King
Tutankhamun (or Tutankhamen) ruled Egypt as pharaoh for 10 years until
his death at age 19, around 1324 B.C. Although his rule was notable for
reversing the tumultuous religious reforms of his father, Pharaoh
Akhenaten, Tutankhamun’s legacy was largely negated by his successors.
He was barely known to the modern world until 1922, when British
archaeologist Howard Carter chiseled through a doorway and entered the
boy pharaoh’s tomb, which had remained sealed for more than 3,200 years.
The tomb’s vast hoard of artifacts and treasure, intended to accompany
the king into the afterlife, revealed an incredible amount about royal
life in ancient Egypt, and quickly made King Tut the world’s most famous
pharaoh.