Detail from chest decorated with panels depicting Tutankhamun in his chariot attacking Nubians. Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty (ruled 1332 to 1323 BC), during the period known as the New Kingdom. He ascended to the throne in 1333 BC, at the age of nine or ten, taking the throne name Nebkheperure. When he became king, he married his half-sister, Ankhesenpaaten. During his reign he ended the worship of the god Aten and restored the god Amun to supremacy. The ban on the cult of Amun was lifted and traditional privileges were restored to its priesthood. The capital was moved back to Thebes and the city of Akhetaten abandoned. His tomb contained body armour and folding stools appropriate for military campaigns. However, given his youth and physical disabilities, historians speculate that he did not personally take part in battles. From the Tomb of Tutankhamun, Valley of the Kings, Thebes. |