Life of King Tutankhamen - Essay Example

March 9, 2009 King Tutankhamen; shadow Pharaoh Thesis: Little is known of King Tut beyond his age, and the fact that he was a pharaoh king, but there is endless speculation surrounding him. There are differing opinions on his parentage, claim to the throne, religious beliefs, and most notably - the manner of his death. An examination of the clues and research can offer some but not all the answers. Outline A. Introduction: B. Discovery of Tomb 1. Benefactor and Archeologist 2. Location C. Tut's parental lineage 1. Date of birth 2. Akhenaten and male records 3. Artifacts a. Amenophis III and Queen Tiye D. Tutankhamen's early life 1. Name and meaning 2. State trip 3. Schooling and marriage E. Advisors 1. Coronation 2. Aye's guidance & reform 3. Name changes 4. Horemheb F. Achievements 1. Restoration a. religion b. building G. Demise and Conclusion 1. lack of heir 2. death King Tutankhamen, the boy pharaoh had a brief and uneventful reign on Egypt sometime in the vicinity of either 1352-1343 B.C. 1 or 1336-1327 B.C. 2. The fascination with the shadowy boy pharaoh is in large part due to the mystery that surrounds his life, and the opulence of his burial chamber. Little is known of King Tut beyond his name, age, and the fact that he was a pharaoh king, but there is endless speculation surrounding him. Archaeologists have historically divided into opposing factions, each side failing to utilize hard evidence to support their claims for validity. There are differing opinions on his parentage, claim to the throne, religious beliefs, and most notably - the manner of his death. A careful examination of the clues and research leads to some, not all of the answers. On November 25, 1922 Howard Carter, Egyptologist and Lord Carnarvon accompanied by his daughter, Lady Evelyn Herbert were the first to glimpse into the tomb emblazoned with the name Nebkheprure-Tutankhamen3. After financing a long and expensive archeological dig, it certainly must have been with much relief that Lord Carnarvon breathed in the stale air of the most complete Pharaoh's tomb ever to be discovered. It was a ground-breaking discovery that owed much to the obscurity of King Tut's life. His tomb, once sealed was forgotten, placed beneath Ramses VI's tomb in an obscure corner of the Valley of the Kings4. At one time, workmen from the XX dynasty were housed in the shifting sands about King Tut's tomb5 proving that his existence was all but wiped away. Slightly more obscure than the location of his final resting place is the origin of Tutankhamen himself. The great uncertainties surrounding Tutankhamen are his obscure parentage and the manner of his death. His parentage is never clearly agreed upon because it is never clearly stated. King Tut's birth can be traced to the years between 34 and 35 of Amenophis III's reign6 and dating of the mummified remains assist in knowing how old King Tut was when he died7. This knowledge is useful in attempting to discover the identity of his parents. At the time of the reign of his predecessor Akhenaten, who was the leader of a great religious usurping records on the princes were not kept. Only the princesses were acknowledged in accordance with the beliefs of Aten, the chosen god of Akhenaten.8 This belief system in effect, clouds any written records that might have survived with Tutankhamen's treasure. Two artifacts did survive with his treasure, which serve as an obvious nudge in the correct direction of his parental lineage. "There was in the child king's tomb a small golden statuette showing Amenophis III crouching in the attitude of the solar child, as if to show his oneness with the son in whose flesh he would be reborn. This statuette, wrapped in linen and laid in a tiny coffin, was found beside a lock of Queen Tiye's hair touchingly enclosed like a mummy in its own little sarcophagus"9. Also, an alabaster pitcher with the couple's name is found elsewhere in the tomb along with various other artifacts from various members of the royal family who appear to be relatives.10 None of these artifacts however are treated with the reverence of the two belonging to Amenophis III and Queen Tiye 10. There is also a striking physical resemblance between Queen Tiye and Tutankhamen evidenced in his funeral mask and a ebony bust carved of Queen Tiye. 10The other option is Queen Kiya, a junior Queen of Akhenaten's who came to prominence after the death of Nefertiti.11 This is unlikely as there is no remembrance of her in Tut's tomb. Assuming that Queen Tiye is indeed the mother of King Tut, she would have given birth to him in the harem at Malkata.12 There was a custom that the mother named the children, often in a way to offer them into protection of a god.12 There is again speculation about the exact translation of his name, but it seems to translate loosely into "powerful is the life of Aten", "living image of Aten", or a more recent theory suggests "all life is in the hands of Aten".12 Either way, by naming her child Tutankhaten (which was later changed with religious beliefs) King Tut's mother made a definitive statement about her religious beliefs. Tutankhaten's early life left a few marks we are able to follow. At the age of approximately 3 years, he accompanied his parents and older sister Baketaten to Aketaten on an official visit.13 They most likely stayed in Amenophis III's palace, Splendour of Aten.14 Shortly after his return from this visit, he would have begun his schooling. An ivory papyrus-smoother survived from this time period.15 He would have also carried a traditional writing palette and papyrus, which was reserved for the more wealthy students.16 As normal schooling for Egyptian boys consisted of reading, writing, mathematics, astronomy, and history17 we can only assume that Tutankhaten was taught all of that and more as heir to the throne. Not much else of note passes in the next 6 years, until just before his coronation at age 9. Under the guidance of his advisor Aye he is wed to the princess Ankhesenpaten, who was his older half-sister and possibly also the former wife of her father Akhenten.18 During his coronation, several different crowns are placed upon his head with much ceremonial pomp.19 The nine year old boy could not enact many of the ceremonies required, such as the post-coronation hunts but he was able to take part in many of the festivities.20 As his representative, Aye had by this point instilled himself in a position to protect the interests of the last and most far-seeing allies of the Amarnan family.21 He was advisor to Tutankhamen's predecessors, and it appears the father of.22 Under Aye's guidance and some would argue manipulation, Tutankhamen began a resoration of the old faith that his father had demolished.23 When he assumed the throne and traditional religious practices, his name was changed. It is translated as and often realized as Tutankhamun Hekaiunushema, meaning "Living image of Amun, ruler of Upper Heliopolis". On his ascension to the throne, Tutankhamun took a praenomen. This is translated as and realized as Nebkheperure, meaning "Lord of the forms of Re.24 The hieroglyphic representation is which literally translates into "Ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt, Nebkheperura, Son of Ra, Tutankhamun."25 His wife Ankhesenpaaten's name was also changed to Ankhesenpamen.26 One cannot be sure of Tutankhamen's personal beliefs as he was just a child when crowned, and it is not evident what were his belief's and which belonged to his advisors. As any ruler, Tutankhamen had a large staff of advisors. He held none closer than Aye and it is pure speculation to determine if he was being manipulated or not. It is apparent that Aye is somehow related to him, either as step-grandfather or great-grandfather depending on what lineage you choose to accept.27 Aye or Ay was Tutankhamen's principal advisor, controlling access to and influencing his ward.28 Aye in fact seceded Tutankhamen for a brief 2-4 year reign before his death (Reeves 30). Other advisors of note are Horemheb, whose titles included those of commander-in-chief of the army and deputy of the king.29 Horemheb secedes Aye in what had to be a time of great turmoil and unease, bringing strength and military experience to the office of Pharoah.30 He ruled for close to 25 years, managing the monuments of his predecessors, Aye and Tutankhamen and destroying all he could of the religious divergence under Akenaten,31 Nakhtmin and Maya were other military and treasury officers, respectively.32 Achievements of note in Tutankhamen's reign were the smoothing over of the religious upheaval and building and rebuilding of several temples and monuments to various gods, but most notably to the previously destroyed Aten.33 It is again unsure how much of this Tutankhamen actually desired and how much of it was "suggested" by Aye or Horemheb. Tutankhamen moved from the previous capital of Globe to Thebes and also erected a sanctuary to Amun-re, Atum and Re Harakhti although the temple was mainly dedicated to the king himself as lord of the city.34 A brilliant relationship with neighboring Nubia was fostered under King Tut, as evidenced by trading expeditions led by Huy, an old friend of the Pharaoh.35 The main achievement that Tutankhamen was unable to accomplish was the birth of an heir. As he was only 9 at the time of ascension, it is not unbelievable that this might have been difficult at first. However his wife Ankhesenpaaten had already borne her previous husband a daughter.36 Two still born babies were buried with Tutankhamen and DNA testing is currently underway to prove the parentage37 however, King Tut died without an heir. The exact cause of death is hard to determine, due to the handling of the mummy by Howard Carter when the tomb was excavated.37 Much speculation was originally placed around Aye in 1968 when a team of researches by led by Dr. R. G. Harrison from the University of Liverpool x-rayed the mummy and found a dark spot at the base of his skull, interpreted as a subdural hematoma.38 The same team also found a small sliver of bone in the upper cranial region which supposedly was from the area above the eye, knocked loose when King Tut was struck from behind.38 New information, which came to light through the most recent CAT scan preformed by Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass in partnership with the National Geographic Society, revealed no head trauma concurrent with a deathly blow to the head.38 There was a hole in the head which appears to have been drilled during the mummification process.38 Hawass did note a break in the bone of Tutankhamen's leg, which arguably could have turned gangrenous poisoning and killing him within a matter of days.38 In a supposed chariot accident, King Tut being of a delicate constitution which is hereditary of his family, he could have very easily died from exactly this situation resulting from a bad fall.38 The life and death of King Nebkheperura (Tutankhamen) will remain shrouded in mystery and shadow as so much information has been lost over the centuries. We can assume that he came to the throne at a very early age, did his best either with or against the will of his elder advisors, and died an early untimely death. Everything else it seems that we know of young King Tut is speculation, and subject to interpretation. His life was short and uneventful except for a quick glow in warmth as the sun god's favorite. Works Cited Desroches-Nobelcourt, Christiane, Tutankhamen Life and Death of a Pharaoh (Penguin books 1963) Forty, Jo Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs (JG Press 1998) Mertz, Barbara Red Land, Black Land Daily Life in Ancient Egypt (Peter Bedrick Books 1990) 122 Reeves, Nicholas The Complete Tutankhamun The king; the tomb; the royal treasure (Thames and Hudson 1995) Williams, A.R. "King Tut", National Geographic October 2005 [online] http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0506/feature1/index.html accessed 8 March Read More