King Tut
An Archaeologist is someone who learns how humans lived in the past by studying things found in cities, home, and burial sites.
- King of Egypt
- 1341 B.C., Egypt - 1323 B.C.
- Why he's important: The 1922 discovery of the tomb where Tut was buried helped historians learn about ancient Egypt.
When a king died in ancient Egypt, his oldest son was named the next king. It didn't matter how old the son was at the time.
King Tutankhamun - King Tut, for short - was only nine years old when he became Egypt's king in 1332 B.C. Historians didn't know much about Tutankhamun until 1922. This was the year a British archaeologist named Howard Carter uncovered Tut's tomb in the Valley of the Kings.
Tut was only 19 when he died. He was buried with golden figures and jewelry, oils and perfumes, even favorite toys from his childhood. Scenes showing Tut's funeral and his journey to the afterlife were painted on the walls.
Howad Carter searched th tom carefully two year anh he found another room. Inside that room was a coffin. It was opend to reveal a small coffin. That coffin was made of gold. Inside the gold coffin was Tut's mummified body, untouched for more than 3.000 years.
Scientists studied Tut's remains and learned that he had broken his leg shortly before he died. They think he probably got an infection that led to his death.
Tut was Egypt's king for about ten years before he died. While he was king he was likely told what to do by older people. He remains one of the most famous Egyptian kings in history because his tomb has given us so much information about his life.
It took Howard Carter and other workers 17 years to find everything in King Tut's four-room tomb.
