11th Std Discovering Tut: the Saga continues

Discovering Tut : the Saga continues

Short Answer questions

1.Who was Tut? What new name did he take on and why?

Ans. Tut or Tutankhamun was the last heir/ruler of a powerful family that had ruled the Egyptian empire for centuries. His life and death—both are wrapped in mystery. He took on a new name, i.e. Tutankhamun—living Image of Amun because he again started the worship of ‘Amur’—The ancient God.

2. When did Tutankhamun die? Where was he laid to rest? When was his mummy discovered?

Ans. Tut died more than 3,300 years ago. He was a young ruler who was perhaps done to death only after nine years of reign. He was laid to rest 26 feet below in a tomb in the valley of the king’s in Thebes. His mummy was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter.

3. When was Tutankhamun’s dead body subjected to CT scrutiny? Why?

Ans. Tut’s dead body was buried 26 feet down in the desert along with golden treasures. The mummy was discovered and freed from the hardened resins in 1922. Since the king had Died young and unexpectedly, his body was subjected to X-rays and CT scan in 2005 to ascertain the cause of his death.

4. Who were called Pharaohs? Where were they laid to rest? How many of their embalmed dead bodies have been counted so far?

Ans. The rulers of Egypt in ancient times were called Pharaohs. After their death, they were buried deep down into the earth along with treasures in the Valley of the departed kings. The Egyptian Mummy Project has recorded almost 600 so far and the counting is still going on.

5. What has been the role of Howard Carter in the discovery of Tut?

Ans. Howard Carter was the British archaeologist, who, in 1922, discovered Tut’s tomb after years of searching. He took out the richest royal collection along with everyday things like razor, clothes, food and wine. Since Tut was buried in a solid gold coffin, he freed Tut’s mummy part by pan from solidified resins, reassembled it, put it in a wooden case and buried it in the tomb.

6. What things formed a part of the funerary treasure recovered from Tut’s tomb?

Ans. Tut’s treasure included necklaces, bracelets, rings, sandals, lingeries,food and wine,the inner coffin and mask—all of pure gold.

7. What did Carter have to do to detach Tut’s mummy from the coffin?

Ans. Carter was left with no choice. Tut’s mummy was cemented to the bottom of his solid gold coffin. The resin had become solid. The hot sun could not melt it. So chisels were used to cut away the resins beneath the limbs. Tut’s head and almost all the joints had to be severed to free them from the resins.

8. Why were Egypt’s ancient pharaohs buried along with treasures?

Ans. The Emperors of Egypt in ancient times were called pharaohs. They were very wealthy. They thought they must take their riches with them for use in the afterlife. So, they were buried along with gold ornaments and even everyday things.


9. What startling facts were revealed when a professor X-rayed Tut’s mummy?

Ans. An anatomy professor X-rayed Tut’s mummy in 1968 and revealed that the king’s breast-bone and front ribs were missing.

10. What does CT scanning do? When was it used in the case of Tut and why?

Ans. A CT machine takes hundreds of X-rays in cross section. These are then put together to create a three-dimensional body. Such scanning became necessary to know the age of Tut at the time of his death and also the cause of his death. This diagnostic method was used in 2005 on Tut.

11. King Tut’s death was a big event even by royal standards. Why?

Ans. Tut was the last of the family line. His death marked the end of a dynasty. So, it was a great event. But how he passed away and what followed his death is still a mystery for historians.

12. Akhenaten went a little wacky. What did he do to earn such censure?

Ans. Akhenaten was a crazy king. He promoted the worship of Aten, the Sun-god. So, he changed his name. He moved the religious capital from Thebes to the new city of Akhetaten. He attacked Amun, a major god. He broke Amun’s images and closed his temples. All this shocked the people.

13. How did Tut undo all the whimsical activities of Akhenaten?

Ans. Tut, the boy king, soon changed his name to Tutankhamun, because he restored the old tradition of worshipping Amun. He reigned for about nine years and then died unexpectedly.

14. What was considered to be the curse of the Pharaoh when Tut’s mummy was being scanned?

Ans. Tut’s mummy was believed to be protected by the winged.goddess. So, when it was being scanned, dark clouds raced across the sky and strong winds started blowing stirring up the sand of the desert. The machine would not work for 20 minutes because of sand in a cooling fan. A guard said jokingly that it was the ‘curse of the Pharaohs’.

Long Answer questions

1. Who was Tut? Why is his life as well as death wrapped in mystery?

Ans. Tut was a teenager when he ascended the throne. He was the last heir of a powerful royal family. He was laid to rest 26 ft below the earth’s surface in a tomb. His mummy was discovered in 1922 by a British archaeologist, Howard Carter. He found a fabulous treasure in the tomb. The casket in which Tut’s body was laid, was made of pure gold. Tut’s body was X-rayed and scanned to find out Tut’s age at the time of death and how he died. His life remained as great a mystery as his death. In 1968, the X-rays of the mummy showed a broken breastbone and some missing ribs. Tut’s untimely death at a young age is still a matter of research. How he died—whether under natural circumstances or unnatural ones—is still not confirmed.

2. What problems did Howard Carter face with regard to Tut’s mummy? How did he solve them?

Ans. Howard Carter, a British archaeologist, discovered King Tut’s tomb in 1922, after years of searching. He found fabulous treasures in the tomb, even though it had been ransacked earlier. The treasure consisted of a golden coffin, gold ornaments and even petty things of everyday need.

Carter found three coffins. In the first, he found the garlands of leaves and flowers. But when he reached the mummy, he ran into trouble. The resins used to embalm Tut’s body had hardened. The coffin was of solid gold. Neither human force nor the scorching sun could loosen the body. So Carter used chisel and hammer to remove the resins. He had little choice. Tut’s mummy also had to be removed part by part. Having taken out the gold coffin, the body parts were reassembled, put in a wooden box and placed in the tomb again.

3. How did science help collect information about King Tut’s mummy, his life and death in mysterious circumstances?

Ans. King Tut’s mummy was first discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter. The embalmed of the boy king was buried in the tomb along with lots of gold ornaments, sandals masks and coffin filled with pure gold.

 His death was a big event. He was the last of powerful ruling family. But he died in mysterious circumstances at an early age, just nine years after his coming to the throne. In 1968, Tut’s body was X-rayed. The anatomy professor’ found Tut’s breastbone and front ribs missing. But the researchers sought the help of advanced technology to solve the mystery. On January 2005, Tut’s head was pushed into a CT scanner. The young king had died 3,300 years ago,the whole operation took less than three hours. The pharaoh was rested in peace again. The mystery has not been resolved so far.