Tutankhamun He has always been a fascinating figure. Perhaps its history, perhaps the mystery that has always surrounded the Egyptian world, or perhaps the many legends that have always been told as a result of the mysterious deaths of some of the members of that expedition that in 1922 discovered the remains of the tomb of this mythical pharaoh.
Even now, the knowledge of this pharaoh has become more relevant, after the presentation of Tutankhamun’s face has been announced to great fanfare. Only 55 people, until now, had been able to see the mummy, 3,000 years old, uncovered, and know what his features were presumably. A face, that of the young pharaoh, that everyone will now be able to admire from behind the urn in which his mummy has been placed in the Valley of the Kings, in Luxor.
November 4, 1922. It was a cold morning. They had been studying the area for months, looking for a tomb that would make profitable the heavy investments that had been made. George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbet, 5th Earl of CarnavonHe had invested his entire personal estate in discovering an inviolate tomb, and had even decided to abandon all excavations in desperation after spending years funding research throughout Egypt. The director of his last project was Howard Carterwho had to convince him to extend his funding for just one more year.
Sump he had discovered a place in the Valley of the Kings, just below the tomb of Ramses VI, where much debris had accumulated over the centuries. It was precisely the proximity to this tomb, already open to the public, that made it difficult to study the area, since it complicated obtaining the necessary permits to excavate in the area. Therefore, Carter decided that the best time would be in the fall, when there would be fewer tourists.
On the morning of that November 4, the workers shouted alerting the archaeologist. Like a spring he went to the place. In front of him rose a stairway carved out of the limestone. When Howard Carter down it, in front of him opened the source of all his dreams. There they were. the seals of Tutankhamun’s tomband also intact. Calm, Carter maintained his natural curiosity, covered the entrance again, and wrote to Lord Carnavon to notify him of the good news. It did not take long for the millionaire English lord to appear in Luxor. On November 24, Lord Carnavon he was already in front of the sealed door of the tomb.
That day the tomb was officially opened. Behind the front door, a corridor opened up, leading to a second door, also with its seals intact. When Carter crossed it, always in front, he could not help but answer behind him, where Lord Carnavon waited impatiently, who before his eyes only extended «wonderful things«.
Gold glittered everywhere; chariots, alabaster figures, riches everywhere spread out before his startled eyes. however, the interior showed traces that the tomb had been violated in antiquity, many centuries ago, which will never allow us to know what real riches were originally found there.
That discovery became famous throughout the world; a world that at that time lived as an unprecedented adventure the great discoveries that one after another were being made in Egypt. The opening of the burial chamber was an event that received worldwide attention. On February 17, 1923, before the entire world press, he removed the bricks that closed the burial chamber. What was behind stunned everyone. The photos of that discovery traveled the world from Australia to Canada, from China to England.
Behind the door, a wooden chapel, lined with gold, contained priceless treasures. Inside there was a second chapel, this one, with intact seals, and therefore, inviolate since the pharaoh was buried in it. The first chapel is what we know today as Treasure Chamberand in it were found, among other things, the alabaster vessels where the viscera of the pharaoh were kept for the remains.
It was not until 1925 that the seals of the second of the chambers that had been found were broken. The dig was already in American hands, since Howard Carter had had to give it up a year earlier. Lord Carnavon had already died, victim of a strange virus, which they blamed to be the curse of the mummy.
Inside that second chamber they found a large sarcophagus containing three other sarcophagi. The last of them was solid gold and contained the mummy of the young man egyptian pharaoh tutankhamun.
Since then, and until today, no one had been able to see his face. No one knew of the physiognomy of the young pharaoh. Carter was blamed for many barbarities that were done inside the tomb, by looting it in a bad way. Zahi Hawass, current director of Egyptian archaeology, always complained about Carter’s mistreatment of the tomb. Those archaeologists came to destroy the mummy into 18 different pieces in order to rip out how much value she had on top of it. They separated her pelvis from her trunk, ripped off her limbs, and even, after removing all her belongings, glued her parts together with resin.
Be that as it may, today, Tutankhamun rests in his glass urn, in his tomb kv62in the Valley of the Kings, in Luxor, already in the public eye.
Curiosities about the tomb of Tutankhamun
The Tutankhamun’s tomb It is one of those legendary places that are surrounded by myths and legends that have passed through the centuries, even millennia. These are some of the curiosities that surround the famous tomb of Tutankhamun, one of the most famous pharaohs of ancient Egypt.
Many people will not know that Tutankhamun was crowned pharaoh when he was only 8 or 9 years old. Obviously, at such a young age, others were the ones who really made the decisions in his place, in this case the managers were Ay, Nefertiti’s father, and a general member of her council, named Horemheb.
Tutankhamun only ruled ancient Egypt for about a decade, dying shortly after when he was still little more than a teenager.
Tutankhamun died from an infection in his leg. For a time it was thought that he might have been killed since he had a blow to the front of his head. However, it has been discovered that this blow was produced accidentally after the pharaoh’s death and that this was not the true cause of death.
When it comes to Tutankhamun’s family, it’s all pretty confusing. It is known that his father was married to Nefertiti, with whom he had 6 children, but he also had another younger wife, whose son Tutankhamun is supposed to be. In turn, the pharaoh married one of the daughters that his father had with this second wife, that is, he married his own sister. As for the pharaoh’s offspring, he did not have children, although it is known that his wife became pregnant twice, although she had to abort.
Tutankhamun’s father decided to change his name as he wanted to stop worshiping the deity Amon. In his place, he named his son Tutankaten. However, given the discontent generated by this new name among his people, when he was old enough to make his own decisions, Tutankhamun abolished many of the laws and decisions promulgated by his father, including reestablishing his name. like Tutankhamun.
In short, it is worth mentioning that Tutankhamun has gone down in history as the most famous and well-known pharaoh, perhaps because he had to rule in a rather turbulent time in ancient Egypt. But the truth is that he was just a child who was forced to rule ageless to do so, and that he died when he was just a teenager.
Next, we leave you with a video about the tomb of Tutankhamun and with an article about the pyramids of Egypt in case you want to expand the INFO of the article.
Video about Tutankhamun
In the following video you can watch a documentary about Tutankhamun’s tomb and find out who Tutankhamun really was:
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