Ancient Egypt – Pharaoh Tutankhamun
- dwworldhistory
- Nov 4
- 8 min read
DW | Ancient Egypt
18– Pharaoh Tutankhamun
Welcome to the DW World History Series. In the last episode, we discussed the life of Pharaoh Akhenaten. We left off with the death of this heretic king and the rise of his son, Tutankhamun. This biography highlights King Tutankhamun, the world's most famous Pharaoh, thanks to Howard Carter's incredible discovery in 1922. We'll explore his life and those of his successors in one of the most dramatic episodes in Egyptian History.
18.1 - The Restoration of Amun
Originally known as Tutankhaten, he was nine years old when he became Pharaoh in 1333 BC, and would rule for about 10 years. Since he comes to power at such an early age, most of the decisions were handled by his vizier and eventual successor, Kheperkheperure Ay. King Tutankhaten married his half-sister, Ankhesenpaaten, who would later change her name to Ankhesenamun. She was evidently older than he since she had a daughter by the time she married Tutankhaten. The father of the first child is unknown and open for debate.
In Year 3 of his reign, under the influence of his advisers, Tutankhaten reversed several changes made by his father's reign. He ended the worship of the god Aten and restored the god Amun to supremacy. The ban on the cult of Amun was lifted and the traditional priesthood was restored. The capital was moved back to Thebes and the city of Akhetaten was abandoned. Tutankhaten also changed his name to Tutankhamun, meaning the 'Living Image of Amun'.
This country was economically weak and in turmoil following the reign of Akhenaten. Diplomatic relations with other kingdoms had been neglected and Tutankhamun attempted to restore them. Despite his efforts for improved relations, battles with Nubians and Asiatics were recorded in his mortuary temple in Thebes. Given his youth and poor health, he most likely did not participate in these battles.
18.2 - The Mummy of King Tut
Between 2007 and 2009, various mummies were subjected to detailed anthropological, radiological, and genetic studies as part of the King Tutankhamun Family Project. The research revealed that all seven vertebrae in his neck may have been completely fused. Examinations also revealed deformations to his left foot, caused by a necrosis of bone tissue. This affliction may have caused Tutankhamun to walk with a cane, many of which were found in his tomb. The DNA tests of his mummy also revealed DNA from mosquito-borne parasites that cause malaria. This is currently the oldest known genetic proof of the disease. More than one strain of the malaria parasite was found, indicating that he contracted multiple malarial infections. According to National Geographic:
'The Malaria would have weakened Tutankhamun's immune
system and interfered with the healing of his foot. These
factors, combined with the fracture of his left thighbone,
which scientists found in 2005, may have been what
ultimately killed the young king.'
18.3 - Queen Ankhesenamun
After the death of Tutankhamun, Ankhesenamun wrote to the Hittite king, Suppiluliuma I, in one of the most striking and disturbing letters in the Amarna period:
'My husband has died and I have no son. They say about you
that you have many sons. You might give me one of your
sons to become my husband. I would not wish to take one of my
subjects as a husband... I am afraid.'
That last line speaks volumes as to the danger that she was in. It was extraordinary that any rival king would be asked to take the throne and may reveal how dangerous Egypt had become at this time. Suppiluliuma I was suspicious and dispatched an ambassador who reported the situation as accurate. He then dispatched his son and crown prince to Egypt in hopes of uniting both kingdoms. This union would have transformed the Hittites to the most powerful empire the world had yet seen.
The Hittite prince never made it past the Egyptian border. Suppiluliuma accused the Egyptians of murdering him and declared war. Hittite forces attacked Egyptian settlements along the border in retaliation. The co-regent, General Horemheb was most likely in Asia with his troops during this time.
Vizier and Chief Minister Ay, now an old man, took advantage of Horemheb's absence and sought control. Horemheb had been designated successor for almost 10-years when Ay sidelined him. Ay legitimized his claim to the throne by marrying Ankhesenamun, almost certainly against her wishes. The wedding must have taken place rapidly because Ay officiated Tutankhamun's funeral as a king wearing the blue crown. Furthermore, by burying his predecessor, he consolidated his claim to the throne even further. Ankhesenamun did not survive Ay and there is no further record of her after the marriage. It is very likely that she was murdered. With her died the last of the true Amarna royal bloodline.
18.4 - Tomb KV62
Tutankhamun was buried in the Valley in (KV62). This tomb was small and most likely intended for someone else. Contrary to popular belief, his tomb was not intact when Howard Carter found it, only the burial chamber was undisturbed. The tomb had actually been robbed twice in antiquity, quite soon after it was sealed. The first robbery was for gold and precious jewelry. The second was for oils and large alabaster jars which the thieves had left behind the first time. Debris from the construction of Ramesses VI's tomb buried the entrance where it would lay undisturbed for 3,000 years.
The only room to be decorated was the burial chamber, whose four walls were painted with scenes of Tutankhamun's funeral and the underworld. On the north wall of this chamber is Ay preforming the 'Opening of the Mouth' ceremony. As mentioned, he is shown wearing the blue crown, and must have obviously married Ankhesenamun and succeeded to the throne all within the 70 days allowed for the embalming and funerary arrangements. This painting is incredible and is not found anywhere else.
The entire chamber was occupied by four gilded wooden shrines which surrounded the king's sarcophagus, which was constructed of granite. Inside, the king's body was placed within three mummiform coffins, the outer two made of gilded wood and the third composed of pure gold. The mummy was adorned with a funerary mask made of gold, inlaid with lapis lazuli, cornelian, quartz, obsidian, turquoise, glass, and faince. Over 170 items of jewelry were recovered from the king's body. A dagger buried with Tutankhamun was most likely made of iron meteorite.
Two life size figures of Tutankhamun guarded the entrance to the burial chamber. His throne was also discovered which revealed the king seated, showing his wife adjusting his broad collar. This was created early in his reign, as it carries the Amarna form of their names and features the Aten. Over 5,000 items were discovered in Tutankhamun's tomb. Highlights of these incredible objects include: the statue of Anubis, Tutankhamun's canopic jars, his golden fan, the game of Senet, a breathtaking golden leopard head, the statue of Ptah, a solar scarab, the royal chariot with battle shields, a portrait of kid Tutankhamun, a painted wooden chest, and a marvelous perfume vessel.
The scarab from King Tutankhamun's pectoral was made of silica glass from an asteroid impact in the Libyan Desert. For the ancient Egyptians, the scarab beetle symbolized creation and was associated with the sun god, Khepri, who rolled the sun across the sky every evening and emerged anew every morning.
18.5 - Pharaoh Ay (1324-1320 BC)
Tutankhamun's death around the age of 18 or 19, together with the fact he had no living children, left a power vacuum that his Grand Vizier Ay was quick to fill. The grounds on which he based his successful claim to power are not entirely clear. The Commander of the Army, Horemheb, had actually been designated as the "Deputy of the Lord of the Two Lands" under Tutankhamun and was presumed to be the boy king's heir apparent and successor. It appears that Horemheb was outmaneuvered to the throne by Ay, who legitimized his claim to the throne by burying Tutankhamun, as well as possibly marrying Ankhesenamun, Tutankhamun's widow.
Since Ay was already advanced in age upon his accession, he ruled Egypt in his own right, from roughly 1324-1320 BC. Ay's precise reign length is unknown and he could have ruled for as long as seven to nine years, since most of his monuments and his funerary temple at Medinet Habu were either destroyed or usurped by his successor, Horemheb. During this period, Ay consolidated the return to the old religious ways that he had initiated as senior advisor.
Ay worked on tomb (WV23) in the Western Valley in a tomb that was most likely intended for Tutankhamun. The tomb was discovered by Belzoni in 1816. The walls were extensively painted. The lady accompanying Ay in the paintings was not Ankhesenamun, but his older wife, Tey. A large stone sarcophagus was provided for Ay which, like Tutankhamun's, had goddesses enfolding the corners with their wings.
It appears that one of Horemheb's undertakings as Pharaoh was to eliminate all references to the monotheistic experiment, a process that included expunging the name of his immediate predecessors, especially Ay, from the historical record. Horemheb desecrated Ay's burial. Not only was the sarcophagus smashed, but his figure was hacked out and his name excised in the wall paintings and texts. However, the intact sarcophagus lid was discovered in 1972. The lid had been buried under debris in this king's tomb and still preserved Ay's cartouche. Horemheb also usurped Ay's mortuary temple at Medinet Habu for his own use. Ay's mummy survives in view of the destruction wreaked upon his tomb.
18.6 - Pharaoh Horemheb (1320-1292 BC)
Horemheb's background is virtually unknown, except that he came from Herakleopolis near the entrance of the Faiyum. He was a career officer in the army, first serving under Amenhotep III. He became Commander of the Army under Akhenaten and was later appointed King's Deputy by Tutankhamun, which made him the rightful heir to the throne. It must have angered him greatly when Ay usurped the throne from him while he was most likely away with the army.
King Ay had nominated his own son as successor, but Horemheb would not be sidelined again. Upon Ay's death in 1320 BC, Horemheb took the throne with the assistance of the army and set about restoring the status quo. He prevented the Amun priests from forming a stranglehold on power by deliberately reappointing priests who came from the Egyptian army. He divided the army itself, since he was no longer commander, into two separate units each headed by a commander of the north and a commander from the south.
Horemheb was also a builder who erected numerous temples and buildings throughout Egypt. He constructed the Second, Ninth, and Tenth Pylons of the Great Hypostyle Hall in the Temple at Karnak.
Tomb (KV57)
Because of his unexpected rise to the throne, Horemheb had a second tomb built for himself, this one in the Valley, known as tomb (KV57). The paintings on several rooms in the tomb had been finished to a very high standard. Work in other rooms, however, were still in progress when the king died. These are extremely interesting because they show the steps of construction, including the outline grids and the corrections made. This tomb is in a poor state due to ancient robberies and earth movements that occurred over the centuries.
In 1908, Theodore Davis found Horemheb's red granite sarcophagus. Like his predecessors, his sarcophagus had winged goddesses enfolding the corners. But he also had the figures of the four sons of Horus and two figures of the jackal-headed god Anubis carved in sunken relief. When it was found by Davis, it was empty and stood among the wreckage of wooden tomb furniture, of which many complete examples were to be found in Tutankhamun's tomb, 14 years later.
First Burial Tomb
Horemheb's first burial location was his private tomb in Saqqara which he had built long before becoming Pharaoh. The tomb's walls were superbly carved with scenes of his military and court career. After he became king, he sent workmen into the tomb to add the royal uraeus to his brow in the sculpted reliefs, even though he was not going to make use of the tomb.
Horemheb remained childless and appointed his vizier, Paramessu, to succeed him upon his death in 1292 BC. He would take power and establish the 19th Dynasty as Ramesses I.
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