1922, in the — entists went to to excavate an area of Egypt near Cairo where ancient sites. Carter worked with numerous tombs have been dis- several different archaeologists covered. When ’s and was praised for his sketch burial chambers were finally work. Through this introduction, King Tut Found! opened, everything was as it had he learned about archaeology been the day he was entombed. and became even more interest- The mask made of gold is only Today, Tutankhamun’s gold ed in ancient Egyptian culture. one of numerous treasures bur- By 1907, a wealthy Englishman mask is an iconic symbol of an- ied with the young king. named Lord Carnarvon hired cient Egypt. King Tut, as he is Howard Carter was born in 1874 Carter to lead excavations in known, was young when he be- in London. Carter’s father was a Egypt. Carnarvon was also fasci- came , and he did not well-connected artist. Through nated with . An aris- live long. As a result, his fame his father’s work painting a fa- tocrat, he provided the financial as a ruler was minor. Why, then, mous Egyptologist, Carter grew backing for the meticulous, or is his image on the golden mask interested in the ancient culture. painstaking, work required to ex- so recognizable? Tutankhamun is Like his father, young Carter was cavate a site. Archaeological work famous today because when his artistic. Using family connections, is slow and precise, and it requires tomb was discovered, it was filled at seventeen Carter headed to a team of people. They must pa- with riches. Unlike other ancient Egypt to sketch artifacts for ar- tiently dig through sand, rock, or Egyptian tombs, his had not been chaeologists as a record of their earth in hope of finding artifacts. robbed. Archaeologist and Egyp- findings. With the British occu- Success can take a long time; thus tologist Howard Carter found pation of Egypt in the late nine- it is expensive to finance an exca- King Tut’s tomb on November 4, teenth century, many British sci- continued >

Valley of the Kings M ean Se ISRAEL editerran a N A IV D R N

O Cairo J Son of Ramesses III SAUDI Yuya and Thuya ARABIA Merenptah Ramesses II EGYPT N Ramesses IX i LIBYA le Tutankhamun Sons of Ramesses II

Ramesses V/VI Ramesses IX R e d Valley of the Kings R S i

v e a e Amenhotep II

r I Ramesses X Ramesses 11 Bey Political Border SUDAN Mentuherkepshef Seti II Thutmose IV

Wife of Thutmose III Tomb entrances or Sennefer Valley of the Kings Thutmose II Geography News Network 10/28/16 © 2016 – 1 – from previous page > vation. Most royal sites in the Val- as the site for his burial, and the mense shrine covered with gold ley of the Kings had already been work to build his tomb began. It inlaid with brilliant blue faience discovered and excavated by the was common for many citizens of [ceramic]. This beautiful wooden late 1800s and early 1900s. How- ancient Egypt to plan their burial construction towers nearly to the ever, in 1914, Carnarvon received site during their lifetime, not just ceiling. . . .” royals. a license to dig at a site believed In the burial chamber, Tut was Although Lord Carnarvon had to be the resting place of the then found in a stone sarcophagus that received the license from the little-known pharaoh called Tut- contained three separate coffins, Egyptian government to dig there, ankhamun, in hope of making a nested each inside the next. The World War I had disrupted the new archaeological discovery. final coffin was made of solid gold progress. Money was running low Tutankhamun became pharaoh with the of the pharaoh and Carnarvon had grown disap- during the New Kingdom period of still inside. Altogether, there were pointed in Carter. He gave him an Egyptian history. He inherited the thousands of artifacts within his ultimatum, or a last warning, that throne when he was only about tomb. Howard Carter and Lord this season would have to be the nine years old. His rule lasted Carnarvon had indeed made the last. Work at the site resumed. from about 1332 to 1323 b.c. Tu- archaeological discovery of a life- On November 4, 1922, a worker tankhamun is believed to have time. using a stick in the sand to scour been the son of Pharaoh Akhenat- Today, many of the artifacts the site discovered what appeared en, based on recent DNA tests. At Carter found are on display at to be a step. He called Carter over. the time Tut became king, Egypt the Museum of Egyptian Antiqui- The steps the worker found led had just endured ’s ties in Cairo, Egypt. Objects from down to a door. With an unbroken reign. During his rule, Akhenaten Tutankhamun’s tomb have also seal on the door, the Egyptologist been shown in touring exhibits outlawed the civilization’s tradi- had high hopes for this find. Until tional polytheistic religion—one throughout the world. Notably, Carter foot in the first cham- as a diplomatic gift to the United that worships many gods. Instead, ber, no one had disturbed the site he instilled a new, monotheistic States in 1976, for the country’s in the over three thousand years bicentennial, govern- religion based on worshipping since Tut’s death. On November one god, a sun god called . He ment helped organize one of the 26, Carter and Carnarvon en- most well-known tours of King Tut spent Egypt’s vast wealth building tered the tomb. It was filled with a new capital called , while artifacts. golden objects, art, statues, and Modern DNA analysis of Tut- ignoring political problems such more. The walls were painted with as maintaining the vast kingdom’s ankhamun shows that he was a huge scenes. Large figures of god- frail king. He had several strains borders. The empire was in near desses stood guard. There was of malaria and a bone disease that chaos. much to go through and catalog. gave him a deformed left foot. He When Tut became pharaoh, he They did not reach the innermost likely had to walk with assistance, was too young to rule. He had an chamber with the sarcophagus and his tomb did include canes, administration to provide leader- that contained Tut’s mummy until or walking sticks, among the ar- ship. They ended the new religion February 16, 1923. tifacts. His parents were brother and restored the empire’s tradi- An observer of the events re- and sister, which likely contrib- tional polytheistic beliefs. Ama- porting by telegram for the New uted to his genetic disorders and rna was no longer the capital. The York Times described the scene of frailty, although this practice of new, young pharaoh changed his first opening the inner chamber. inbreeding was not unusual at the name to symbolize this restora- “The process of opening this door- time in ancient Egypt. Scientists tion. He had been known as Tu- way, bearing the royal insignia and believe that the embalming pro- tankhaten, which meant “living guarded by the protective stat- cess used for royalty—which was image of Aten,” but he became utes of the King, had taken sev- of a higher quality and quantity Tutankhamun, to honor in- eral hours of careful manipulation than that used for the rest of the stead. Amun was one of the tra- under the intense heat. It finally population—was especially help- ditional religion’s most powerful ended in a wonderful revelation, gods. for before the spectators was the ful in preserving Tutankhamun’s From studying his mummy, sci- resplendent [magnificent] mauso- DNA and that of his royal family entists believe Tutankhamun was leum of the King, a spacious and for study thousands of years after about nineteen when he died. beautifully decorated chamber their deaths. He picked the Valley of the Kings completely occupied by an im- continued > – 2 – Today, regardless of his frailty, because of the splendors buried icon of the riches and history of his young age, or his modest rule, with him in his tomb. His face on ancient Egypt. he is known throughout the world the golden mask has become an

CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS PRACTICE

ACTIVITIES AND QUESTIONS Describing: If you were the first to enter Tut’s tomb, how might you describe what was found there? Con- duct research to see examples of the artifacts from his tomb, to help you answer. Explaining: Why are archaeological digs expensive? Inferring: Why were scientists interested in studying King Tut’s DNA? Drawing Conclusions: Why is King Tut famous?

Brought to you by Geography News Network. October 28, 2016 #210.

SOURCES http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/entrance-to-king-tuts-tomb-discovered http://www.biography.com/people/king-tut-9512446 http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/tutankhamun.shtml http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/160317-king-tut-tomb-hidden-chambers-radar-egypt-archaeolo- gy/ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100216-king-tut-malaria-bones-inbred-tutankhamun/

CLASSROOM RESOURCES http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/04/160401-king-tut-tomb-radar-scan--archaeology/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/tutankhamun_gallery.shtml http://www.sca-egypt.org/eng/mus_egyptian_museum.htm

Becky Sicking: Becky Sicking has had a 15-year career as an editor and academic designer for McGraw-Hill Education, one of the top education publishers in the industry. Her area of expertise is middle school Social Studies where she recently spearheaded the digital development of a national world geography program.

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