Discovering Tut: The Saga continues…….

Discovering Tut: The Saga continues…….

Q. Why has King Tut's body been subjected to repeated scrutiny.

Ans. King Tut died when he was only a teenager. His death has always remained a mystery. So in order to reveal that mystery, Tut's mummy has been subjected to repeated scrutiny.

Q. Why was Howard Carter's investigation resented.

Ans. Carter was the archaeologist. He discovered Tut's tomb in 1922. While performing his investigations, Carter damaged the mummy. He severed the mummy's head and several joints. So his investigation was resented.

Q. Why did Carter have to chisel away the solidified resins to raise the king's remains.

Ans. The ritual resins in the coffin had hardened. It had cemented Tut’s mummy to the bottom of the solid gold coffin. It became impossible for Carter to remove the mummy from its coffin. So he had to chisel away the solidified resins to raise the king’s remains.

Q. Why was Tut's body buried along with gilded treasures.

Ans. In the ancient Egypt the royals thought that they could take their riches with them after their death. It was also believed that the brilliance of gold would help in a dead man's resurrection. Therefore, Tut's body was buried along with a number of gilded treasures.

Q. Why did the boy king change his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun.

Ans. Amun was a major god in ancient Egypt. But one of the previous rulers had banned the worship of god Amun. He had smashed al the images of Amun. When Tut became the king, he revived his worship. He changed his own name to Tutankhamun which means, living image of Amun'.

Q. List the deeds that led Ray Johnson to describe Akhenaten as "wacky.

Ans. He moved the religious capital from the old city of Thebes to the new city of Akhetaten. He changed his own name to Akhetaten. He attacked Amun, a major god. He smashed his images and closed his temples. That is why Ray Johnson calls him “wacky”.

Q. What were the results of the CT scan?

Ans. The technicians got astonishing images by CT scan. These images were put on a computer screen. Neck vertebrae appeared clearly. Other images revealed a hand, several views of the ribs and part of the skull.

Q. List the advances in technology that have improved forensic analysis.

Ans. Now scientists use sophisticated tools like X-ray and CT scan for forensic analysis. Now archaeology focuses more on details of life and mysteries of death than on treasures.

Q. Explain the statement, “King Tut is one of the first mummies to be scanned-in death, as in life...."

Ans. King Tut's life was a mystery. He died at a very young age. He remained ahead of his countrymen when he was alive. After his death, his mummy was the first to be examined. So he remained ahead of others even after death.

Q. When did King Tut die? Where was his body buried?

Ans. King Tut died more than 3300 years ago. His body was put into a golden coffin and buried in the "Valley of the Kings' in Egypt. King Tut died when he was only a teenager.

Q.When was a CT scan performed on Tut's mummy?

Ans. Tut's death has always remained a mystery. Scientist decided to perform a CT scan on his mummy. So, on 5th January, 2005, his body was taken out of its resting place for a CT scan.

Q. What did Carter find in the first coffin?

Ans. Carter spent a number of months recording the treasures of Tut's tomb. Then he began his three nested coffins. In the first coffin he found a shroud adored with garlands of flowers which are generally found in March or April.

Q. What startling discovery did a professor of anatomy make in 1968?

Ans. In 1968, an anatomy professor X-rayed the mummy. He revealed that Tut's breast bone and front ribs were missing.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTION

Q. Who was Carter? What investigation did he do regarding Tut's mummy?

Or

How did Carter separate Tut’s mummy from its coffin?

Or

What things were placed with Tut’s mummy?

Ans. Carter was the archaeologist who discovered Tut's tomb in 1922. Carter spent a number of months recording the treasures of Tut's tomb. Then he began investigating his three nested coffins. In the first coffin he found a shroud adorned with garlands of flowers which are generally found in March or April. When he reached the mummy, he faced difficulty. The solidified resins had cemented Tut’s mummy to the bottom of his coffin. There was no way to remove the mummy from the coffin. He also tried to loosen the resins in the heat of the sun, but he could not succeed in it.

At last Carter used a chisel to separate the mummy from its coffin. If he had not done so, the thieves would have ransacked the tomb for the precious things. There were very costly things in his tomb: precious collars, inlaid necklaces, bracelets, rings, amulets, a ceremonial apron, sandals, etc, all made of pure gold. Man other things of everyday use including board games, a bronze razor, linen undergarments, cases of food and wine were also placed. Carter's men removed the mummy's head and severed nearly every major joint. Then they reassembled the remains on a layer of sand in wooden box.