Tutankhamun
Short Biography, Information & Facts
about Tutankhamun, the famous pharaoh and king of Egypt
Biography, Facts and
information about the life of a Pharaoh
The term
pharaoh was the title given to a ancient
Egyptian kings, such as Tutankhamun. An ancient Egyptian king, or
pharaoh, was considered to be a living god and worshipped as a
deity. The pharaoh was an absolute ruler of Egypt and both the political
and religious leader.
Short Biography of
the life of Tutankhamun
The history, facts and information about
Tutankhamun, a
famous pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.
The following short biography information
provides basic facts about the life Tutankhamun:
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Tutankhamun also known as
King Tut
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Tutankhamun was first known as
Tutankhaten, meaning "Living Image of Aten"
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In the third year of his
reign he changed his name to
Tutankhamun, meaning "Living Image of Amun" when the reforms and
religion of his heretic father Akehenaten were reversed from worshipping
just one god, the Aten, to worshipping the old gods, the chief of which
was Amun
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Alternative spellings of the
name Tutankhamun: Tutenkhamen and Tutenkhamon
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Egyptian Period / Kingdom:
New Kingdom
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Dynasty: Tutankhamun ruled in the Eighteenth
Egyptian Dynasty
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Name of Previous Pharaoh:
Akhenaten 1351 BC -1337 BC
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Years of Reign: 1334 BC
-1325 BC
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Succeeded by: Smenkhkare
(1336 BC -1334 BC)
-
There is some speculation
that the Pharaoh referred to Smenkhkare Ankhetkheperure was in fact
a woman due to the feminine spelling of the name. Further speculation
questions whether Smenkhkare Ankhetkheperure could have been Nefertiti, Akhenaten's
Chief Wife and the mother-in-law and stepmother of Tutankhamun
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Lifespan of Pharaoh
Tutankhamun: 1343 BC - 1325 BC
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Tutankhamun Year of Birth: 1343 BC
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Family of Tutankhamun
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Father of Tutankhamun: His father was
Akhenaten, the heretic king
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Mother of Tutankhamun: His mother was
believed to be Kiya
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Stepmother: Nefertiti, chief
wife of his father Akhanaten and daughter of Ay
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Chief Wife: The chief wife
and consort of Tutankhamun was Ankhesenpaaten (aka Ankhesanamum and
Ankhesenamen), his half sister
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Children: None survived. His
two daughters were still born and were buried with Tutankhamun
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Grand Vizier: Ay who was
also the father of Nefertiti, his stepmother. Ay was also the
grandfather of Ankhesenpaaten, the wife of Tutankhamun
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General of the Armies:
Horemheb (who was also designated heir to the throne)
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Year of Death of Tutankhamun: 1325 BC
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Location of the
Burial Site: Valley of the Kings
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Tomb of Tutankhamun reference number: KV62
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Name of Egyptologist who
discovered the burial site, or tomb, of Tutankhamun: Howard Carter
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Why
Tutankhamun
was famous: This relatively minor boy king was made famous by the
discovery of his intact tomb KV62, complete with all of its wonderful
treasures, by the Egyptologist Howard Carter.
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Biography and
accomplishments: Background to the life of Tutankhamun - The chaotic
reign of one of his predecessors, Akhenaten, radically changed Ancient
Egypt from a polytheistic religion, with many gods, to monotheism (the
worship of one god). Akhenaten used the might of the army and its
powerful military commanders to destroy the old religion and its
priesthood. He moved the entire population of Thebes to his new city of
Armana. The traditional temple based economy, run by priests of Amun,
had been replaced by the new regime, run by local administrators and
military commanders. The new economy began to collapse due to the greed
and corruption of the new officials. The Egyptian people were unhappy
with the changes. Akhenaten did nothing to restore order and was forced
to abdicate. The army were torn between their loyalty to the Pharaoh and
their loyalty to the people. Compromises had to be made. Temples to the
old gods were reopened, their worship was allowed and the roles of some
of the priests of Amun were restored. But the god Aten remained as the
supreme god, allowing continued worship to the Aten. At this time a
mysterious Pharaoh called Smenkhkare took the throne, who could have
been Nefertiti. It then passed to Tutankhamun.
-
Tutankhamun Biography and
accomplishments: Tutankhamun was born c1343 BC and was brought up in Armana
(dedicated to the god Aten) the city established by his father Akhenaten.
He was 9 years old when he was made Pharaoh in 1334 BC. During the same
year he married Ankhesenpaaten, his half sister,
the third daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti.
In the third year of his reign, due to pressure
from the traditionalists, he changed his name from Tutankhaten to
Tutankhamun. Queen
Ankhesenpaaten also changed her name to Ankhesenamun, reflecting
the growing acceptance of the old god Amun.
During year 4 of his reign he, and the royal
court, moved
back to the old capital at Thebes
(modern day Luxor) which was also the center of worship of the Ancient
Egyptian god Amun and the power base of the Amun priests.
The boy King Tutankhamun was advised by
his Grand Vizier Ay who held enormous power over Tutankhamun.
He was also supported by the military
led by General Horemheb.
During the reign of Tutankhamun (1334 BC -1325 BC) Horemheb was
designated as the Boy King's "Deputy" and was recognised as heir to
Tutankhamun. The children of Queen
Ankhesenpaaten and Tutankhamun did
not survive. His two daughters were still born and were buried with
Tutankhamun. During his reign Tutankhamun commissioned various building
work including the restoration of some temple properties at Karnak and
Thebes. There were also military campaigns in Nubia and Syria during his
reign, although it is doubtful that Tutankhamun played any part in them.
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Tutankhamun died at the age of 18/19 and his cause of death remains a mystery and
subject to much speculation. Did Tutankhamun die a natural death or was
he murdered? Who might have killed Tutankhamun? His tomb was hastily
constructed by Ay who succeeded him to the Egyptian throne. For a full biography
and full details of his life and mysterious death please refer to the
Sitemap.
Tutankhamun
Each section of this Ancient Egyptian website addresses all topics and
provides interesting facts and information about the Golden Age of
Pharaohs and of Tutankhamun. The Sitemap provides full details
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important dates and events and accomplishments.
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