Since in November 1922 Howard Carter, with the involuntary help of the water carrier Husein Abdel Rasul, discovered the inviolate tomb of Tutankhamun, this Egyptian pharaoh has gone down in history (here we tell you the full story about who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun ). Its importance lies basically in this fact, since his reign did not reach the age of 9 and in them his greatest achievement was to stabilize the country by returning it to traditional religion . In Supercurious we suggest you accompany us to discover who was Tutankhamun , the Story of his life and other Curiosities of this young Pharaoh.
We all know who Tutankhamun was for the extraordinary discovery of his untouched tomb, but historically it does not go beyond being a minor ruler. His name means "living image of Aten", and his father, Akenaton , promoted the "heresy of Amarna". Akenaton was one of the most important pharaohs of Egypt . His religious reform eliminated the polytheistic cult that was followed in the country, replacing it with a single divinity: Aton, a god that represented the Sun. The official wife of Akenaton was Nefertiti (here you can meet the 6 daughters of Nefertiti ), but nevertheless, the mother of Tutankhamun It was another woman.
Who was Tutankhamun: the history and curiosities of Pharaoh
1. Life of Tutankhamun
Tut-anj-Aten, whose name changed to Tut-anj-Amon with the end of the "Amarna heresy", is the last representative of royal blood of the XVIII Egyptian dynasty , fundamental fact to know who was Tutankhamun. It is believed that the pharaoh was born in 1341 a.C. and died in 1323 a.C., during his reign approximately nine years, between 1332 a.C. and 1323 a.C.
His parents were Pharaoh Akenaton and one of his secondary wives , possibly called Kiya, who was the sister of father and mother of Pharaoh Akenaton. When his father died, Tutankhamun ascended the throne with only 8 years , after an interim of one year in which he ruled another pharaoh named Semenejkara, possibly husband of his older sister Meritaton.
The young Tutankhamun was married to another of his half sisters , call Anjesenamon , that was the daughter of Nefertiti. The girl was 3 or 4 years older than him and when he married he received the title of "Great Royal Wife". Tutankhamun had two daughters who were born dead or died at birth as evidenced by the DNA tests performed on two small mummies found in two anthropoid coffins in the tomb of Tutankhamun.
During his reign the old cult was restored and the new capital consecrated by his father was abandoned and he returned to Thebes. There is practically no record of military activities, but there are some restorations in temples and buildings made at that time.
Tutankhamun died in 1323 a. C. at 19 years old , approximately, and there are several hypotheses about the causes of Pharaoh's death. It was the last of royal blood of the XVIII dynasty since they happened to him the father of Nefertiti, Ay, and later a general and possibly son-in-law of Ay, called Horemheb, that did not have descendants.
2. Curiosities of Tutankhamun
In this section of the article, we suggest that we learn together some curiosities that will bring us closer to who Tutankhamun was. Will you know any of them?
- The IGENEA institute in Zurich reconstructed the genetic profile of Tutankhamun and obtained as a result that it belongs to the R1b1a2 halogroup. Surprisingly, this halogroup 70% of Spanish men share it and British. If you are a Spanish male, the chances that you are a relative of Tutankhamun, is 70%! Throughout Western Europe 50% of males have a common ancestor since they belong to that halogroup.
- According to the tests carried out on Tutankhamun's mummy, this one it would measure 1.73 m. Tall and would be of thin build, although well fed.
- Tutankhamun he broke his leg , possibly falling from a battle car, shortly before dying, which has led to one of the hypotheses about his death: an infection derived from the injuries suffered.
- DNA tests performed on Tutankhamun's mummy pointed out that the young pharaoh suffered from malaria.
- The tomb of Tutankhamun was placed in such a way that the constellation of Orion remains above the entrance . This fact is not fortuitous since the ancient Egyptians believed that Osiris was the god of the future life and in this way he watched King Tutankhamun for all eternity.
- Tutankhamun's tomb was small for what is usual in the pharaohs . It only had 4 rooms. The greatest treasures were found in the burial chamber. Among them is the tutankhamun mask, which has become a symbol of Pharaoh.
Besides knowing who Tutankhamun was, do not miss ...
We hope you enjoyed our article dedicated to know who was Tutankhamun and so that you do not stop discovering curiosities, let us mention some of our posts related to this interesting historical character.
- Discover more Egyptian Pharaohs related to the most important moments in the history of the empire.
- Know the most recent hypothesis about How Tutankhamun died .
- What was in the grave of this young pharaoh? One of the most impressive objects was The Sarcophagus of Tutankhamun .
Do you know more curiosities about who was Tutankhamun ? Have you visited Egypt and entered the authentic tomb of Tutankhamun? Share your experiences with us! We will be happy to read them.