Discovering King Tut's Tomb

Tutankhamun (also known as King Tut) became an Egyptian pharaoh in 1332 BC when he was just a young boy. His father was a controversial leader who closed sacred temples and overturned ancient religions. When Tut became pharaoh, he undid many of the unpopular decisions made by his father. However, the reputation of Tut was still viewed negatively. Tut was not considered an influential ruler. His name was left out of historical records after his death. When Tutankhamun died around the age of 19, he was buried in a royal tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings.

The fame of King Tut began with English Egyptologist Howard Carter, who decided to look for King Tut's tomb in 1914. Other archaeologists dismissed the idea. The tombs in the Valley of the Kings contained precious treasure, which made them targets for robbers. Most archaeologists believed that all the tombs in that region had either been discovered or looted. But Carter insisted he would find Tut in the hot, arid Valley of the Kings located close to the Nile River. Lord Carnarvon, a British earl, provided the money for Carter's search. After seven years, Carnarvon was ready to pull the funding because Carter had not made any discoveries. Finally, in early November 1922, steps to a sealed door were uncovered from the desert sand that had buried them for centuries.

On November 23, 1922, Carter broke through the sealed door and found a passage filled with rubble. He was worried that the grave had been robbed because there were artifacts on the ground that appeared to have been dropped. After clearing the passage, Carter came to another sealed door engraved with Tutankhamun's royal symbols. When he saw the markings, Carter knew they had found the young pharaoh's tomb. He was, however, still unsure what was left to find if grave robbers had discovered it long ago.

What Carter found was astonishing. Three large rooms were contained in the tomb: the antechamber, the annex, and the burial chamber of Tutankhamun. All three rooms were full of priceless treasure, including golden chariots, golden statues, perfume, jewelry, toys, and Tut's gold throne. Tut's coffin was surrounded by a huge golden shrine. In the pharaoh's burial chamber, Carter found a fleet of miniature ships. According to the Egyptian belief of Tut's era, the ships would have been needed to take him to the afterworld.

Carter and his team removed, tagged, and processed the artifacts found in King Tut's tomb. Carter's findings not only launched the legacy of King Tut, but they provided the world with an immeasurable amount of information about ancient Egypt.

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Determine which details should be included in a summary of "Discovering King Tut's Tomb" and which details should be omitted from the summary.

The Valley of Kings

is near the Nile

River.

In 1922, Howard Carter

discovered King Tut's

tomb.

He had been searching

for it for over seven

years.

Within the tomb, he

found treasures such

as gold and jewels.

Tutankhamun was an

unpopular Egyptian

ruler.