King Tut: Fame in Life and in Death
(not yet finished)
(not yet finished)
He became the ruler of his country when he was nine years
old. He ruled, or at least held the title of ruler, for only nine or ten years.
Yet today when people think of the pharaohs of Egypt, his name may be
the first, and perhaps the only name, to come to their minds. This was King Tutankhamun, or King Tut as he
is often known. King Tut, the Boy King of Egypt, found fame both in life and in
death.
To begin
with, there is much we do not know about Tut's life, though as Pharoah of Egypt, he would have been famous there and in the surrounding lands. Some
sources claim to be sure about who his parents were, while others admit we
really do not know. The pharaoh before
him may have been his father or his grandfather or not even in his direct
line. He may have been born in 1358
B.C. or 1341 B.C. or somewhere in between or before or after those years. On
the other hand, scholars have found out some facts about his reign. Because Tut was so young when he became a
pharaoh, there was an older member of the court named Ay who was there to help
(or take all power from) him (Biography.com). Also, Tut
did marry soon after taking the throne, and at some point he and his wife
probably had two daughters, but they were stillborn, so Tut did not leave an
heir.
Whether it was Tut’s decision or Ay’s, when he became pharaoh, there was a major
change in the religion of Egypt. The country had traditionally worshipped many
gods. The pharaoh before Tut had
insisted that Egypt become monotheistic, worshipping one of their gods above
all others. Tut’s reign took them back
to the worship of many gods, a choice
that seemed to be popular.
Egypt also went
to war, though Tut probably did not participate in the fighting because he was
crippled by Koehler disease and apparently
had to walk with a cane (World Biography and Bragg).
It may be true, however, that he was a skillful archer, as some scholars
think.
As an end to his fame in mortality, Tut died at
only eighteen or nineteen. His body was
mummified, as Georgia Bragg so vividly describes in her book How They Croaked, and he was buried in
the Valley of the Kings. His tomb was
left undisturbed because it was hidden behind the debris from the building of a later tomb. His fame faded when the
rulers who followed him destroyed the monuments to the boy king.
After about
3000 years, Tut became famous again, and this time his fame was truly world-wide,
rather than limited to Egypt and the countries that dealt with her. An archeologist named Howard Carter had
been searching for six years, when he found Tut’s tomb. The treasure he uncovered there was It was truly a treasure-trove. Many years later, traveling exhibitions of much of the treasure were sent to various
locations around the world.
From here on this is a very early draft:
The worth of just that part of Tut’s treasures has been estimated at
three-quarters of a billion dollars.
Scientific value – learning about the Ancient
Egyptians – from the artifacts Tut’s
mummy examined over and over. The cause
of his death has remained somewhat of a mystery. Georgia Bragg, after her studies prepring to
write her book, decided that he died of malaria, combined with a broken
leg. Other possible causes are gangrene
from a broken leg or complications of the genetic infirmities he had long lived
with. Egyptian tourist/travel . . . . .
are holding onto the possibility of murder. After all,
Ay and a general named ….. had motive. Ay did become Pharoah and marry
Tut’s wie after his death, and the General was next in line after Ay.
Anoher sensational
. . .. the Mummy’s Curse! When
Howard Carter found Tut’s tomb, his expedition had been paid for by a british..
.. Lord Carnarvon. When Carnarvon came to Egypt to . . he
(like Tut himself) was bitten by an infection-carrying mosquito and soon
died (Seiden). Even before that, Carter
had brought a canary. . . .
Works Cited
"Ankhesenamen." Britannica Biographies (2012): 1. Biography Reference Center. Web. 5 Feb. 2016.
Biography.com, Editors. "King Tut Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 09 Feb. 2016.
Bragg, Georgia, and Kevin O'Malley. How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous. New York: Walker, 2011. Print.
"Frail And Sickly, King Tut Suffered Through Life." All Things Considered 16 Feb. 2010. Research in Context. Web. 5 Feb. 2016.
"King Tut's Chariot On Display In New York." Morning Edition 4 Aug. 2010. Research in Context. Web. 5 Feb. 2016.
Lesko, Leonard H. "Tutankhamun." World Book Student. World Book, 2016. Web. 5 Feb. 2016.
Seiden, Ellen. "The curse of King Tut." Calliope Oct. 2013: 38+. Research in Context. Web. 5 Feb. 2016.
Tutankhamen." Britannica Biographies (2012): 1. Biography Reference Center. Web. 5 Feb. 2016.
"Tutankhamen." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Research in Context. Web. 5 Feb. 2016.
"Who else is buried in King Tut's tomb? Perhaps a queen, says one Egyptologist." Christian Science Monitor 29 Nov. 2015. Research in Context. Web. 5 Feb. 2016.
