It was here that Akhenaten (below) ruled with his chief wife, Nefertiti, who bore him six daughters, but no son to carry on as Pharaoh. It is now believed that Akhenaten and a lesser wife named Kiya were the parents of Tutankhaten, as Tutankhamun was known at first. He would have spent most of his early years in the palaces of Akhetaten, being tutored in many skills, including reading and writing. Much is uncertain about this period and, in time, both Nefertiti's and Kiya's names ceased to appear in written records. A shadowy figure emerged by the name of Smenkhkare - he may have been a brother of the king and briefly ruled alongside him. In any case, soon after the deaths of Akhenaten and Smenkhkare, Tutankhaten became a Boy King at the age of about nine. He married a slightly older Ankhesenpaaten (below), one of the daughters of Akhen aten and Nefertiti |
When Howard Carter and Lord Caernarfon opened up the Tomb of Tut ankh amun, they opened up the beginnings of a mystery that is still not 100% resolved today. But scientists have at least identified the cause of the Curse of Tut ankh amun's deaths. Bacteria growing on the bodies of the mummies, when touched, were extremely poisonous, and caused the deaths of recipients with pneumonia like symptoms. This bacteria, when heated, reactivated and began to multiply again after 3000 odd years entombed. This bacteria was also coating the objects inside the tomb. The big question is - Did the Egyptians, who had a massive knowledge of plants that could heal and plants that could kill, deliberately coat the artefacts, knowing it would activate in the future? Hence the reason for the Curse Warnings. Or are these curse warnings lost in translation - are they really Biological Warning Notices? Well, stranger things happen!
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