DISCOVERING TUT

 

 

 

 

CLASS-XI(ENGLISH)

Discovering Tut

 

1. Who was king Tut?

Ans:     Tut was a boy king of Egypt. He belonged to a very powerful dynasty which ruled for centuries over Egypt. Young Tutankhaten changed his name to Tutankhamun but he was popularly known as Tut. He ruled over his kingdom for about nine years. He died unexpectedly giving rise to many doubts and speculations. He was the last heir of his powerful family.

 

2. Give a brief description of Tut’s family.

Ans:     Tut belonged to a powerful dynasty that ruled over Egypt for centuries. Amenhotep III was Tut’s father or grandfather. He was a powerful Pharaoh who ruled for almost 40 years. His son Amenhotep IV succeeded him. He shocked the people by attacking Amun, a major god. The boy king Tut changed his name to Tutankhamun but was more popular as Tut. He ruled for 9 years and was the last ruler of his dynasty.

 

3. Describe Tut’s region and his death.

Ans:     Young Tut belonged to a very powerful dynasty that ruled Egypt for centuries. He changed his name to Tutankhamun, “living image of Amun”. He ruled for about nine years. He enforced and restored old ways and traditions. He died unexpectedly more than 3300 years ago. His untimely death gave birth to many doubts and speculations. He was the last king of his powerful dynasty.

 

4. What were the things Tut was buried with? Why were they placed along with him in his tomb?

Ans:     Many things were placed along with Tut’s dead body in his tomb. They remain the ‘richest royal collection every found’ anywhere. They have become a part of Tut’s legend. Wonderful artefacts in gold were placed there. Their eternal brilliance meant to guarantee Tut’s rebirth. But Tut was also buried with everyday things. Board games, a bronze razor, linen garments and boxes of food and wine were placed with him. They were placed there as Tut would need them in the afterlife.

 

5. Who was Howard Carter and what was his discovery?

Ans:     Howard Carter, was a British archaeologist. He was the man who first discovered Tut’s tomb in 1922. He found three nested coffins of Tut. He finally reached the most famous and beautiful mummy of the world. He ran into some trouble. He cut the mummy free lest it should fall into the hands of thieves who were in search of gold.

 

6. How and why did Carter defend his act?

Ans:     Carter ran into trouble when he finally reached Tut’s mummy. The ritual resins had hardened. The mummy lay cemented to the bottom of his solid gold coffin. Carter had to cut it free. He severed every part and major joint. Carter defended his act. He didn’t want the mummy to fall into the hands of thieves. Had he not cut the mummy free, thieves would have run away with the gold.

 

7. What did Carter do to separate Tut’s mummy from its solid gold bottom?

Ans:     Carter wanted to loosen the hardened resins. He put the body in the blazing sunshine. But didn’t work. There was only one alternative. The resins had to be chiselled away before raising the king’s remains. Carter’s men removed the mummy’s head and severed nearly every major joint.

 

8. What astonishing images of Tut were obtained by CT scanning?

Ans:     CT scanning gave astonishing images of Tut’s body. The image of a gray head appeared on the computer screen. Neck bones appeared quite clearly. Other images of Tut’s body appeared on the screen. They included a hand and several views of rib cage and the skull.

 

9. Why was Zahi Hawass worried and how was he finally relieved?

Ans:     Zahi Hawass was Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. He believed that Tut’s mummy was in bad condition because of Carter’s mishandling. He arranged the first ever CT scan of Tut’s mummy for an accurate forensic reconstruction. He was worried about the results. But when astonishing images of Tut appeared on the screen, he felt greatly relieved. Now he could go to sleep.

 

10. Who was king Tut? Describe him and his family, particularly his father and grandfather.

Ans:     King Tut was a boy king of Egypt. He belonged to a very powerful dynasty that ruled Egypt for centuries. He was the last heir of his mighty kingdom. He was quite young when he sat on the throne. He ruled for about nine years. He believed in the old ways and traditions and tried to restore them. He died unexpectedly in youth. His untimely death gave birth to many speculations. He was laid to rest laden  with gold and forgotten. His tomb was discovered in 1922 by a British archaeologist Howard Carter.

Amenhotep III was Tut’s father or grandfather. He was a powerful Pharaoh who ruled for almost 40 years. His son Amenhotep IV succeeded him. He changed his name to Akhenaten as he was the worshipper of Aten. He was a little wacky. He shifted his religious capital to Amarna. He shocked the country by attacking Amun, a major god. He smashed his images and closed his temples. Then a mysterious ruler Smenkhkare ruled briefly. After him a very young Tutankhaten took the throne. He was more popular as Tut. He changed his name to Tutankhamun, the “living image of Amun”.