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Who was Tutankhamun?

Tutankhamun was one of the ancient Kings of Egypt called Pharoahs. He had  the titles: 'Lord of the Two Lands' and 'High Priest of Every Temple'. The Pharoah owned all the land in Egypt and the people had to pay taxes to him. He made the laws, represented the gods here on earth and was in charge of the temples, so he was very powerful indeed. He would also be the one to lead the army of Egypt in a war, and some pharaohs conquered foreign lands. 

Where and when wasTutankhamun born?

Tutankhamun was probably born at Akhetaten which was the capital city of Egypt in about the year 1346 BC, and he became Pharoah at the age of about 9 in about 1333 BC. Because he was so young when he became Pharoah, his grown up advisors would have ruled Egypt on his behalf at first.

Who were his father and mother?

We are not certain, but it is likely to have been Pharoah Akhenaten and one of his wives, Kiya.

What did Tutankhamun look like?

This is a reconstruction of the Boy King's head which was produced in 2005 using CT scans and the latest forensic techniques for National Geographic. We think that he was about 5 feet 7 inches tall.

Was Tutankhamun married?

Yes, his wife was called Ankhesenamun, she may have also been his sister. They had two children who were sadly both stillborn, and were put into Tutankhamun’s tomb with him.

What did Tutankhamun eat?

Egyptians ate meat, especially ducks, which lived on the River Nile, ox meat, fish which was caught in the river, wheat and barley bread, grapes, figs and other foods. They depended very much on the River Nile for their food. Some food, like the ducks and fish, came directly from the river, and some, like the wheat for the bread, grew in the soil which the River Nile made fertile when it flooded every year.

What did Tutankhamun wear?

Egyptians used linen to make many of their clothes, which were often white. Men wore a kind of kilt, and as Pharoah, Tutankhamun had ceremonial clothes like the very elaborate collar the one he is wearing in this picture.

Here Queen Ankhesenamun is anointing Tutankhamun with perfume.

How did Tutankhamun travel around?

Egyptians lives revolved around the River Nile and the most important way of getting around was by boat. The boats were made of bundles of reeds, because they did not have many trees, so could not use wood.             

He would also have had chariots and horses, although most ordinary people did not have horses but used an animal like a mule called an onagar.

Tutankhamun grew up in a palace and would have had lots of servants and the best of everything.

For fun he probably liked sport and would have gone hunting for birds mainly ducks which were common around the river Nile where they lived and maybe fishing too. The ancient Egyptians had special sticks which they threw to hunt for birds, and they sometimes took cats with them when they were hunting. Hunting was an important way of getting food, but was also considered sport.

Tutankhamun would also have played board games such as Senet, a game for two. This is a travelling version of Senet, made of ivory and painted.

He would have listened to music being played on an instrument like a guitar, called a lute, maybe he even played the lute himself. There were also flutes which made high notes like modern ones do.

How old was he when Tutankhamun died?

Tutankhamun reigned for around 9 years, making him about 18 when he died.

The funerary mask of Tutankhamun is an amazing example of the goldsmith's art.

The mask is made from solid gold inlaid with lapis lazuli, cornelian, quartz, obsidian, turquoise and colored glass.

Two older officials known from Tutankhamun's reign, Aye and Horemheb, went on to sit on the throne following the boy king's death. Their reigns mark the end of the 18th Dynasty.

Information sourced from The British Museum website, the Tutankhamun Exhibition website and Wikipedia