Who was King Tut? (2006) is a work of nonfiction that is intended for an audience of middle-grade readers. Written by Roberta Edwards and illustrated by True Kelley, the book explores the life and death of Tutankhamun, a young pharaoh born in 1343 B.C.E. By exploring various aspects of Tutankhamun’s life, hobbies, diet, and burial, Roberts discusses economic, cultural, and religious aspects of ancient Egyptian life.

This guide refers to the 2006 Penguin books eBook edition.

Summary

The author first provides a grounding in the civilization of ancient Egypt civilization, which was based around the Nile river delta. Ancient Egyptians sustained themselves through agriculture; crops were grown on the fertile banks of the Nile, and the Egyptians’ way of life was closely tied to the flood patterns of the river itself. Ancient Egyptians also hunted and gathered, and cultivated fruit trees. Trade flourished through the empire, mainly utilizing the Nile for transportation. Grand structures were built from stone which was transported on river ferries.

King Tutankhamun, who is now popularly referred to as “King Tut,” was the first son of the pharaoh named Amenhotep IV. King Tut married another of Amenhotep IV’s children, Ankhesenamun, when he was 10. He became pharaoh soon afterward upon the death of his father. Evidence from King Tut’s tomb suggests that he lived a decadent life. He was adorned with beautiful jewelry, enjoyed a varied diet, and had chariots to ride and board games to play. He likely knew how to read and write.

At 18 or 19 years of age, King Tut died. Evidence suggests that his death was unexpected, for he was interred in a much smaller tomb than the final resting places of other more prominent pharaohs from Egyptian history. Archaeologists have surmised that his tomb was likely built for a nobleman and quickly repurposed. Due to physical evidence of a head injury, some historians originally posited that King Tut may have been murdered. However, a CAT scan conducted in 2005 revealed that this head injury was inflicted after death, not before. Other causes of foul play in King Tut’s death cannot be definitively ruled out, and the true circumstances will never be known for a certainty.

The decadence of King Tut’s tomb reveals ancient spiritual Egyptian beliefs, for it was filled with a lavish display of items meant to be enjoyed by the young pharaoh in the afterlife, including taxidermy, gold, jars, statues, furniture, two chariots, clothing, shoes, jewelry, cutlery, crockery, and many more luxurious objects. Ancient Egyptians believed that they would access a joyful afterlife and would be able to access all of the items that were buried with them.

Although the plundering of pharaohs’ tombs over the centuries was a common occurrence, King Tut’s tomb was relatively undisturbed except for one apparent break-in during ancient times. The tomb was discovered by Howard Carter and his team in 1922. By contrast, many other tombs were pilfered in ancient times, and this problem also occurred in the 19th century, when the selling of mummies and Egyptian artifacts to rich European bidders was normalized. This practice resulted in the damage and loss of many artifacts and mummies, thwarting attempts to learn more about ancient Egypt. In some cases, individuals held mummy unwrapping parties, during which they unwrapped purchased mummies and gawked at the preserved corpses within. Edwards condemns this practice.

King Tut’s tomb was discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter, who was careful to disturb the tomb as little as possible when he entered it. Artifacts were sent to a museum in Cairo, while King Tut’s body was left in the tomb until 2005 when it was subjected to a brief extraction for CAT scans and careful study.

Edwards concludes by reflecting on the modern obsession with mummies as fearful apparitions relegated to horror movies. She believes that this popular culture obsession fails to capture the complexity of ancient Egyptian beliefs about burial and the afterlife, and she emphasizes the wonder and complexity of this ancient civilization as a whole.