#Tutankhamun#Pharaoh What would it be like to be a king or queen as a kid? That's what life was like for King Tutankhamun, or King Tut! He was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt in the 1300s BCE. Historians believe he became the pharaoh, or king, of Egypt around the age of nine. And his reign was pretty short, lasting only about 10 years.
The ancient Egyptians were very religious and believed their pharaohs were earthly gods who communicated with the other gods. Their beliefs focused a lot on the afterlife, and the people believed people passed through to the afterlife in the same form as when they were alive. They developed burial processes to preserve the body for its afterlife. This process is known as mummification.
King Tut was mummified and buried in a beautiful tomb like any other pharaoh. Tombs included other items the pharaoh might need in addition to just the body, such as food, jewelry, weapons, art, and even pets. The reason we know so much about King Tut specifically is that archaeologists who discovered his tomb in 1922 found the tomb completely untouched. There were over 5,000 artifacts! Because the items included in a tomb were personal items, the archaeologists studied the artifacts to recreate King Tut's life!
The boy king died pretty young at about 18 or 19 years old. There are several theories. Some historians believe he was murdered by his advisors who wanted to seize his power. Others think his own family killed him. Thanks to modern DNA testing and physical evidence, however, most scientists believe that the young pharaoh died because of poor health.
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Who was King Tut for kids? How would you feel if you were king or queen of a large country
right this very minute? That would probably feel pretty overwhelming because you're just a kid.
But guess what? One of the most famous kings in history was only about 9 or 10 years old when he
became king. His name was Tutankhamun. But you probably know him as King Tut. Let's learn more
about this interesting person who was also known as the Boy King. King Tutankhamun was a pharaoh
or king of Egypt way back in the 1300s BCE. Historians believe that King Tut began his reign
around the age of 9 in the year 1332 BCE. Even though he was pharaoh, King Tut had several
advisors to help him with day-to-day ruling decisions because he was so young. He ruled
the country at a time of war as Egypt fought with a neighboring kingdom called Nubia over land.
King Tut married while very young. His wife was the daughter of another pharaoh named Akhenaten.
King Tut ruled until his death in 1324 BCE at the age of 18 or 19. You may be asking yourself,
hey how come we know so much about this king even though he only ruled for such a short period of
Well, it has a lot to do with the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians and how they viewed their
leaders. Here's an interesting fact. The ancient Egyptians were very religious and believed that
pharaohs were not only rulers, they were actually gods. The Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was
all of the other gods. Some historians estimate that the ancient Egyptians worshipped as many as
2,000 deities or gods. The religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians focused a lot on the
afterlife, which is where they believed a person went after they died. They believed that a person
passed to this afterlife in the same form as when they were alive. Because of this, they developed
burial processes to preserve the body for its new life in the afterlife. This is known as
mummification. Pharaohs were mummified and placed in beautiful tombs, like the pyramids. These tombs
would also include items that the pharaoh might need in the afterlife. Things like food,
jugs, clothing, jewelry, games, weapons, or even pets. Which brings us back to the reason
why we know so much about King Tut. It is because special scientists called archaeologists
discovered his tomb. This happened 100 years ago in 1922. That year, archaeologist Howard Carter
and his team discovered King Tut's tomb, along with the mummified body of King Tut himself.
Can you imagine what it would have been like to discover something so important? King Tut's coffin
was made of gold, and there were over 5,000 artifacts found inside the tomb. Because pharaohs
were buried with personal items and items they wanted to take with them to the afterlife,
archaeologists could recreate the history of Tut's short life by studying these artifacts.
Here's another interesting fact. King Tut's name was changed to include Amen, to show respect and
allegiance to the god Amen, who was the god of sun and air. Eventually, during Tut's time as king,
Amen would be merged with other gods to become known as the god of creation.
So why did King Tut die so young? Well, there are many theories. Some historians believe that
he might have been murdered by advisors who'd wanted to seize power. Others believe he may
have been killed by family members, like his father-in-law who did not want to return to
worshiping Amen. Thanks to modern DNA testing and other physical evidence, most scientists
now think that King Tut died because he was in pretty poor health and also suffered from
bone disease. But since his tomb was unusually small for a pharaoh, scientists now think that
he died suddenly or unexpectedly. It is a mystery that might never be completely solved.
We've learned some pretty cool facts about King Tut. Let's see what you remember. True or false?
King Tut is sometimes known as the boy king. True! This is because he was so young when he ruled
ancient Egypt. What is King Tut's full name? Tutankhamun. Fill in the blank. Blank was the
process that the ancient Egyptians used to prepare a person's body for the afterlife.
Mummification. Great job, friends! King Tut might have been just a boy when he became pharaoh,
but his legacy lives on today. While his death remains a mystery, the historical importance
of finding most of King Tut's tomb intact after hundreds of years is priceless. Because of his
tomb, we have a greater understanding of the cultural and the technological significance
of the ancient Egyptian civilization. Hope you had fun learning with us. Visit us at learnbright.org
for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.
