The boy king of Ancient Egypt â Tutankhamun
One hundred years ago a discovery in Egypt changed the world!
British archaeologists (they study human history) found a step carved into stone. By the end of the day, they had uncovered a whole staircase.
Where did this staircase lead? Into an ancient tomb! In it was the mummified body of King Tutankhamun. He was known as King “Tut” for short!
Thatâs right, weâre talking about King Tutâs mummy.
He was a kid and a king
If you think cleaning your room is hard, imagine having to rule a kingdom! King Tut was only nine years old when he became pharaoh (king of Egypt). That’s why he was given the nickname, the Boy King.
Speaking of other names, Tutankhamun wasnât even his original name. It was Tutankhaten. But he changed it. Either way, weâd still be calling him King Tut!
He wasn’t king for very long
The Boy King ruled as pharaoh for 10 years. It’s believed he had some help from an adult or two for the first few years since he was so young.
King Tut was only 18 when he died. But in his time he worked to restore temples and monuments. He also restored relationships between Egypt and other kingdoms.
Tut’s tomb
King Tutâs tomb was discovered on November 4th. But archaeologists didnât explore inside until three weeks later. When they did, they found some serious treasure!
One of the most amazing things about King Tutâs tomb was just how untouched it was. Even footprints made by the tombâs builders were still there!
So when archaeologists got inside, they found every item King Tut had been buried with. There were 5,398 items still there with the Boy King!
The most important and impressive find was King Tut himself. He was in his solid gold coffin that sat inside of two other coffins.
They also found jewelry, a chariot, bows and arrows, food and even underwear!
One of the most famous pharaohs ever… eventually
Funnily enough, Tutankhamun wasn’t that big a deal to Egyptians during his time. But all that changed in the afterlife. He became one of the most famous pharaohs ever!
In 1922, everyone got “Tut-mania.” Ancient Egypt became the big trend in fashion, film, art, music and even furniture.
And weâre still nuts about Tut! There are museum exhibits that continue to attract tons of people. And you can find King Tut as a comic book villain going up against Batman
