The 18th dynasty was one of the most powerful royal houses of ancient Egypt. The late 18th dynasty, which included the reign of Akhenaten and Tutankhamun was an extraordinary and mysterious time.
The recent identification of a number of royal mummies from this era, the exact relationships between some members of the royal family and possible illnesses and causes of death have been matters of debate.
Akhenaten, who ruled from 1351-1334 B.C. is considered one of the most controversial of the Egyptian Pharaohs because of his attempts to transform the traditional religion of his ancestors which lasted for a great number of years and that reflected all facets of society and caused great turmoil.
As for Tutankhamun, he is probably the most famous of all Egyptian Pharaohs and this has nothing to do with any historical importance but is due to the treasures that were found inside his tomb that had been discovered almost intact.
The recent identification of a number of royal mummies from this era, the exact relationships between some members of the royal family and possible illnesses and causes of death have been matters of debate.
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| King Tutankhamun |
As for Tutankhamun, he is probably the most famous of all Egyptian Pharaohs and this has nothing to do with any historical importance but is due to the treasures that were found inside his tomb that had been discovered almost intact.
Tutankhamun was one of the last kings of 18th dynasty. He ascended the throne at a very young age at about nine years old and ruled for almost nine or ten years.
He followed Akhenaton to the throne, as his right to the throne was established through the marriage with princess Ankhesenpaaten (third daughter of King Akhenaten and queen Nefertiti).
At the beginning of his reign, he lived in the royal palace at Tell el Amarna (for only three years) under the care of the royal nurses; the tomb of his royal wet-nurse was discovered recently at Saqqara.
He was probably brought up together with his wife-to-be Ankhesenpaaten; they could have taken lessons together from the same teachers and scribes giving them instructions about the new religion of Aton.
Either before or immediately after the king ascended the throne, he came under the influence and authority of the priests of Amon especially Ay and returned to the cult of Amon.
He also left El Amarna, and the court was moved to Memphis as a transitional stage since Thebes was full of anger because of the new religion of Aton. Also from Memphis, it was easier to mount expeditions and control military operations in Asia Minor against the rising power of the Hittites.
Later on, he moved to Thebes and changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun and the name of his wife name changed to Ankhesenamun.
He also returned to the main burial place of the New kingdom kings at the Valley of the Kings by burying some funerary equipments of Amarna royalty in KV 55 in which the tomb sealing prove that the one who made these deposits is Tutankhamun.
At Thebes also, he erected the Restoration Stela, which was found at the Hypostyle Hall at Karnak upon which he mentioned that he restored the stability in the country and returned to the cult of Amon and the other deities who had been neglected during the time of Akhenaton and he reopened temples and made restoration works there, also he participated in festivals such as the Opet festival as illustrated on the walls of the Colonnade of Luxor Temple.
During his reign there were two powerful characters:
1) Hor-m-heb who was an army general; he was a very strong military man.
2) Ay who was a high priest of Amon.
They were the two persons who actually ruled the country from behind the scenes especially when the king was a child. Throughout out the reign of Tutankhamun, the administration of Egypt’s affairs was in the hands of Ay who was the head of the government and his vizier.
He followed Akhenaton to the throne, as his right to the throne was established through the marriage with princess Ankhesenpaaten (third daughter of King Akhenaten and queen Nefertiti).
At the beginning of his reign, he lived in the royal palace at Tell el Amarna (for only three years) under the care of the royal nurses; the tomb of his royal wet-nurse was discovered recently at Saqqara.
He was probably brought up together with his wife-to-be Ankhesenpaaten; they could have taken lessons together from the same teachers and scribes giving them instructions about the new religion of Aton.
Either before or immediately after the king ascended the throne, he came under the influence and authority of the priests of Amon especially Ay and returned to the cult of Amon.
He also left El Amarna, and the court was moved to Memphis as a transitional stage since Thebes was full of anger because of the new religion of Aton. Also from Memphis, it was easier to mount expeditions and control military operations in Asia Minor against the rising power of the Hittites.
Later on, he moved to Thebes and changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun and the name of his wife name changed to Ankhesenamun.
He also returned to the main burial place of the New kingdom kings at the Valley of the Kings by burying some funerary equipments of Amarna royalty in KV 55 in which the tomb sealing prove that the one who made these deposits is Tutankhamun.
At Thebes also, he erected the Restoration Stela, which was found at the Hypostyle Hall at Karnak upon which he mentioned that he restored the stability in the country and returned to the cult of Amon and the other deities who had been neglected during the time of Akhenaton and he reopened temples and made restoration works there, also he participated in festivals such as the Opet festival as illustrated on the walls of the Colonnade of Luxor Temple.
During his reign there were two powerful characters:
1) Hor-m-heb who was an army general; he was a very strong military man.
2) Ay who was a high priest of Amon.
They were the two persons who actually ruled the country from behind the scenes especially when the king was a child. Throughout out the reign of Tutankhamun, the administration of Egypt’s affairs was in the hands of Ay who was the head of the government and his vizier.
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