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Tutankhamun Facts For Kids | Pharaoh Of Egypt

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Tutankhamun was a Pharaoh of Egypt that lived during 18th century. Not much is known about this Pharaoh but after the discovery of his tomb in 1922, people have been showing great interest in explo...

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Ancient Egyptian Biography for Kids: Tutankhamun

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Kids learn about the biography of Tutankhamun of Ancient Egypt. The pharaoh and boy king famous for the treasures of his tomb.

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Tutankhamun

Tutankhamun or "King Tut" is probably the most well-known Egyptian pharaoh. One of the reasons is that his burial tomb is one of the few that was discovered with everything still in it.

It was common for tomb raiders to steel all of the treasures that were buried with the pharaohs and so very little has ever been found.

The tomb raiders didn't locate King Tut's tomb and we can use the contents of the tomb to learn about the culture and people of ancient Egypt.

When was Tutankhamun born?

King Tut lived around 1341 to 1323 BC, and because he was only ten years old when he became a pharaoh, he was called the 'boy king'. King Tut's father was the pharaoh Akhenaten.

This pharaoh made complete changes to the religion of Egypt, getting rid of their idea of many gods and changing their worship to one god: Aten, the sun god.

He became unpopular with the people of Egypt and the priests of the many temples, especially when he destroyed the images of all of the other gods.

When he died, many people removed his image and name, hoping everyone would forget about him.

Who Was Tutankhamun?

King Tut's original name was Tutankhaten which means 'the living image of Aten".

After the death of his unpopular father, he changed his name to Tutankhamun which means 'the living image of Amun".

His father had paid so much attention to making changes that he had moved the center of government to another city and ignored all of the foreign policies.

King Tut relocated the city back to Thebes and rebuilt some of the temples for the gods.

His hope was to restore popularity of the pharaoh and try to fix the damage that his father had done.

Tutankhamun Married

King Tut did get married but he and his wife did not have any children that survived.

Many people have tried to study King Tut's mummy to see the reason that he died, but no one has come up with anything definite.

King Tut died at the age of 19 and after he was buried there was very little information in the usual records for pharaohs.

His tomb was never touched and so the people that study history didn't even know that it existed.

Who Discovered Tutankhamun's Tomb

In 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the burial tomb of King Tut.Advertisement

This was the first tomb that had everything in it and was untouched.

Ancient Egyptians believed that when a person died they would enter an 'afterlife' where they would live in the same way that they did when they were alive.

In order to do that, they would need to take everything they needed with them.

The burial tombs of pharaohs were piled with all of their possessions: beds, chariots, games, art work, walking sticks, weapons and even food.

Pharaohs had the most highly crafted items, many were made of gold, imported wood, inlaid gems and ivory.

King Tut's Tomb

When Howard Carter discovered King Tut's tomb, he found a huge chamber with four rooms filled with everything King Tut would need in the afterlife.

The most prized item was a 'sarcophagus' which is usually the burial box for the mummy.

For King Tut, they had placed the mummy in one sarcophagus and then that was in two additional ones.

The third or last one was made of gold and that is the famous 'gold' image that has become the symbol of King Tut that we know today.

What was found in King Tut's tomb

It took seventeen years to go through all of the things in the tomb and catalog (write down) each item.

One of the things that Carter noticed when he first looked into the tomb is that many of the things appeared to have been tossed into the tomb, rather than organized.

Another thing that was later noticed is that one of the sarcophagus may have belonged to someone else and they changed it for King Tut.

It has been thought that the reason for this is that King Tut died so suddenly and unexpectedly that they didn't have time to make a sarcophagus for him.

The treasures and artifacts from King Tut's tomb became so popular that the Egyptians allowed them to go on a world tour and be shown at museums in many cities.

Tutankhamun Facts for Kids

Tutankhamun was born a prince in Egypt's around 1341 BC.

Tutankhamun lived around 1341 to 1323 BC

His original name was Tutankhaten

His father was the pharaoh Akhenaten

His tomb is in the Valley of the Kings

British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the burial tomb in 1922

The objects in the [original] tomb were in four rooms.

5,000 items were found inside Tutankhamun tomb.

It took Carter eight years to remove and catalog everything

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Tutankhamun or "King Tut" is probably the most well-known Egyptian pharaoh. One of the reasons is that his burial tomb is one of the few that was discovered with everything still in it. It was common for tomb raiders to steel all of the treasures that were buried with the pharaohs and so very little ...

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Tutankhamun facts! | National Geographic Kids

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Here at Nat Geo Kids, we love everything Ancient Egypt! Discover five top Tutankhamun facts, one Egypt’s most famous Pharaohs, the ‘Boy King’…

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The most famous Egyptian pharaoh today is, without doubt, Tutankhamun. However, before the spectacular discovery of his almost intact tomb in the Valley of the Kings in November 1922, Tutankhamun was only a little known figure of the late 18th Dynasty.

The picture on the right show Tutankhamun's death mask

Note: There are different variations of the spelling of Tutankhamun. It can be spelt as Tutankhamon or Tutankhamen.

On this page will answer the following questions about Tutankhamun:

1. When and where was Tutankhamun born?

2. At what age did Tutankhamun become a Pharaoh?

3. Why is Tutankhamun so famous?

4. When was Tutankhamun's tomb discovered?

5. Who was Howard Carter?

6. How did Howard Carter know where to look?

7. Where was Tutankhamun buried?

8. What did they find inside the Tomb?

9. When did Tutankhamun die?

10. What did Tutankhamun die from?

11. What was Tut's funeral like?

12. What is the Mummy's Curse?

When and where was Tutankhamun born?

Tutankhamun was probably born at Akhetaten which was the capital city of Egypt. He was born in about the year 1346 BC.

At what age did Tutankhamun become a Pharaoh?

He became pharaoh at the tender age of nine in 1337 BC and reigned during the 18th Dynasty when the Egyptian Empire was at its height. He reigned from about 1337 to 1328 BC.

His tomb was discovered by a team of British archaeologists in 1922, nearly 3000 years after his death.

Why is Tutankhamun so famous?

The reason that Tutankhamun is so well known today is that his tomb, containing fabulous treasures, was found early this century (1922) by British archaeologists Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon.

When was Tutankhamun's tomb discovered?

The tomb of Egypt's boy-king Tutankhamun was discovered on November 4, 1922 by English archaeologist Howard Carter.
Read the story of the Discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb
Who was Howard Carter?

Howard Carter was born in 1874 in Norfolk, England. His father named Samuel Carter was an artist who taught Howard Carter the fundamentals of drawing and painting.

How did Howard Carter know where to look?

Several finds made in the Valley of the Kings over the years led Howard Carter to believe that the king was still somewhere in the Valley.

Carter believed he found clues to Tutankhamun in the discoveries made by Theodore Davis. Davis had found a cup and other fragments bearing the name of Tutankhamen and his queen.

Where was Tutankhamun buried?

Valley of the Kings

He was buried in a hastily prepared tomb in the Valley of the Kings at Thebes, the traditional burial place of his predecessors. The person responsible for his burial, and shown on one of the walls in Tutankhamun's tomb, was Ay who succeeded him on the Egyptian throne.

Quick Fact : The first of a flight of 16 descending steps was found on 4 November 1922, just in front and to the north side of the entrance to the tomb of Ramesses VI.

The Valley of the Kings in Upper Egypt contains many of the tombs of pharaohs from the New Kingdom, including Tutankhamun and Ramesses the Great.

What did they find inside the Tomb?

Egyptian treasures found in Tutankhamun's tomb

The small tomb contained hundreds of objects (now housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo), many richly decorated and covered in gold, that would be needed by the king in his afterlife.
Tutankhamun's Treasures
Over 3,000 treasures were placed in the tomb to help Tutankhamen in his afterlife, and the walls of the burial chamber were painted with scenes of his voyage to the afterworld.

When did Tutankhamun die?

Tutankhamun reigned for around 9 years, making him about 18 when he died.
How do we know?
1) Forensic analysis of his mummy has put his age at death at about 18.

2) Clay seals on wine jars found in his tomb record not only the type of wine and the vineyard, but also the king's regal year when each wine was laid down. The highest recorded date is Year 9, suggesting that Tutankhamun died in that year.

How did Tutankhamun die?

There is no positive evidence on Tutankhamun's mummy as to how he met his death.

During an x-ray of the mummy in 1968, scientists found bone fragments in Tut's skull, prompting a sensational theory that the boy king had been bludgeoned to death.

Another recent theory is that King Tutankhamun wasn't murdered after all, but died from a broken leg. According to National Geographic (December 2006) a new CT scan of King Tutankhamun's mummy "showed a thin coating of embalming resin around the leg break, suggesting that Tut broke his leg just before he died and that his death may have resulted from an infection or other complications."

What was Tut's funeral like?

Tutankhamun died suddenly and so his burial was arranged in haste.

What is the Mummy's Curse?

Legend has it, anyone who dares to open the tomb will suffer the wrath of the mummy.
Read about the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb

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The most famous Egyptian pharaoh today is, without doubt, Tutankhamun. However, before the spectacular discovery of his almost intact tomb in the Valley of the Kings in November 1922, Tutankhamun was only a little known figure of the late 18th Dynasty.