Who was Tutankhamen

Q. Who were his parents

A. Tutankhamen was called Tutankhaten at his birth in Malkata, a palace in the south of Egypt. His parentage is unsure, but many historians believe he was son of the old Pharaoh Amenhotep III and his chief wife, Queen Tiye.

Q. And what were the politics of the Egyptian court then

A. Confused. Tutankhaten was born at a time of political turmoil. Amenhotep III's regent and successor - Tutankhaten's older brother, Akhenhaten - was a religious heretic whose beliefs divided the country. The Ancient Egyptians were polytheistic: they believed in more than one god.

Q. What made Akhenhaten's beliefs different

A. He changed his name from Amenhotep IV and created a new god, Aten the sun disc (from whom our questioner takes his or her pseudonym). He believed only in Aten - so he desecrated the temples and banned the worship of all other deities in the Egypt. This was known as the Armarna Revolution. Young Tutankhaten was proclaimed a figurehead for the Egyptians who refused to give up the other gods, particularly Amen (sometimes spelled Amon). As Akhenhaten became more obsessed by his god, he neglected his empire and it began to weaken. When Akhenaten died, the nine-year-old Tutankhaten was enthroned as Tutankhamen.

Q. Aged nine He didn't do much ruling, surely

A. Courtiers tried to make him appear more grown-up by marrying him to Ankhsanpaaten, the late king's daughter. His uncle Ay did most of the ruling with Hornheb, the chief officer of state. In his reign, many of his brother's monotheistic changes were changed back.

Q. And why the change of name

A. Tutankhaten means 'living image of Aten'; Tutankhamen means 'living image of Amen'.

Q. Anything more about the boy king

A. Egyptologists who studied his tomb relics believe Tutankhamen was a good pupil. Records say he was 'a scribe who has received the writing case' - or passed with distinction. The young pharaoh had delicate health but took part in many sports including riding, archery, and swimming. He also loved to hunt and at home in his palace he kept many dogs and played senet, a board game.

Q. How did he die

A. Not sure. Tutankhamen was succeeded by Ay (ruled 1352-1348BC), who married Tutankhamen's widow. However, we know how he was buried. His tomb was found almost intact by Howard Carter and the Earl of Carnarvon in the Valley of the Tombs near Luxor in 1922. It was filled with extraordinary treasures, including a solid gold coffin, a gold mask, jewellery, and many other artefacts.

Q. How did it survive

A. By a fluke. Many other tombs in this valley had been looted by grave-robbers, but Tutankhamen's was well hidden by rock chips that piled upon it when another grave was being chiselled out of the stone. Its great wealth of objects meant great advances in knowledge on Egyptian sculpture and life of the XVIII dynasty. The contents of the tomb, including the mummy and the gold sarcophagus, are now in Cairo.

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By Steve Cunningham