Early Civilizations Egypt

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Early Civilizations - Egypt

• Day 19 Semester 1

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King Tut Unsolved HistoryMurder? You decide

• The murder happened over 3,000 years ago, but
  recently uncovered evidence still points toward a
  prime suspect. You be the dtective and evaluate
  the clues. Find out about the victim and the
  prime suspects by reading below. Ill provide you
  with the motive and opportunities. You will write
  a paragraph about who would you arrest on a
  charge of murder.

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The Victim Tutankhamen (King Tut)

• As the second son of King Ahkenaton, Tutankhamen
  probably passed his childhood years in carefree
  days of swimming in the Nile, hunting ducks and
  learning to read and write hieroglyphs. Even with
  a congenital spinal deformity, as a member of the
  royal family Tutankhamen would have been
  encouraged to become an accomplished charioteer.
  The young boy might have been aware of the
  turmoil's that brewed in Egypt, but what concern
  did he have with such thing?
• His older brother, Smenkare, would eventually
  take up the reins of responsibility. At the age
  of 8 or 9, however, Tutankhamens life changed
  abruptly when Smenkare died. His fathers death
  two years later thrust the young boy onto the
  royal stage. At the age of 10, Tutankhamen became
  pharaoh of Egypt, but his reign was short. He
  would be dead before his 21st birthday.

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Suspects Ankhesanamun (wife)

• Not much is known about Ankhesanamun. What is
  known is that she was Tutankhamens half-sister
  (marriage among siblings was common in Egypt at
  the time) she had two miscarriages and no
  surviving children and after the death of her
  brother-husband she wrote a frantic letter to the
  Hittites the sworn enemy of Egypt requesting
  help in finding a new husband. She eventually
  married Ay, a government official in King Tuts
  court. After her remarriage she disappears from
  history.
• Opportunity Who but a wife would have so much
  access? Spending her days and nights with
  Tutankhamen gave Ankhessanamun ample opportunity
  to commit murder.
• Motive It was not unheard of for a women to rule
  as pharaoh. Did Ankhesanamun see herself as the
  ruler of Egypt? Or did she blame her two
  miscarriages on her husband? Her wish for
  children might have led her to desire another
  husband.
• Evidence Two deformed fetuses were discovered
  entombed with Tutankhamen. Her daily close
  proximity to King Tut made her intimately aware
  of her husbands deformity and vulnerabilities.

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Suspects Horemhebs (military commander and
chief)

• Horemhebs lineage is somewhat sketchy. Who his
  parents were can only be guessed and he may not
  have had any royal blood, but would eventually
  become pharaoh of Egypt anyway. A military man
  through and through, Horemheb may have been
  frustrated during the reign of Tutankhamens
  father a king that did not inspire battles.
  Working his way up through the ranks, his rise to
  power truly began during King Tuts tenure. His
  reign as pharaoh lasted 27 years. Upon his death
  Horemheb left behind a more stable and powerful
  Egypt.
• Opportunity With a strong army at his command,
  doing away with a young king would have been no
  problem. Also, as the kings master charioteer,
  finding a moment during a chariot ride on a
  lonely desert road to do his dirty work could
  have been the perfect moment for murder.
• Motive The Hittite Empire was gathering strength
  on the border of Egypt. Could a young
  inexperienced king save Egypt from its enemies?
  Horemheb might not have thought so.
• Evidence Tutankhamen's mummy was discovered to
  be damp. How was it that a pharaoh was not
  properly mummified? Could King Tut have been
  murdered during a chariot ride far from the
  resources for proper mummification?
• Horemheb became pharaoh of Egypt soon after King
  Tuts death and set to work erasing all
  references to Tutankhamens existence from
  official records. Was this an attempt to cover up
  his crime?

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Suspect Ay (Prime Minister)

• As the grandfather of Tutankhamen and a trusted
  adviser, Ay was the principal member of the
  kings inner circle. Ays wife, Tey, had easy
  access to the queen so the combination of Ay and
  Tey formed a powerful alliance they became the
  most politically important couple in Egypt save
  for the king and queen. Soon after the death of
  King Tut, the now widowed Ankhesanamun became
  Ays second wife, which automatically made him
  king of Egypt. Ay took over the reigns of power
  at the age of 60 and died four years later.
• Opportunity Government affairs constantly threw
  Ay and Tut together. Could a late night pouring
  over papers together have ended in murder?
• Motive So close yet so far. Did Ay eye the
  throne that he felt he deserved more than an
  inexperienced, young boy?
• Evidence Found in an antique shop in 1931, a
  blue falence ring proved that Ankhesanamun and Ay
  had been married after the death of King Tut.
• On walls of Ays tomb a wall painting depicts a
  hunting scene, not a typical choice of a royal
  tomb. Could Ay have been laying his cards on the
  table of the gods to see that he, a man of lowly
  status, had gained power through criminal means?

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Please read the following articles

• http//news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/01/01
  06_050106_tut_scan.html
• http//hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b1kingtut_p1ec.h
  tm

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Homework Assignment

• Vocabulary puzzles