Tutankhamun Biography
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Tutankhamun or Tutankhamen[a] (/ΛtuΛtΙnkΙΛΛmuΛn/ /ΛtuΛtΙnΛkΙΛmΙn/; Ancient Egyptian: twt-κ₯nαΈ«-jmn; c.β1341 BC β 1323 BC), also referred to as King Tut, was an Egyptian pharaoh. Having ruled over the New Kingdom of Egypt, he was the last of his royal family to exercise governance during the Eighteenth Dynasty, with his reign lasting from c.β1332 BC until c.β1323 BC in the conventional Egyptian chronology. Through DNA testing, his father was identified as the mummy within tomb KV55 and his mother was identified as a mummy from tomb KV35, with his mother having been his father's sister. The mummy of Tutankhamun's father is speculated to be of the pharaoh Akhenaten, though this is disputed; the mummy of Tutankhamun's mother is informally called "The Younger Lady" but is otherwise unknown.
Tutankhamun took the throne at eight or nine years of age, under the unprecedented viziership of his eventual successor, Ay, to whom he may have been related. Within tomb KV21, the mummy KV21A was identified as having been the biological mother of Tutankhamun's two daughters β it is therefore speculated that this mummy is of his only known wife, Ankhesenamun, who was his paternal half-sister. Their two daughters were identified as the 317a and 317b mummies; daughter 317a was born prematurely at 5β6 months of pregnancy while daughter 317b was born at full-term, though both died in infancy. His names β Tutankhaten and Tutankhamun β are thought to have meant "living image of Aten" and "living image of Amun" in the ancient Egyptian language, with the god Aten having been replaced by the god Amun after Akhenaten's death. Some Egyptologists, including Battiscombe Gunn, have claimed that the translation may be incorrect, instead being closer to "the-life-of-Aten-is-pleasing" or "one-perfect-of-life-is-Aten" (latter translation by Gerhard FechtΒ [de]).
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