken alabaster jars and vases. There was also evidence of a tunnel suggesting that the tomb had been robbed. At the end of the corridor they found another sealed door, almost identical to the first. An iron rod was used to make a small hole in the door and a candle was used to test for dangerous gasses. The hole was then widened and Carter used the candle to look through.

I inserted the candle and peered in, Lord Carnarvon, Lady Evelyn and Callender standing anxiously beside me to hear the verdict. At first I could see nothing, the hot air escaping from the chamber causing the candle flame to flicker, but presently, as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues and gold - everywhere the glint of gold...

When asked by Lord Carnarvon if he could see anything, Carter replied, "Yes, wonderful things."

A plan of the tomb of Tutankhamun. Click on the rooms for more information.

The first room entered became known as the antechamber. Amongst other treasures, it contained huge animal couches, beautifully carved furniture, dismantled chariots and Tutankhamun's famous golden throne. At the northern end was a sealed doorway guarded by two wooden statues of the king.

The burial chamber contained a large, golden shrine that left little room for anything else. The shrine was unsealed suggesting, perhaps, that it had once been opened by tomb robbers. A door at the eastern end of the shrine was unbolted to reveal a second shrine with its seal intact. Various items, wrapped in linen, had been placed between the two shrines. Within the second shrine stood a third and this contained yet another shrine, each decorated with funeral scenes, gods and goddesses and spells from the Book of the Dead. Inside the final shrine stood a stone sarcophagus with winged goddesses sculpted into each corner. 

The sarcophagus was opened to reveal a coffin in the form of the boy king. At its head, hooked over the carvings of a cobra and a vulture, lay a small wreath of flowers. Carter believed these may have been the last farewell offering of Ankhsenamun, Tutankhamun's young wife. Inside was a second coffin, the facial features of which were quite different from the first. It is believed this coffin was not originally intended for Tutankhamun but was used because of the unexpected timing of his death. A third coffin, of solid gold, was contained within the second and finally, within this, lay the mummified remains of Tutankhamun, his head and shoulders covered with the now famous death mask.

The annex contained some of the everyday items that would have been used during the reign of Tutankhamun. These included chairs, stools, baskets, toys, pots, bedsteads, bows and arrows and shields. One of the more interesting items found here was the board for a game called Senet.

At the entrance to the treasury stood a statue of Anubis, jackal-headed god of the dead. Beyond Anubis was a shrine inside of which stood a canopic chest containing the four canopic jars (right). There were model boats, jewellery and golden statues. Wooden boxes contained shawabti figures that were believed to be servants in the afterlife. Also found in the treasury were the mummified remains of two foetuses, believed to be the stillborn daughters of Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun.

Was Tutankhamun murdered?

In 1968, whilst carrying out x-rays of Tutankhamun's mummy, a scientist discovered evidence of a serious injury to the back of the skull. A number of theories have been put forward to suggest how Tutankhamun received this injury, one of which involved murder. If Tutankhamun was murdered, one suspect would be Ay who, following the death of the young king, forced the widowed queen to marry him so that he could gain power. Another possible murderer was Horemheb. Horemheb was a high official who, while Tutankhamun was still a boy, carried out much of the important decision-making. As Tutankhamun grew older and became more involved in running the country, Horemheb became less powerful.