Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun, or King Tut, was a pharaoh of Egypt's 18th dynasty who reigned from 1336-1327 B.C. There has been much controversy over his lineage over the years. Tut was probably the son of Pharaoh Smenkhkare, a brother of Akhenaten who ruled briefly in 1336 BC.[1] Akhenaten, the "heretic pharaoh," replaced Egypt's traditional polytheism with the monotheistic cult of Aten. Tutankhamun restored polytheism and the cult of Amun.
Tut was 10 or 11 when he came to throne.[1] Tut married Ankhesenamun, a daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Meritaton, Tut's mother, was also a daughter of Akhenaten. On the paternal side, the royal couple were first cousins. On the maternal side, they were aunt and nephew. Both of their children were girls who were born prematurely and died immediately.[2] Tut named army commander Horemheb as his successor. However, Horemheb was away on campaign when Tut died unexpectedly. Tut 19 years old when he died.[1][3] Ay, Tut's vizier, succeeded him as pharaoh.
In the 19th dynasty, Akhenaten, Smenkhkare, Tut, and Ay were all treated as illegitimate rulers. Their names are omitted from the Abydos king list and an effort was made to remove all mention of them in records and on monuments. In 19th century, the history of this period was reconstructed by archeologists.
Tut's tomb was discovered intact by Howard Carter in 1922, still filled with gold, virtually untouched by looters. In 2010, genetic testing established that mummy KV55, discovered in 1907, is Tut's father, and that mummy KV35YL ("the Younger Lady"), discovered in 1898, is his mother. The large wound on the left side of the Younger Lady's face was made while she was still alive, so it appears that she was murdered.[3] If Smenkhkare and his wife were assassinated together, that could explain why his reign was so short. The tests also showed that the two mummies are close relatives. (Smenkhkare and Meritaton were uncle and niece.)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Allen, James, "The Amarna Succession, Causing His Name to Live: Studies in Egyptian Epigraphy and History in Memory of William J. Murnane, University of Memphis, 2007.
- ↑ The tragedy of Queen Ankhesenamun, sister and wife of Tutankhamun
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hawass, Z., Y. Gad, et al., "Ancestry and Pathology in King Tutankhamun’s Family" (2010), JAMA.