King Tut ruled Egypt during the 18th Dynasty of pharaohs, and was nearly lost to history before his tomb was discovered November 4, 1922.
Tutankhamun was born sometime around the year B.C.E. 1341, and he passed away roughly 18 years later. The young deceased ruler is best-known for his tomb, which was discovered, nearly intact, beginning 92 years ago.
Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon were the first people to enter the tomb in over 32 centuries. They found the room filled with artifacts of gold and precious gems. A perfectly-preserved golden coffin inside the tomb held the body of the young leader.
Tomb raiders plundered most of the pyramids holding other deceased pharaohs, leaving behind little of value. However, the location of the final resting spot of the little-known Tutankhamun was unknown when Carter came to Egypt. The archaeologist discovered tombs belonging to Queen Hatshepsut and King Thutmose IV at the start of the 20th Century.
King Tut ascended to the throne at the age of eight, and only ruled for one decade before he died. During the late 18th Dynasty, leaders temporarily moved the capital of the nation from Memphis to Amarna. During the 13th century before the Common Era, the Amarna rulers, including Tutankhamun, were denounced, and records of their rule, including the spot where Tut was buried, were destroyed. Workers constructing a tomb for Ramses VI buried Tutankhamun's grave in debris 100 years later, inadvertently protecting it for the distant future.
After Carter discovered the first step down to the tomb 92 years ago, he sent a message to Lord Carnarvon, who rushed to the dig. The pair broke through a door protecting the grave, entering the tomb on November 23. At first, the pair thought they discovered yet another pillaged grave, but after breaking through a second door three days later, the place of Tut's entombment was revealed in all its glory.
A new "virtual autopsy" of the remains of King Tut suggest he may have been weak-boned, and possessing abnormally large breasts, as well as broad hips. Some researchers claim the leader may have suffered from birth defects, brought about by generations of inbreeding among Egyptian leaders. The parents of Tutankhamun were brother and sister. Analysis of DNA show he suffered from several maladies, including bone disorders.
"He was not a very strong pharaoh. He was not riding the chariots. Picture instead a frail, weak boy who had a bit of a club foot and who needed a cane to walk," Carsten Pusch, a geneticist from the University of Tübingen in Germany, said.
Amenhotep III, the grandfather of King Tut, brought about great prosperity during his reign, and Akhenaten "the Heretic King" who brought monotheism to Ancient Egypt was father to the young leader.
