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Hello. I’m Ruby Jones.
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And I’m Rachel Hobson. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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Do you like to travel? Where would you like to go? Thousands of people dream of visiting Egypt. They have seen pictures of the pyramids where ancient kings were buried. They want to see these huge structures. They want to learn about the history of Egypt, especially about the lives of the kings. In in particular one king - Tutankhamun!
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In today’s Spotlight we tell of Tutankhamun. Why is this ancient king so famous? Why do details of his life and death remain such a mystery?
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3500 years ago, Egypt was extremely powerful. Everyone feared and respected it. The Egyptian army had occupied many lands. And these countries had to pay money to Egypt every year. Egypt had become very rich. But a new king came to power. His name was Akhenaton. Akhenaton tried to change many things in Egypt. In particular he tried to change the religion, art and traditions. He ruled for seventeen years.
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After Akhenaton died, the next ruler did not live long. So the boy Tutankhamun became king. He was only nine years old. Some experts believe that Akhenaton was Tutankhamun’s father. No one knows for sure. Ancient writings just tell that Tutankhamun’s father was a king.
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The boy was too young to rule. So an older advisor named Ay ruled for him, along with a military leader called Horemheb. They made important decisions. They guided Tutankhamun to bring back the popular traditions and the former religion of Egypt.
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In those times Egyptian royalty married close family members. So Tutankhamun married Ankhesenamun, probably his half-sister. The young king appeared to be deeply in love with his wife. Ancient images show their closeness.
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As he became a man, the young king was becoming ready to rule without the help of the older men. However, he died suddenly. He was only around nineteen years old. Researchers find this very mysterious. Was his death an accident? Was he murdered? Ay and Horemheb surely had the most to gain from his death.
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Ay was responsible for burying Tutankhamun. Usually it took years to prepare an Egyptian king’s burial place - his tomb. But this was not the case with Tutankhamun. Ay had to find a tomb for him quickly. And he had to fill it with important and meaningful objects. The tomb he found for Tutankhamun was much smaller than most kings’ tombs. But Tutankhamun was buried near all the other kings in Upper Egypt, in the Valley of the Kings.
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After Tutankhamun’s death, his wife Ankhesenamun was in danger of being forced to marry. Ay could become king if he married her. So, Ankhesenamun wrote to an enemy king - the king of the Hittites. She asked him to send one of his sons for her to marry.
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The Hittite king suspected a trap. But he finally agreed. He sent a prince to her. But the prince was murdered on the way. This was not good news for Ankhesenamun. Ancient writings tell that she married Ay. Ay ruled as king for less than four years. But all of the wall paintings show Ay with another wife, not with Ankhesenamun. No one knows what happened to her.
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The military leader Horemheb took over from Ay. He removed Tutankhamun’s name from many historical writings and projects. He put his own name on them instead. So Egypt forgot about Tutankhamun.
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A later king had his burial place built almost on top of Tutankhamun’s. Stones and sand fell on top of Tutankhamun’s tomb. And so it lay hidden for thousands of years. So history almost forgot about Tutankhamun too.
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Over the years, robbers stole most of the treasure from the tombs of many Egyptian kings. But Tutankhamun’s tomb remained mostly untouched. In 1922, the English explorer Howard Carter discovered it! Newspapers told of Tutankhamun’s many treasures. They told of the beautiful gold death mask that covered his face.
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An Egyptian king’s burial was very important. Skilled embalmers prepared the king’s body after he died. They removed many of the organs. And they dried the body. They did this to prevent decay. People call these ancient dried bodies ‘mummies’. The mummy was often covered with cloth. And family members would give special objects to be buried with it, such as jewels and amulets. In King Tutankhamun’s case, his face was covered with a beautiful gold mask. And there were many jewels on his body. Tutankhamun was put inside three burial boxes. The first is pure gold.
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When Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamun, he wanted to find the jewels. He badly damaged the body of the mummy to get them. And he removed the gold mask too.
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In the 1960’s, a group from the University of Liverpool got permission to x-ray the mummy. This was the first time the mummy was x-rayed. The group believed they made an important discovery. They found an injury on the mummy’s head. This started the story that maybe Tutankhamun was killed. Maybe someone had hit him on the head.
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In 2005, an Egyptian team used modern technology to learn more about Tutankhamun’s death. They took detailed pictures of him with computer x-ray images. This CT scan provided new information. It showed an injury to his leg, a broken thigh. Some team members believe this leg injury had not healed at the time of his death. They believe Tutankhamun’s leg became infected. And he may have died from this wound. They suggest he broke his leg in a hunting accident. Other team members do not agree. They think the injury happened after his death. But all of the team agree that the injury to his head happened after his death. It may have happened during the burial process, or the x-ray process. The team agrees that there is no evidence of murder. And yet many questions remain.
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In November 2007, the Egyptian government announced exciting news. Tutankhamun’s face would be revealed to the public for the first time. Only a few people had seen it before.
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The day arrived. Camera men showed the important event. A team of Egyptians lifted Tutankhamun from his burial box. They moved him into a special glass case. The case is climate-controlled. It will protect the king’s body better.
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Visitors to the tomb can finally see the young king. They can dream about what his life was like. But they may leave his tomb with many questions. Why did he die so young? Did he die in an accident? What happened to his beautiful young wife? The mystery of Tutankhamun continues.
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