van Basten - Ancient Egypt: The Egypt of King Tut

Tutankhamen (ca. 1341BC ca. 1323 BC), the king of Egypts 18 th dynasty, is worldly known by the discovery of his almost intact tomb found by Howard Carter in 1922. Although he was a young king and his tomb was a humble one compared to which corresponds to a king, he was still at the head of guided by advisors such as Ay- the initial recovery of Egypt after the failed revolution of his father, now known according to DNA tests as the Heretic King Akhenaten. Tutankhamen (former Tutankhaten) restored alongside with his wife Ankhesenamun (former Ankhesenpaaten) the old religion in which the cult of Amun was the main religion, they were dedicated to restore and create temples in order to restore the splendor that made the New Kingdom of Egypt famous.

Thanks to the discovery of his tomb by Howard Carter, the boy-king Tut has become one of the best known and popular of all of Egypt's many pharaohs. His was one of the only royal tombs that have been found virtually intact. It is because of this discovery that we learned much about the life of this young king. There were also a number of inconsistencies in the burial that brought almost as many questions as were answered by the discovery.

Upon the opening of this famous tomb, Carter and his team found a huge array of sumptuous grave goods. However, they also found a very small tomb, lacking the well-known royal depictions and wide array of different paintings and inscriptions. Even the grave goods, while luxurious, did not seem fit for a king for his journey to the afterlife.

Much evidence indicates that the tomb was not actually originally intended for the young king. The size of the tomb, the lack of details, and even the sarcophagus itself have led to the theory that this tomb was hastily re-purposed for the boy-king. There is evidence that much of his tomb, including the coffins that he was buried in, had actually been intended for someone else and quickly retooled for use in Tut's burial.

The many mysteries surrounding Tut led to many fantastic rumors, including that of a curse on the tomb of the boy-king. Circumstances and seemingly sudden deaths, fueled by media coverage, helped ignite the rumor that there was a curse on the tomb and that those who worked within it or benefited from the goods within it would suffer a grisly fate. There were just enough bizarre coincidences to fuel the rumors and convince many of the existence of a curse on the tomb of King Tut.

Tut's tomb has continued to inspire and confound us. Recent research indicates that this tomb may not yet be finished providing us with an intimate look of ancient Egypt. Scans and further infrared imagining have indicated the possible presence of additional chambers within the tomb of King Tut. This has led to speculation as to what these rooms might contain. Many ideas abound, including the notion that the famous Queen Nefertiti may lie behind the walls of Tut's tomb.