Imagine being the king or queen of a big country right now! Sounds exciting, right? But it might also feel a bit overwhelming because you’re still a kid. Well, guess what? One of the most famous kings in history became king when he was just about 9 or 10 years old! His name was Tutankhamun, but most people call him King Tut. Let’s find out more about this fascinating person, also known as the Boy King.
King Tut was a pharaoh, which means he was a king of ancient Egypt, a very long time ago in the 1300s BCE. He started ruling around the age of nine in 1332 BCE. Since he was so young, he had many helpers, called advisers, to assist him in making important decisions. During his time as king, Egypt was at war with a nearby kingdom called Nubia. King Tut got married when he was very young, too. His wife was the daughter of another pharaoh named Akhenaten. King Tut ruled until he passed away in 1324 BCE, when he was about 18 or 19 years old.
You might wonder how we know so much about King Tut even though he ruled for only a short time. The answer lies in the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians. They thought their pharaohs were not just rulers but also gods on Earth. The Egyptians believed in many gods, maybe as many as 2,000! They also believed in an afterlife, a place where people went after they died. To prepare for the afterlife, they used a special process called mummification to preserve bodies. Pharaohs were buried in beautiful tombs with items they might need in the afterlife, like food, clothes, jewelry, and even pets!
We know a lot about King Tut because his tomb was discovered by archaeologists, who are scientists that study ancient places and things. In 1922, an archaeologist named Howard Carter found King Tut’s tomb. Inside, they found King Tut’s mummified body and over 5,000 artifacts! These items helped scientists learn about King Tut’s life and the ancient Egyptian civilization.
Did you know that King Tut’s name was changed to include “Amun” to honor the god Amun, who was the god of the sun and air? During King Tut’s time, Amun was combined with other gods and became known as the god of creation.
Why did King Tut die so young? There are many ideas. Some people think he might have been harmed by advisers or family members. However, modern scientists believe he died because he was not very healthy and had a bone disease. His tomb was smaller than usual for a pharaoh, suggesting he might have died unexpectedly. It’s a mystery that might never be fully solved.
Let’s see what you remember:
True or False: King Tut is sometimes known as the Boy King.
Answer: True! He was very young when he ruled Egypt.
What is King Tut’s full name?
Answer: Tutankhamun.
Fill in the blank: ______ was the process the ancient Egyptians used to prepare a person’s body for the afterlife.
Answer: Mummification.
Great job! King Tut may have been just a boy when he became Pharaoh, but his story is still exciting today. His tomb’s discovery helps us understand the amazing culture and technology of ancient Egypt. Hope you had fun learning with us!
Build Your Own Tomb: Gather some craft supplies like cardboard boxes, markers, and glue. Imagine you are an ancient Egyptian pharaoh like King Tut. Design and build a small model of your own tomb. Think about what items you would want to take with you to the afterlife. Would you include toys, books, or maybe a favorite snack? Share your tomb with your family and explain why you chose those items.
Pharaoh’s Day in the Life: Pretend you are King Tut for a day! Write a short story or draw a comic strip about a day in the life of a young pharaoh. What kinds of decisions would you make? Who would help you? What fun activities might you do? Share your story or comic with your classmates and discuss how being a young king might be different from being a kid today.
Explore Ancient Egyptian Gods: King Tut’s name was changed to honor the god Amun. Research and choose one ancient Egyptian god to learn more about. Create a simple poster or drawing that shows what this god looked like and what they were known for. Present your poster to your family or friends and explain why the ancient Egyptians might have worshipped this god.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
—
[Music]
Who was King Tut? How would you feel if you were king or queen of a large country right this very minute? That would probably feel pretty overwhelming because you’re just a kid. But guess what? One of the most famous kings in history was only about 9 or 10 years old when he became king. His name was Tutankhamun, but you probably know him as King Tut. Let’s learn more about this interesting person, who was also known as the Boy King.
Tutankhamun was a pharaoh, or king, of Egypt way back in the 1300s BCE. Historians believe that King Tut began his reign around the age of nine in the year 1332 BCE. Even though he was Pharaoh, King Tut had several advisers to help him with day-to-day ruling decisions because he was so young. He ruled the country at a time of war as Egypt fought with a neighboring kingdom called Nubia over land. King Tut married while very young; his wife was the daughter of another pharaoh named Akhenaten. King Tut ruled until his death in 1324 BCE at the age of 18 or 19.
You may be asking yourself, “How come we know so much about this king even though he only ruled for such a short period of time thousands of years ago?” Well, it has a lot to do with the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians and how they viewed their leaders.
Here’s an interesting fact: the ancient Egyptians were very religious and believed that pharaohs were not only rulers; they were actually gods. The Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was an earthly god that communicated with all of the other gods. Some historians estimate that the ancient Egyptians worshiped as many as 2,000 deities or gods. The religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians focused a lot on the afterlife, which is where they believed a person went after they died. They believed that a person passed to this afterlife in the same form as when they were alive. Because of this, they developed burial processes to preserve the body for its new life in the afterlife. This is known as mummification. Pharaohs were mummified and placed in beautiful tombs like the pyramids. These tombs would also include items that the pharaoh might need in the afterlife, such as food, clothing, jewelry, games, weapons, art, or even pets.
This brings us back to the reason why we know so much about King Tut. It is because special scientists called archaeologists discovered his tomb. This happened 100 years ago in 1922. That year, archaeologist Howard Carter and his team discovered King Tut’s tomb along with the mummified body of King Tut himself. Can you imagine what it would have been like to discover something so important? King Tut’s coffin was made of gold, and there were over 5,000 artifacts found inside the tomb. Because pharaohs were buried with personal items and items they wanted to take with them to the afterlife, archaeologists could recreate the history of Tut’s short life by studying these artifacts.
Here’s another interesting fact: King Tut’s name was changed to include Amun to show respect and allegiance to the god Amun, who was the god of the sun and air. Eventually, during Tut’s time as king, Amun would be merged with other gods to become known as the god of creation.
So why did King Tut die so young? Well, there are many theories. Some historians believe that he might have been murdered by advisers who wanted to seize power. Others believe he may have been killed by family members who did not want to return to worshiping Amun. Thanks to modern DNA testing and other physical evidence, most scientists now think that King Tut died because he was in pretty poor health and also suffered from bone disease. Since his tomb was unusually small for a pharaoh, scientists now think that he died suddenly or unexpectedly. It is a mystery that might never be completely solved.
We’ve learned some pretty cool facts about King Tut. Let’s see what you remember:
True or false: King Tut is sometimes known as the Boy King.
True! This is because he was so young when he ruled ancient Egypt.
What is King Tut’s full name?
Tutankhamun.
Fill in the blank: ______ was the process that the ancient Egyptians used to prepare a person’s body for the afterlife.
Mummification.
Great job, friends! King Tut might have been just a boy when he became Pharaoh, but his legacy lives on today. While his death remains a mystery, the historical importance of finding most of King Tut’s tomb intact after hundreds of years is priceless. Because of his tomb, we have a greater understanding of the cultural and technological significance of the ancient Egyptian civilization. Hope you had fun learning with us! Visit us at learnbrite.org for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.
[Music]
—
Let me know if you need any further modifications!
