Reign of Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun came to the throne as a child of about nine, guided by the powerful officials Ay (who would succeed him) and Horemheb (the general who would succeed Ay). His most historically significant act was the Restoration Stele, which formally reversed Akhenaten's religious reforms: the temples of the traditional gods were reopened, the Amun priesthood reinstated, and the new capital at Amarna abandoned. His name had been Tutankhaten ('Living image of the Aten'); it was changed to Tutankhamun ('Living image of Amun'). He died unexpectedly — possibly from malaria complicated by a bone disease, possibly from an accidental chariot injury — before completing his own tomb. He was hastily buried in a smaller tomb prepared for someone else, which is why it was overlooked by ancient tomb robbers. Howard Carter's discovery of the tomb in November 1922, with its four nested shrines, golden coffins, and thousands of grave goods, gave the modern world its most vivid image of ancient Egyptian royal wealth.
- Year: 1332 BCE
- Category: Political
