17
A trip into the past - Tutankhamun
Our friends
invited us yesterday for a trip into the past, an exhibition in Frankfurt about
Tutankhamun, the last pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. He was born on approx. 1341
BC and lived and rules until 1323 BC.
He became
famous on the 4th of November 1922, when Howard Carter and George Herbert, 5th
Earl of Carnarvon revealed the entrance to Tutankhamun's nearly intact tomb. At
that time, the discovery sparked a renewed public interest in ancient Egypt,
for which Tutankhamun's burial mask remains the most popular symbol. Exhibits
of artifacts from his tomb have toured the world and one of the best replicas
it to be admired in Frankfurt.
I am deeply
interested in history and somehow the pyramids and the ancient Egyptian culture
has always attracted my interest, this is why I did a lot of reading on the
subject. There were several good series on BBC and also on National Geographic
which detailed this period, thus many things were familiar to me. But still the
fascination was there, it was an impressive exhibition, with interactive
videos, copies of the artifacts but above all great company.
Tutankhamun
was the son of Akhenaten (formerly Amenhotep IV), the first ruler who
introduced one god worship, for Aten,
the Sun God. Tutankhamun became pharaoh at the age of nine, and he reversed
several changes made during his father's reign. He ended the worship of the god
Aten and restored the god Amun to supremacy. The ban on the cult of Amun was
lifted and traditional privileges were restored to its priesthood. The capital
was moved back to Thebes and the city of Akhetaten abandoned (the location
chosen by his father).
There are
not so many details about his life, more about his death, but many scientists
mention that he must have brought some peace with his neighbors, since his tomb
does include gifts from several near-by countries. Somehow I can imagine that
for this young age, the confrontations, the battles, the unrest (especially
caused by the constant religious changes) must have been very challenging. I
believe that we cannot actually imagine how life was 3.000 years ago, but the
discovery of his tomb brought immense knowledge.
Some
pictures might tell you a bit of the size of the event:
I hope you
enjoyed this small tour, I had so much fun yesterday!
|
