Discovering Tut

DISCOVERING TUT :
THE SAGA CONTINUES

CHAPTER-3, HORNBILL
AUTHOR: A.R WILLIAMS
Ann Williams is a former senior writer for National
Geographic magazine and online news, where she
covered the world and all that’s in it for almost three
decades. She specialized in archaeology, writing
features that took her from Egypt to Alaska.
Williams received a B.A. in classical and Near Eastern
archaeology from Bryn Mawr College and an M.A. in
West Asian archaeology, with minors in Egyptology
and Akkadian cuneiform, from the University of
Toronto.
ABOUT THE CHAPTER
The last heir of the great Pharaoh Dynasty,
Tutankhamun , died in his teenage after
ruling for 9 years.
His death gave birth to a mystery.
His tomb was discovered in 1922 and this led
people to speculate about the cause of his
death.
This chapter talks about all the possible
mysteries: the curse, his tomb , archaeology,
the scientific intervention ,his life and death.
VALLEY OF THE KINGS
King Tut’s mummy is rested in a tomb
in the ancient EGYPTIAN cemetery
known as the VALLEY OF THE KINGS
On 5th January 2005 the mummy was
taken out for a CT scan
Throughout the day there were
tourists. Late afternoon, an angry
wind stirred and by evening the sky
was scudded with clouds . The
mummy was taken out at 6p.m.
Tourists talk in whispers
Egyptians believe - Death or misfortune befalls the person who

disturbs the king at rest.
CARTER
DISCOVERS
TUT’S TOMB
IN THE YEAR 1922, HIS TOMB
WAS EXPOSED BY HOWARD
CARTER, AN ARCHAEOLOGIST.
IT WAS THE RICHEST
ROYAL COLLECTION
His tomb was found rock-cut,
26 feet under the ground,
which also had some wall
paintings. It was a sensational
discovery .
Stunning artifacts in gold,
their eternal brilliance meant
to guarantee resurrection.
The coffin with funerary
treasures reveals that he was
buried in the month of
March or April.
Mummy was
stuck to the coffin
Haward Carter couldn’t take
the mummy out as the ritual
resins had stuck it to the base
of the coffin.
He kept it in the blazing sun
but the resins did not melt.
He then chiseled the mummy
and took it out.
After recording the findings
he placed it back as earlier.
❖His father or grandfather, Amenhotep III, was a very
powerful Pharaoh who ruled over a period of 40 years.
❖His son, Amenhotep IV, succeeded him and initiated
THE the strangest period in the history of Egypt. His name
FAMILY changed to Akhenaten which means servant of Athens.
He changed the religious capital from Thebes to
HISTORY Amarna. Later he attacked Amun, a god, ruined his
images and shut his temples.
❖Another mysterious ruler Smenkhkare appeared
briefly and exited without a trace.
❖Tutankhaten , was made the king at a very young age .
❖He changed his name to Tutankhamun ,( living image
of Amun) and wanted to restore the golden period.
❖He ruled for 9 years.
Focus of archeology
has shifted :
In the past few decades,
archaeology has changed as it
now focuses on the details of
life and the mysteries of
death.
Earlier, it was about focusing
on the treasure. Now, it uses
more advanced medical
technologies and tools for
research. In 1968, an anatomy
professor X-rayed King Tut’s
mummy and revealed that the
front limbs and breast bone
were missing.
THE CT SCAN , sanctioned
by Zahi Hawass
A portable CT machine donated by
National Geographic Society and
Siemens was used.
The body was taken for a CT scan
which takes hundreds of X-Rays and
generates a 3D image.
A team of radiologists , forensics and
anatomy researchers probed the
secrets of the mummy.
IMAGE OF THE
SCAN
His head scanned in 0.62
millimeter slices
registered intricate
structures.
The images were
displayed on the
computer screen .
Osiris , God of afterlife protects the king . Orion , the constellation
is the soul of Osiris.
(i) ghostly dust devils – It refers to the anger of the dusty
winds by frightful movements on those people who try to
disturb the king.
(ii) desert sky – it refers to the dusky sky of the desert.
(iii) stunning artifacts – It refers to the beautiful items which
were found in the tomb.
(iv) funerary treasures – the gold items which were kept
while burying the king because Egyptians believed that there
NEW WORDS is an afterlife.
(v) scientific detachment – it refers to the indifference
AND PHRASES towards emotions.
(vi) dark-bellied clouds – dark clouds containing rain
(vii) casket grey – It refers to the stars covered by dark-
bellied clouds the way jewels are kept in a casket box
(viii) eternal brilliance – it refers to the timeless luster and
shine of the gold and other valuable items of the king
(ix) ritual resins – it is a customary duty in the process of
burying a dead body
(x) virtual body – three dimensional body created by CT scan.

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DISCOVERING TUT :

THE SAGA CONTINUES

Egyptians believe - Death or misfortune befalls the person who

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