DISCOVERING

T U T: T H E
S AGA
CONTINUES
 AUTHOR

A.R. Williams is an author and historian known for his

works on ancient Egypt, particularly focusing on King
Tutankhamun and his legacy. Williams has a
background in archaeology and Egyptology, which
informs his writing. In “Discovering Tut: The Saga
Continues,” he delves into the history and ongoing
discoveries related to King Tut’s tomb, blending
scholarly research with engaging storytelling. His
passion for ancient civilizations and their impact on
modern culture is evident in his work. For more
detailed information, specific aspects of his biography
can be highlighted, such as his education or other
notable works.
 WHO WAS KING TUT?

King Tutankhamun, also known as King Tut, was a pharaoh who

ruled Egypt from 1332 to 1323 B.C. He ascended to the throne
of Egypt as a child, when he was eight or nine years old, and
was guided by several key figures including Ay, the Grand
Vizier and potentially Tut’s maternal grandfather, and
Horemheb, the commander-in-chief of the military. Despite the
boy king’s importance in our history today, his reign was short
and relatively unimportant in the history of ancient Egypt. He
became an important figure only in death with the discovery of
his tomb and mummy in 1922 both of which were incredibly
preserved, and provided valuable insights into the history of
ancient Egypt. Tut’s most important achievement in life was
restoring the cult of Amun-Ra and returning Egypt to
polytheism, which overturned the religious reforms of his
father, Akhenaten.
 GIST OF THE CHAPTER

The story Discovering Tut: The Saga Continues, is a description of the exploration
conducted by a team of researchers. It gives the account of struggles the team faces
to unravel the mystery of the death of a teenage ruler, King Tut. The story highlights
the change in the methods of archaeology from a few decades back to the present
era of modern technology. It gives you an idea about the kind of exploration
conducted in 1922 by Carter when there was no modern method to extract the
remains.It also helps you understand the revolution in the field of archaeology which
is due to the modern equipment and sophisticated methods being used to give
accurate results. The story helps you to understand the collaborative efforts of all the
team members involved in this project. The tomb of King Tut is extracted. You will
also understand the concept of life after death, a concept in ancient times was
thought that you could carry all your belongings to the new life hereafter. The tomb
was thus, filled with belongings of King Tut like razors, necklaces, wines which were
for the King to use after death. The main focus is laid on the process of forensic
reconstruction of the remains to find the cause of death and the age when the king
died. The modern method of CT Scan is used and King Tut’s body was the first to be
put underscan. The scanner picked up images of the King’s body and the anatomy
was conducted much to the relief of the team members.
 CHARACTERS

KING TUT

King Tutankhamun, often called King Tut, was a young Egyptian ruler from the 18th
dynasty of the New Kingdom period. He became king when he was very young, and
his reign lasted only a short time, ending when he was around 18 or 19 years old.
King Tut is known for bringing back the worship of the Egyptian god Amun and
returning to older cultural traditions. He was the last ruler in a powerful family, and
his sudden death has puzzled historians. Some think he may have died from a broken
leg, an infection, or health problems due to his family’s genetics. The mystery of his
death and efforts to erase him from history add to the intrigue surrounding his life
and legacy.

HOWARD CARTER

Howard Carter was a British archaeologist best known for discovering King
Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings in 1922. His amazing find gave us a lot
of new information about ancient Egyptian culture and history. Carter was deeply
passionate about archaeology and spent many years searching for the tomb. Even
though he faced money problems and many obstacles along the way, he never gave
up. His hard work and determination made him famous worldwide and left a lasting
mark on archaeology.
 ZAHI HAWASSZahi Hawass is a famous Egyptian archaeologist and
Egyptologist who has made important contributions to studying and
preserving ancient Egyptian artifacts and historical sites. He became well-
known for his work, including using scans to create a forensic
reconstruction of King Tut’s mummy. As the Minister of State for
Antiquities Affairs, Hawass worked hard to promote Egyptian archaeology
and protect the country’s cultural treasures. He is known for his energetic
and passionate personality, especially when sharing his love for ancient
Egypt. His dedication to uncovering the secrets of Egypt’s past and
sharing its history with the world has made him a key figure in
archaeology.

AMENHOTEP IIIAmenhotep III was an Egyptian king who ruled during the
18th dynasty, around 1386 to 1353 BCE. He was the ninth king of his
family and the son of Thutmose IV. Amenhotep III inherited a strong
kingdom and grew its power through diplomacy. He made friends with
other powerful nations like the Hittites and Babylonians, which helped
with trade and cultural exchange. His rule was peaceful, wealthy, and
known for beautiful art. Amenhotep III is remembered for making his reign
grand and for his success in building relationships with other nations.
 AMENHOTEP IV

Amenhotep IV, later known as Akhenaten, was an

Egyptian king famous for his bold religious and political
changes. As the son of Amenhotep III, Akhenaten
introduced a new religion that focused on worshipping
one god, Aten, the sun disk, which was very different
from Egypt's traditional belief in many gods. He even
changed his name to mean "servant of Aten" to show his
devotion. Akhenaten also moved the religious capital
from Thebes to a new city he built called Akhetaten, now
known as Amarna. His rule brought changes in art too,
with the Amarna style showing more natural and
realistic images of people, with long limbs and unique
features. Akhenaten’s new ideas had a lasting effect on
Egyptian religion and art.
 SUMMARY

The author talks about the day when the mummy of Tut was put under a
CT scanner. It was arranged to find out the reasons behind the pharaoh’s
untimely death more than 3,300 years ago. It was 6 p.m. In the evening
on the 5th of January, 2005. It was a cloudy atmosphere with strong winds
creating dust devils as Tut’s mummy was taken out from his cemetery in
the Valley of the Kings. The afternoon saw the usual tourist traffic that
came to pay respects to the dead pharaoh. Most tourists pondered over
the sudden death of the pharaoh in his teens, while others wondered if
the pharaoh’s curse of death or misfortune on those who disturbed him
was true.As the mummy was brought out, the Secretary General of
Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass, observed that it was
in a miserable state due to what Carter did to it in the 1920s. Howard
Carter was a British archaeologist who discovered Tut’s tomb in 1922
after many years of futile searching. Carter went through the contents in
hurry and carelessness. The discovery of Tut’s tomb by Carter made it the
richest royal collection to be ever found. The excitement that followed the
discovery of the stunning artefacts of gold, buried along with the pharaoh
to ensure a resurrection, still lingers today.
 Carter took months to record the pharaoh’s funerary treasures. Then he went on to
investigate the three nested coffins. The first one had a shroud adorned with leaves
and flowers, indicating a burial that took place in March or April. When Carter
reached the mummy, he saw that Tut’s body was cemented to the bottom of his gold
coffin because of the ritual resins. He tried to separate the body from the coffin by
putting it in the sun. It did not work. So, Carter had to chisel the body away from the
coffin’s surface. The author defends Carter for this act, saying that if Carter had not
done that, thieves would have ripped Tut’s mummy apart for gold.The author talks
about the use of computed tomography, which can create a three-dimensional virtual
body during scanning with the help of X-rays. Forty years after the investigation by
Howard Carter, an anatomy professor X-rayed the mummy to reveal that the
pharaoh’s breast bone and front ribs were missing. The CT scan helped reveal two
very important questions about Tut’s death – how he died and how old he could have
been during the time of his death. Amenhotep III – Tut’s father or grandfather – had
ruled for almost four decades, after which he was succeeded by his son Amenhotep
IV. The latter promoted the worship of Aten, or the sun disk, and changed his name to
Akhenaten. He moved the capital from Thebes to the new city of Akhenaten –
formerly known as Amarna. He shocked the people by attacking a major god named
Amun.
 After Akhenaten, a new ruler named Smenkhare appeared and ruled for a
brief period of time. Young Tut sat on the throne after him. He changed his
name to Tutankhamun or the ‘living image of Amun’ and restored the old
ways. He ruled for nine years and died an unexpected death.While
scanning, an eerie detail was found in the resulting image of Tut’s head.
The scanner stopped functioning twenty minutes into the scanning process
due to the presence of sand in a cooler fan. A guard joked nervously that it
could be a curse of the pharaoh. Two plastic fans were brought in to finish
the scanning process. The pharaoh was put back in his place within less
than three hours of scanning. A technician pulled up images of the pharaoh
on a computer screen. Everything seemed anatomically correct. Zahi
Hawass felt relieved. He was not able to sleep the previous night because
he was worried about discovering some terrible reason behind Tut’s death
By the time the author and his team left, they found the cold winter air still
and quiet. They could see the constellation of Orion above the entrance of
Tut’s tomb. According to the Egyptians, Orion is the soul of Osiris – the god
of the afterlife. It seemed to watch over the boy king.
 CONCLUSION

“Discovering Tut: The Saga Continues” explores the

life and legacy of King Tutankhamun, examining the
impact of his discovery in 1922 by Howard Carter. The
conclusion reflects on the significance of
Tutankhamun’s treasures and tomb, emphasizing how
they reshaped our understanding of ancient Egypt. It
also highlights ongoing archaeological efforts and the
mysteries that still surround Tut’s life and death,
reinforcing his enduring fascination in modern culture.
The saga continues as new technologies and research
techniques unveil deeper insights into his era.