Tutankhamen
The Boy King
The
12th king of the 18th Dynasty was only eight or nine years old at his
succession. His father, Smenkhare, died at the age of 25, the cause
remains a mystery.
Tutankhamun was
married to Ankhesenamon, the third daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. The
couple originally lived at Amarna but later moved to Memphis where they
refurnished the apartments of Amenhotep III.
The Restoration Stele gives an account of his effort
to stabilize the government and to restore the temples and honors of the old
gods after the Amarna period. He paid the priest and palace staff from his own
pockets. Tutankhamen built a mortuary temple close to Medinet Habu, with two
colossal statues, but they were usurped by his successors.
Tutankhamun died at the age of 19 by a head injury.
He was buried in the Valley of the Kings. Two mummified fetuses were found in
coffins that had been sealed by his name. These are believed to have been his
children that were born prematurely.