OP 15 July, 2023 - 10:49 AM
(This post was last modified: 15 July, 2023 - 10:50 AM by Tutankhamun. Edited 2 times in total.)
Tutankhamun /ˌtuːtənkɑːˈmuːn/ TOO-tən-kah-MOON),[sup][7][/sup] Tutankhamon or Tutankhamen[sup][a][/sup] (/ˌtuːtənˈkɑːmən, -mɛn/ TOO-tən-KAH-mən, -men;[sup][7][/sup] c. 1341 BC – c. 1323 BC), also known as Tutankhaten,[sup][1][/sup] was the antepenultimate pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. He was the endmost pharaonic descendant of an extensive monarchical bloodline, as his regal heritage encompasses many generations, spanning the dynasty, and likely further back. Most notably, he is the 9x great grandson of pharaoh Senakhtenre Ahmose, the founder of the Eighteenth Dynasty, the 3x great grandson of Thutmose III, Egypt's greatest warrior pharaoh, and the grandson of Amenhotep III, one of Egypt's greatest pharoahs.[sup][8][/sup][sup][9][/sup]Tutankhamun ascended to the throne around the age of nine and reigned until his death around the age of nineteen. The most significant action of his reign is countermanding the religiopolitical changes enacted by his predecessor, Akhenaten, during the Amarna Period: he restored the traditional polytheistic form of ancient Egyptian religion, undoing the religious shift known as Atenism, and moved the royal court away from Akhenaten's capital, Amarna. Also, Tutankhamun was one of few kings worshipped as a deity during his lifetime; this was usually done posthumously for most pharaohs.[sup][10][/sup] In popular culture today, Tutankhamun, is known for his vastly opulent wealth found during the 1922 discovery of his tomb, KV62, the only such tomb to date to have been found in near-intact condition.[sup][11][/sup] The discovery of his tomb is widely considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time.[sup][12][/sup][sup][13][/sup] Since then he has been referred to colloquially as "King Tut".[sup][14][/sup]
Tutankhamun acquired kingship during a tumultuous time period. Akenaten's Atenism had engendered nationwide destabilization, and his successor, likely Tutankhamun's paternal older half-brother, Smenkhare, had an abruptly short reign. This was followed by another abruptly short reign of Neferneferuaten, likely Smenkhare's widow, Meritaten. It was under these tenuous circumstances that after Neferneferuaten's death, Tutankhamun inherited the throne and expounded the reversal of Atenism, which involved extensive reconstruction and the reconsecration of the traditional cults and clergymen, as evidenced most eminently by the artifact known as the Restoration Stela.[sup][15][/sup] During this time, the traditional cult of the god Amun was reestablished, and the king subsequently retitled himself from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun. In accordance with this, his wife, also retitled herself from Ankhesenpaaten to Ankhesenamun.[sup][16][/sup]
Following Tutankhamun's untimely death after a decade reign, his vizier, and perhaps granduncle, Ay, assumed the throne, likely marrying Ankhesenamun, despite Tutankhamun's commander-in-chief, Horemheb, being designated by Tutankhamun as heir. Ay's reign was abruptly short, and Horemheb became pharaoh next, also possibly briefly marrying Ankhesenamun until her untimely death a couple years into Horemheb's lengthy reign. Horemheb was able to secure the throne due to the death of Ay's designated heir, generalissimo Nakhtmin, toward the end of Ay's reign.[sup][17][/sup] It was Horemheb who saw to it that the restoration of the traditional ancient Egyptian religion was completed, restablizing the nation. In due course, Horemheb had selected then civilian military officer, Ramesses I, as heir to the throne, who already had a grandson, Ramesses II, who would then go on to become the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth dyansty, garnering recognition today as ancient Egypt's greatest pharaoh.[sup][18][/sup]
[sup]source[/sup]
Tutankhamun acquired kingship during a tumultuous time period. Akenaten's Atenism had engendered nationwide destabilization, and his successor, likely Tutankhamun's paternal older half-brother, Smenkhare, had an abruptly short reign. This was followed by another abruptly short reign of Neferneferuaten, likely Smenkhare's widow, Meritaten. It was under these tenuous circumstances that after Neferneferuaten's death, Tutankhamun inherited the throne and expounded the reversal of Atenism, which involved extensive reconstruction and the reconsecration of the traditional cults and clergymen, as evidenced most eminently by the artifact known as the Restoration Stela.[sup][15][/sup] During this time, the traditional cult of the god Amun was reestablished, and the king subsequently retitled himself from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun. In accordance with this, his wife, also retitled herself from Ankhesenpaaten to Ankhesenamun.[sup][16][/sup]
Following Tutankhamun's untimely death after a decade reign, his vizier, and perhaps granduncle, Ay, assumed the throne, likely marrying Ankhesenamun, despite Tutankhamun's commander-in-chief, Horemheb, being designated by Tutankhamun as heir. Ay's reign was abruptly short, and Horemheb became pharaoh next, also possibly briefly marrying Ankhesenamun until her untimely death a couple years into Horemheb's lengthy reign. Horemheb was able to secure the throne due to the death of Ay's designated heir, generalissimo Nakhtmin, toward the end of Ay's reign.[sup][17][/sup] It was Horemheb who saw to it that the restoration of the traditional ancient Egyptian religion was completed, restablizing the nation. In due course, Horemheb had selected then civilian military officer, Ramesses I, as heir to the throne, who already had a grandson, Ramesses II, who would then go on to become the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth dyansty, garnering recognition today as ancient Egypt's greatest pharaoh.[sup][18][/sup]
[sup]source[/sup]