Tutankhamen, pronounced toot ahngk AH muhn, served as king of Egypt from about 1347 B.C. until his death in 1339 B.C. His name is also spelled Tutankhamun or Tutankhamon. His reign was unimportant. But interest in Tutankhamen began in 1922, when the British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered his tomb. The tomb had not been opened since ancient times and still contained most of its treasures. It is the only tomb of an ancient Egyptian king to be discovered almost completely undamaged.

Tutankhamen became king at about the age of 9. He probably received much assistance from Ay, his vizier (minister of state). Scholars disagree on who Tutankhamen's relatives were. Some believe the king was a son-in-law of King Akhenaton. Others think Tutankhamen was the son of Akhenaton and the grandson of King Amenhotep III. Still others argue that Tutankhamen and Akhenaton were brothers. Tutankhamen's original name was Tutankhaton, meaning the living image of Aton or the life of Aton is pleasing.

Akhenaton had made Aton the sole god of Egypt. He wanted Egyptians to stop worshiping the chief sun god Amon and other traditional gods. But many Egyptians, including the powerful priests devoted to Amon, rejected the worship of Aton. About four years after becoming king, Tutankhaton took the name Tutankhamen and restored Egypt's old religion.

Historians believe Tutankhamen died at about the age of 18, but they are unsure about the cause of his death. Ay succeeded Tutankhamen as king and held his funeral in the Valley of the Kings, a burial center at Thebes. Horemheb, a leading general, later succeeded Ay as king. Horemheb and his successors destroyed or removed all monuments built by or in honor of Tutankhamen and others who had accepted Aton as Egypt's chief god. Partly because of these actions, little was known about Tutankhamen until Carter's discovery.

Carter searched for Tutankhamen's tomb for about 10 years. He finally discovered that its entrance had been hidden by debris from digging at the entrance of the nearby tomb of King Ramses VI. Tutankhamen's four-room tomb contained more than 5,000 objects, including many beautiful carved and gold-covered items. A magnificent lifelike gold mask of Tutankhamen covered the head and shoulders of the royal mummy.

Among the items discovered were luxurious chests, thrones, beds, linens, clothing, necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings. Carter also found chariots, bows and arrows, swords, daggers, shields, ostrich feather fans, trumpets, statues of Tutankhamen and many Egyptian gods, figures of animals, models of ships, toys, games, and storage jars containing precious oils. The ancient Egyptians believed in a life after death, called the afterlife. They had their favorite possessions and practical objects buried with them for later use in the afterlife. Most of the items found in Tutankhamen's tomb are now displayed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

One of the most informative items in the tomb was a note on the handle of the king's fan. The note indicated that the young Tutankhamen hunted at Heliopolis, near modern Cairo. Wine-jar labels indicated the length of Tutankhamen's reign. Several objects included scenes that show Tutankhamen slaying foreign enemies in battle. But scholars doubt that these scenes pictured actual events.