More than 3,300 years ago, a boy named Tutankhamen (King Tut for short) ruled ancient Egypt. King Tut was just a boy when he became king. He was only 9 years old. Most 9-year-old boys are catching lizards, riding bikes, or climbing trees.

Tut was in charge of ruling thousands of people in Egypt. At that time, kings were called pharaohs in Egypt. King Tut was the most popular pharaoh probably because he was just a boy and because his life and his death are still a mystery. King Tut died when he was 19 years old. At first, scientists thought that someone had murdered him. They thought that he had been hit in the head. After they took pictures of the spot where they thought he had been hit, they realized that their hypothesis was wrong. Some think it was because he broke his leg and he developed an infection. In those days, they did not have the medicines that we have today. Injuries like a bone breaking often resulted in death.

Ancient Egyptians preserved the bodies of kings and queens with spices, salt, oils, and strips of cloth. That is how a mummy is made. Then, it is put into a coffin with objects that the Egyptians thought the mummy would need in the afterlife and the tomb was sealed.

That is how they found King Tut in 1922. Covering his face was a mask made of gold. There was once a legend that spoke of dread and death happening upon anyone who was exposed to King Tut’s mummy. It was all a hoax. Nothing has ever happened to anyone who has touch King Tut.

For years, tourists could visit the tomb where King Tut was buried. Scientists discovered that the warm air inside his tomb was causing his body to decay. So, they decided to place his body inside a glass house which allowed the temperature to be controlled.

Since then, King Tut has been traveling the world so that regular people do not have to travel to Egypt to see the boy king. Even though many people do not agree with moving the body all over the world, scientists hope that by doing so, people will become more interested in the history of ancient Egypt.