Points Covered:
- Who Is King Tutankhamun And Why Is He Important?
- The discovery of King Tutankhamun’s Tomb
- Treasures of King Tutankhamun’s tomb
- The current Resting place of King Tutankhamun and his treasure
- Conclusion
Who Is King Tutankhamun And Why Is he Important?
Although the year king Tutankhamun was born is not accurately known, it’s a known fact that he died at the age of 17 -18 years thus its often suggested that the young king was born around the year 1341BC. His father was Pharaoh Amenhotep who is often referred to as the “Heretic King” because of the religious reforms he imposed on the Egyptians during his reign, while his mother lady Kiya was one of the lesser wives of king Amenhotep. King Tutankhamun was the last of his royal family to rule Egypt and this is because he died at a very young age, without any male eir from his wife Ankhsenamun.
King Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered in 1922. Prior to the discovery of his tomb, King Tutankhamun was considered as one of the minor kings that ruled ancient Egypt and his legacy was considered to have little influence on the countries history. But the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 provided a lot of shocking evidence that showed that this boy king played a very important role in the history of Egypt has he was greatly involved in the restoration of the original Egyptian religion and also in the rule of law and order after his father's death. The discovery of the almost intact tomb of King Tutankhamun immediately made him the most famous Egyptian king in the modern world and also opened the eyes of the modern world to a lot of ancient Egyptian practices and facts that were hidden before this discovery.
The major reason behind king Tutankhamun’s fame in the modern world is the numerous precious artifacts found in his tomb. These artifacts were so numerous and unique that they made international headlines. Also, the myth of “The Mummy’s curse” contributed greatly to the fame of this king. This myth stems from the misinterpretation of the inscription in front of the treasury room of the tomb which was misinterpreted to “I will kill all of those who cross this threshold into the sacred precincts of the royal king who lives forever.” While in the real sense the inscription reads “I am the one who prevents the sand from blocking the secret chamber”
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The discovery of King Tutankhamun’s Tomb
King tut was buried in a tomb that was rather too small for his status, this suggests that his death came at an unexpected time and a tomb meant for another person was used for him. After the young king was buried in this tomb, the location of the tomb was concealed for a long time by sand and debris that mostly came from tombs that were later built over this tomb and also from the worker's houses that were built over the entrance of the tomb. The concession rights for the excavation of the Valley of kings which held a lot of important tombs was initially held by Theodore Davis who discovered about ten tombs between the years 1905 to 1914. During that time Davis did indeed find a lot of objects and materials that had king Tut’s name on them. Theodore Davis later concluded that the valley of kings has been exhausted and gave up on the possibility of finding another very important and significant tomb in the Valley of Kings.
Later in the year 1907, Howard Carter was invited by William Garstin and Gaston Maspero to help in excavating for George Herbet (the 5th Earl of Carnarvon) in the valley. These two men (George and Carter) hoped to gain the concession Davis gave up, but they were forced to work instead on the excavation of different parts of the Theban Necropolis for seven years. But by the year 1915, they had the opportunity to work on the excavation of the Valley of Tombs and in November 1922, Carter discovered the original tomb of King Tutankhamun. By February of the following year, the tomb had been cleared of almost all the valuables it contained.
Treasures of King Tutankhamun’s tomb
Ancient Egyptians strongly believed in the underworld and they often buried their dead with a lot of valuable items and treasures to help in an individual’s journey through the underworld. The social status of an individual determined the amount of treasure that was placed in the tomb. Since Tutankhamun was a king, his tomb was filled with a lot of treasures. These treasures are approximated to be about 5400 in number, and they included a gold throne, a solid gold coffin, face masks, archery bows, a chalice, trumpets, food, wine, sandals, and some fresh linen underwear. In fact, a recent analysis showed that one of the daggers found in the tomb was made from a meteorite. These treasures were so many that it took Carter ten years to finish the indexing of all the items. The discovery of these items helped archeologists understand how advanced ancient Egyptians were in metalwork and tool development.
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The current Resting place of King Tutankhamun and his treasure
Since the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb and the treasure within in 1922, the mummy has traveled almost all over the world for various reasons ranging from art exhibitions to forensic researches. Although there has been little damage to the body during its mummification and excavation in the past, the mummy still remains early in pristine condition and is currently in its original resting place, the KV62 chamber in the Valley of Kings.
Over the years, the treasures found in King Tut’s tomb have been distributed to various museums all over Egypt and the world at large. The most important of these treasures, however, are securely protected and preserved in the king’s tomb in the Valley of Kings.
Conclusion
The importance of King Tut’s tomb and the treasure of the tomb can never be overemphasized. It remains a large part of the Egyptian heritage and culture, and to this very day is regarded all over the world as one of the most impressive and interesting discoveries of all time.
