Here's me report/interview...(it's quite long) but here it is....
To see the real face of Tutankhamun, go to:
http://dsc.discovery.com/anthology/unso ... /face.html
Written by Jessica F.
1. What do you believe made King Tutankhamun significant in history?
Many people around the world know of King Tut because of his famous Golden Death mask, and his other amazing treasures. In 1922, Howard Carter knew that if there was one tomb that wasn’t robbed, it had to be Tut’s. This is very important because this tomb was the only tomb left untouched or robbed for 3000 years. But, there is something else that is amazing about this pharaoh, which very few people know about…his life…and death. The mysteries that surround King Tut make him very significant. One of these mysteries is the one about his murder. Rarely do we find pharaohs that have been assassinated in the past, but this King was one of them. It is also unfortunate that he was murdered around the young age of nineteen. But the question is left unanswered. Who committed this crime? Once we further understand Tut’s history, we will be able to unravel other mysteries, maybe about his father, Akhenaten, and the four suspects of his murder, Aye, Horemheb, Maya, and Ankhesenamun.
2. Who do you believe murdered King Tut and why?
*more information about the topics/evidence introduced here will be more thoroughly explained with detail and supporting evidence in questions 4-11*
Knowing the reasons why the four suspects might have murdered King Tut, the one that lingers with much evidence is, King Tut’s Prime Minister, Aye. I do not believe Aye planned Tut’s death alone, since I have suspicions about Horemheb. No doubt, they could have both been part of Tut’s assassination.
After King Tut’s death, Aye took the throne without hesitation, and ruled for four long years. Tut’s wife, Ankhesenanum, disappeared sometime during Aye’s reign. Another question remains…did Aye kill her? When his reign was over, another suspect became pharaoh…the military commander and chief, Horemheb. Both Aye and Horemheb were very close to King Tut. Aye was almost like a father to Tut, and Horemheb had the honour of teaching Tut the ways of war. The pharaoh did not see suspicion, for they had his trust and respect.
3. What evidence was found in his tomb to suggest foul play in regards to his death?
When King Tutankhamun was found in 1922, an autopsy was immediately done on the mummy. Though Dr. Douglas Derry ruined the corpse after trying to remove the linen from the mummy which was also glued to the bottom of his coffin, he found a round depression on Tut’s left cheek. This suggests that the depression could have been from an arrow wound, or an insect bite which would have caused Sepsis. Many believed it was very unlikely, and felt the need to x-ray the corpse again. The wish was granted in 2001 to Dr. Todd Grey. While Grey was looking at the boy’s head, he became puzzled by a lose chip of bone visible in the upper left side of the skull. He believes the bone could have been loosened during embalming, and then broken off by a bash to the head, or by a fall.
This is not the only discovery Grey made, for he also found that Tut had spinal deformities, which were Scoliosis, and Cliplefile(I believe that is how it is spelt) . This one called Cliplefile was one that disabled Tut from turning his head. More evidence rests in King Tut’s tomb itself. While Howard Carter was searching though the tomb, he uncovered 130 walking sticks, all used, beginning from childhood. More evidence is found in painting where we see Tut balancing on a walking stick while his feet are twisted. Because of Tut’s deformity, this would have given anyone the opportunity to murder him. The suspects could have also seen Tut’s disabilities as an excuse to kill him, because in those times, they believed in killing the weak. Could this have been a motive for one of the suspects?
4. What evidence points to Aye, Tut’s prime minister, as his killer?
Aye, Tut’s prime minister, was the second most powerful man in Egypt. Besides being an Amun priest at Thebes, he was also the protector of the boy king. Though already a wealthy and dominant man, he would have had much to gain if the young pharaoh died.
When Akhenaten reigned, he chose to worship one supreme god over them all. Aye, Akhenaten’s prime minister at the time, sided with the pharaoh. But, after the king passed into the afterlife, and his son, Tutankhamun took the throne and rejected his father’s beliefs, Aye betrayed Akhenaten, and sided with Tut. Would he do the same after Tut’s death? It is also known that, during the time of Akhenaten, many people, even priests, tried to assassinate him because of the new beliefs he introduced. Many believe Aye was one of these potential assassins.
Weeks after the murder of King Tut, a letter was sent to the Hittite leader, Egypt’s worst enemy. It was sent by Ankhesenamun, Tut’s wife. Egyptologists believe she was frightened and confused after her husband’s death. But this wasn’t the only reason why she sent the letter. The letter cried to the Hittite leader, begging him to send a son to become her husband so that she would not have to marry a servant. Did Aye force Anhesenamun into marriage? Was Aye the man she mentioned in the letter with such dread? After Aye became the new pharaoh, the young lady disappeared from history. Yet, the question remains…Did Aye kill her, too? Did she know something about Aye that we do not?
In the beginning of King Tut’s reign, he planned to be buried in a tomb near his grandfather. But, Aye was the one who took it for his life in the afterworld, and in the tomb was a painting…a hunting scene that was out of place. The last piece of evidence that Aye was the murderer; for the writing on the wall confessed to the gods that he had become pharaoh by an unlawful act.
5. What evidence is there that Aye isn’t the killer?
Though it is most likely that Aye was the killer, some evidence to prove that he was not still prevails. Aye was the closest family to King Tut, and was also an Amun priest. This may also account for a reason why he might have murdered Tut, but some believe this was a sign of loyalty. Aye was also the second most powerful man in all of Egypt. Some would think he had enough authority, but, pharaoh was always a step higher than prime minister.
6. What evidence points to Maya, Tut’s treasurer, as his killer?
Maya was the chief financer of Egypt, as well as Tut’s treasurer, and was extremely wealthy. Part of his job was to plan out where the king would be buried. If he did murder King Tut, he wouldn’t have profited from it.
Maya rescued Egypt’s economy from the disaster caused by King Tut’s father, Akhenaten. What if Maya thought Tut would threaten to undo all his work?
7. What evidence is there that Maya isn’t the killer?
With all the many goods that were kept in Tutankhamun’s tomb, one very important piece of evidence was found inscribed with a tender devotion to the king…from Maya. It seems that, when Tut was buried, his tomb was robbed. But, who was the man who lovingly restored it, and then carefully sealed the tomb again? None other than Maya. After having done this, he made sure no one would find the tomb by burning all the plans. After King Tut’s death, Maya remained as Egypt’s financer.
8. What evidence points to Horemheb, army general, as his killer?
Horemheb, being the head of the army, had many responsibilities. One of these was to train King Tut so that he would be prepared for the day he would lead troops into war. Since Tut had taken the throne at an early age, the Hittites, Egypt’s worst enemy, must have thought this to be the best time to invade Egypt. Horemheb saw this threat ahead of time, and wondered if it was smart to leave a boy in charge of the military. Because of the belief that Horemheb was obsessed with law and order, he would’ve done anything to save his country. This is the major reason why the general could have attempted to kill the pharaoh.
While investigating the mummy of Tutankhamun, experts have noticed that the body had been damp while being wrapped, and that the course was decomposing before the mummification process had begun. This is very unusual because the embalmers would never allow a body to decompose, for it would smell, and it would be difficult to continue with the mummification. Though the king was able to be mummified, about two buckets of ankhwin (scented resins) were poured over the mummy. This probably tells us that they were trying to hide the smell of a decomposing body. But why would the body be allowed to decay in the first place? It was a tradition in Ancient Egypt for a pharaoh to have his/her chariot(s). They would use it to hunt, race, or to just catch the desert sand. Could Tut have died from a chariot accident far from home? This theory would also back up his decomposing body. Because of the hot desert sun, it would not take long for a motionless body to start decaying, and also, the flies would settle on the corpse as well. But, maybe King Tut was not alone. Maybe Horemheb invited Tut on a private ride through the desert…a perfect murder. He had every opportunity, and a motive. He knew of Tut’s disabilities, making his job - his murder – easier. Because of the Cliplefile, one blow to the head would have caused serious, even deadly damage.
Though, Horemheb did not receive throne after Tut’s death, but after Aye’s reign, he did. At the moment he ruled as pharaoh, he erased every trace of Aye, and also let him get away with murder. This could prove that Horemheb and Aye were partners in crime.
9. What evidence is there that Horemheb isn’t the killer?
Horemheb was the commander and chief of the military and because of this, one would think that a man is this area would be loyal to the king. As we know, Horemheb was accountable for teaching King Tut the ways of war, and he knew that Tut had disabilities not enabling him to do many physical things. Horemheb might have had sympathy for the king, considering he was only a child. He was also close to Tut, which gave the king a chance to trust and respect his trainer.
10. What evidence points to Ankhesenamun, Tut’s wife, as his killer?
King Tutankhamun admired his lovely Ankhesenamun. They were wed at the age of nine, when Tut became pharaoh. Not only was she Tut’s wife and half-sister, but also his most closest and best friend. Both were born into the same disastrous life caused by their father, Akhenaten, but they managed to almost entirely escape the nightmare…together. From the day they had left for Thebes after Tut took the throne, they must have clung to each other like a pair of lost, confused souls. Why would Ankhesenamun have murdered her only friend, her brother, her husband?
Back in the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1927, two mummified fetuses were found near Tut’s coffin. One was four months premature, and the other stillborn. In 1932, Douglas Derry autopsied them, finding remarkable discoveries. One of the fetuses had Spina Bifida, and Scoliosis, proving that they belonged to Tut, and proving that he and Ankhesenamun were trying to start a family. Did she blame Tut for the miscarriages?
Throughout Ancient Egyptian history, there had been powerful female pharaohs. Maybe Ankhesenamun wished to take the throne so she would be able to get another husband, or maybe she desired it because of her desperation.
11. What evidence is there that Ankhesenamun isn’t the killer?
Ankhesenamun was King Tutankhamun’s beloved wife and they both cared for each other more than life itself. Paintings and carvings give Egyptologist Zahi Wahass the impression and evidence to prove this true. He explains that the touch (shown in the picture of Tutankhamun and his wife, Ankhesenamun) is a sign of love, and that very rarely would you see this kind of bond elsewhere.
The letter that was found in Turkey, written by Ankhesenamun, is another piece of evidence that Tut’s wife couldn’t have killed him. In the letter, it seems she is frightened and confused of her husband’s death. She does not want to receive the throne, and have Aye as her new husband. Maybe she knew something that we do not. But, we do know that after Aye became pharaoh, Ankhesenamun disappeared forever. Evidence could lead us to believe that Aye killed her, though, we may never know for sure.
Hope this was helpful to all of you...
p.s I wrote about 8 months ago, so some of my ideas MAY have changed, but this is still good info
