Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun belongs to the eighteenth dynasty of Egyptian rulers. He reigned from 1347 to 1337 BC. The degree of his relationship with the predecessor Amenhotep IV for scientists is still a mystery. It is possible that the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun was the younger brother of Akhenaten and the son of the father of the latter - Amenhotep III. There are those who believe that he was a royal son-in-law. After all, he was not even ten years old, but he was already married to one of the daughters of Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti.
Years of rule
Pharaoh Tutankhamun received the throne at the age of nine. He was brought up in the spirit of atonism. This is the cult of the sun god Aton, which was introduced in Egypt by Amenhotep IV. However, in reality the government in the country passed to two educators and regents of the young pharaoh - Eye and Horemheb, former associates of Akhenaten,
who anathematized the teachings of their former patron immediately after his death.
Having ascended the throne early, the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun left no significant trace in history: historians only know that during the years of his reign, the process of restoration of religious cults began in the country. Many of them were rejected for the supreme Aton. It was Tutankhamun, whose name was originally called "Tutankhaton", canceled it, proving his desire to revive the ancient cult of Amon.
To the new gods
This became known when archaeologists managed to decipher the text of a large stele erected by him in the main temple of this god in Karnak. From there it became known that the pharaoh Tutankhamun not only returned to the previous cult, but also returned to the priests worshiping Amon all their rights and possessions.
True, the changes did not occur immediately. The first four years after his accession to the throne and, according to historians, under the influence of Queen Nefertiti, the pharaoh Tutankhamun still continued to rule from Ahetaton. And only after the death of their mother, the supporters of the former cult of religion were able to finally prevail.
But, having left the territory of Ahetaton, the court of the pharaoh did not return to Thebes, but moved to Memphis. Of course, Pharaoh Tutankhamun from time to time called in to this southern capital. There, he even participated in major city festivities in honor of Amon. Nevertheless, for reasons unknown to historians, he chose Memphis as his permanent residence.
Restoring the cult of all the old gods, including Amon, Pharaoh Tutankhamun did not persecute the previous priests. He ordered the images of the Sun and Akhenaten to be left untouched. Moreover, in some of the inscriptions the ruler called himself “the son of Aton”.
Foreign policy
During his reign, Egypt began to gradually restore its international influence, which pretty much shook under the previous pharaoh-reformer. Thanks to the determination of the commander Horemheb, who soon after his mysterious death became the last ruler of the eighteenth dynasty, Tutankhamun managed to strengthen the position of his state in Syria and Ethiopia. Perhaps the domestic “pacification” achieved by this young king through the efforts of his closest associates, led by Eye, contributed a lot to strengthen the country's external position. In honor of the victory over Syria, Karnak even depicted the arrival of the royal ship, on which there were prisoners in a cage.
Achievements
According to historians, at the same time, Egypt led successful military battles in Nubia. Some researchers claim that Pharaoh Tutankhamun enriched his temples with trophies from military booty. From the inscription in the tomb of Amenhotep - the governor of Nubia, who was abbreviated as Khai, it became known that some tribes paid tribute.
During the reign of the pharaoh Tutankhamun, whose photo of the funeral mask is even in school books, he led the intensive restoration of many shrines of the former gods destroyed under his predecessor. And he did this not only in Egypt, but also in the Nubian city of Kush. It is known for certain about several temples, including in Cava and Faras. Later, however, Horemheb and Eye mercilessly erased the cartouches of Tutankhamun, usurping everything that had been erected under him.
He definitely had a brilliant future, but he died unexpectedly, without even having time to leave an heir behind him.
Circumstances of the death
Despite the fact that this famous Egyptian ruler lived more than thirty-three centuries ago, the mystery that covers the history of the pharaoh Tutankhamun, the mystery of his death and mummification continues to interest scientists.
The death of Pharaoh Tutankhamun - the ruler of the New Kingdom - overtook at a very young age. At the time of his death, he was barely nineteen years old. Such an early death has long been considered sufficient reason to call it unnatural. Some historians believe that the pharaoh Tutankhamun was killed on the orders of his own regent Eye, who later became the new ruler.
The answer to death
Recent studies, however, inspire some hope that the mystery of the death of this boy king can be found. The find of his tomb in 1922 was a real sensation. Among the few graves that have survived after millennia in a relatively pristine form, the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamun was amazing. It was stuffed with ivory and gold, as well as various ornaments. Among them was the famous funeral mask of the pharaoh Tutankhamun.
However, the way the king was buried seems very strange. Perhaps this says that in his death, not everything is “pure”. Most of all, scientists suspect the grave of the young man herself. Its small size and unfinished finish indicate that this young ruler died suddenly. It is this circumstance and a number of others that lead to the idea that his demise is violent.
Investigation
3300 years after the mysterious death of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, British film producer Anthony Jeffen began investigating this ancient mystery. To this end, he even hired two modern detectives - former FBI investigator Greg Cooper and director of the forensic department at the Ogden (Utah) police department, Mike King.
An extensive amount of materials was handed over to the detectives. These were not only scientific works or photos of the tomb of Tutankhamun, x-ray analyzes of his mummy and the conclusions of many experts. Based on all this, the detectives tried to solve the mystery of the death of the pharaoh using the methods of modern forensics. And they, surprisingly, managed to prove that Pharaoh Tutankhamun was killed. Moreover, they, they said, were even able to figure out the killer. However, many famous Egyptologists consider the findings of these detectives to be complete nonsense. Moreover, they believe that the studies of Cooper and King are concocted from old theories, and therefore cannot be taken seriously.
Amazing tomb
The tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamun, which experts call the object KV62, is located in the "Valley of the Kings". This is almost the only tomb, which is almost not plundered. And therefore, it reached the scientists in its original form, despite the fact that it was twice opened by tomb thieves.
It was discovered in 1922 by famous Egyptologists: the British Howard Carter and the amateur archaeologist Lord Carnarvon. The tomb, which they found, was simply amazed: the jewelry was perfectly preserved in it, but most importantly - it contained a sarcophagus with a mummified body.
In the eyes of historians and archaeologists, Tutankhamun remained a secondary little-known pharaoh. Moreover, even doubts were expressed in general about the reality of the existence of such a pharaoh. This misconception continued until the beginning of the twentieth century. Therefore, the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun began to be considered as the greatest event.
Discovery of the Century
On November 4, 1922, when the entrance to his tomb was cleared, it was discovered that the door seals were intact. This inspired hope for one of the largest archaeological discoveries of the century.
On November 26 of that year, Carter and Carnarvon descended into the tomb for the first time in three millennia.
After several months of excavation, on February 16, 1923, Carter was finally able to descend into the "holy of holies" - into the burial chamber. It was called the “Golden Chamber” - the place where the sarcophagus and the mummy of the pharaoh Tutankhamun were. Among the numerous utensils and objects buried with the ruler, many examples of art were found that bore the stamp of the influence of the culture of the Amarna period.
Fame
The owner of all these treasures, then still a completely unknown and unexplored young Egyptian ruler, immediately turned into an object that attracted increased attention around the world. And this phenomenal discovery itself not only turned his name into well-known, but also caused a surge of interest in all other traces of this ancient civilization in the modern world.
Curse of Pharaoh Tutankhamun
After Egyptologists Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter discovered this tomb in the "Valley of the Kings", the history of the mummy began to be enveloped in many secrets and fears.
Less than two months after the mummy of Pharaoh Tutankhamun was found, on April 5, 1923, the 57-year-old Lord Carnarvon died in the Cairo hotel Continental. As stated in the conclusion, death overtook him as a result of a "mosquito bite." But that was only the beginning. Then followed the demise of several more people - participants in the excavation. All of them descended into the tomb of Tutankhamun. They turned out to be: Wood, a radiologist who examined the mummy directly in the tomb, La Fleur, a professor of literature from England, Mays, a conservation specialist, and Howard Carter’s assistant, Richard Befil. Journalists talked about the curse that the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun brings.
Lord Carnarvon's death was indeed strange: he supposedly died from pneumonia, which began after a mosquito bite. However, by mystical coincidence, the light went out all over Cairo at the moment of his death, and the lord's dog whined mournfully in his homeland, in distant London. A few minutes later she fell dead.
But even this did not end the curse of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. As reported in information sources, many Egyptians - local residents who participated in the excavation, died soon after the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun was opened.
Mysticism was added by the death of five Europeans, who were also directly related to the find. One of them suddenly died of a fever, the other from a heart attack or from exhaustion.
No curse exists
The British took all the treasures of the tomb of Tutankhamun and sent to their museums. But when people around the world began to say that the curse of the pharaohs was overtaking anyone who was involved in the “desecration” of their graves, films and novels were written on this subject.
But even if it existed, for some reason it did not affect everyone. For example, the same Howard Carter lived to old age and died at sixty-four years old, having lived for seventeen years after opening the sarcophagus.
In contrast to the mystical explanation of this curse, some pseudoscientific sources began to logically justify the causes of death of all those people who visited the tombs or came into contact with mummies. Three possible versions stand out. This is the action of poisons present in the sarcophagus and laid during burial, the effect of some radioactive elements or fungus that multiplies in the grave mold.
In addition, Egyptologists indicate that in the religious and magical practice of this civilization there was no such thing as a “curse”, and many people who were studying other tombs did not experience any problems with mysticism. Therefore, scientists accuse journalists of creating this legend, who made a sensation from each of the deaths of those who were associated with the tomb of Tutankhamun.