"Old King Tut" -- The Happiness Boys (William Jerome, Lyrics, and Harry Von Tilzer, Music)
“King Tut” -- Steve Martin & The Toot Uncommons
In or about 1341 BCE, a son was born to Akhenaten, Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, and his sister/wife or possibly but less likely his cousin/wife. The mother’s name remains unknown: She is remembered by Egyptologists simply as “The Younger Lady.” Akhenaten remains history’s best known devotee of Aten, the Egyptian God and Face of the Sun. It was he who sought to sway his subjects from traditional modes of worship and create a religion centered on Aten as the God above gods. The name selected for the son reflects the father’s religious fervor: Tutankhaten or “The Living Image of Aten.”
Tutankhaten ascended the throne of Egypt in about 1333 BCE despite his being only nine or ten years of age. As pharaohs go, he was something of a nonentity. No accomplishment serves to elevate his legacy above or even equal to that of other far less famous Egyptian rulers. Few things recommend the memory of Egypt’s most famous boy king to posterity. So why is this nondescript pharaoh the only ruler of Ancient Egypt most people recognize by name?
We can begin with his impact on Egyptian religious ceremonies. We have already mentioned Akhenaten’s promoting Aten, the Disk of the Sun, to supremacy. In the third year of Tutankhaten’s reign, Aten lost his exalted status. On the advice of his powerful servitors, the young king toppled Aten’s pedestal, dropping down to his former station in the Egyptian pantheon. Amun, King of Gods and Winds, again ruled the universe. To further distance him from his father’s dogmatic theology, Tutankhaten selected for himself a new name: Tutankhamun, “The Living Face of Amun.”
We can begin with his impact on Egyptian religious ceremonies. We have already mentioned Akhenaten’s promoting Aten, the Disk of the Sun, to supremacy. In the third year of Tutankhaten’s reign, Aten lost his exalted status. On the advice of his powerful servitors, the young king toppled Aten’s pedestal, dropping down to his former station in the Egyptian pantheon. Amun, King of Gods and Winds, again ruled the universe. To further distance him from his father’s dogmatic theology, Tutankhaten selected for himself a new name: Tutankhamun, “The Living Face of Amun.”
And too, Akhenaten is not the only familiar name to appear in Tutankhamun's family tree. While the name of Tutankhamun’s mother remains lost to the ages, his stepmother boasted one of the best known and most recognizable names to emerge from Ancient Egypt. The enigmatic Queen Neferneferuaten Nefertiti was Akhenaten’s first wife and chief concubine, his Great Royal Wife. Although almost no certain knowledge remains to inform us of Nefertiti, she retains the power to enthrall historians and students some 33 centuries after her death.
All this aside, Tutankhamun is most famous for his dying at an early age and the events set in motion by his untimely demise. Tutankhamun serves as textbook example of the sort of ills generated by the Royal Egyptian tradition of inbreeding. Although standing nearly six-foot tall, he was slight of build with a pronounced overbite and suggestions of a cleft palate. His curved spine and club left foot must have made walking difficult as attested by the large number of canes found within his tomb. DNA studies of the young pharaoh’s remains provide the oldest known genetic evidence of malaria. Systematic analyses of his remains confirm a long litany of congenital defects inherited from his incestous ancestors. The deck was stacked against Tutankhamun's living a long life, and, as usual, the house won. Best estimates indicate that Tutankhamun died about the age of 18.
As with nearly every aspect of Tutankhamun’s life, the nature of his death remains a mystery. However, the available evidence suggests a likely culprit suggests itself. CT scans of his remains indicate the young king suffered a compound fracture of his deformed left leg leading to severe infection shortly before his death.
Death Mask of Tutankhamun
The method of his interment argues that Tutankhamun’s death was sudden and unexpected. The Valley of the Kings was then the traditional burial site of Egypt’s nobility, but Tutankhamun’s tomb does not befit his status as pharaoh. His tomb is a small one, possibly being one intended for a member of the lesser nobility repurposed as Tutankhamun’s final resting place as time did not permit construction of the grand sepulcher to which he was entitled. The paint on the walls had not yet dried when the tomb was sealed and funerary goods once intended for his stepmother Nefertiti were apparently reused in his burial.
So why does Tutankhamun’s owe his current fame in popular culture to his unexpected death and improvised burial?
The enterment of a pharaoh was typically a lavish affair, filled with pomp and ceremony. The deceased was interred with kingly riches to make his transition to and life in the beyond. Over millennia, these burial goods proved irresistible to rapacious grave robbers. Few tombs escaped unharmed by these cultural vandals. Even Tutankhamun’s tomb was looted and resealed on at least two occasions soon after his burial although the items taken seem to have been limited to perishable oils and perfumes. But this small tomb failed to attract the attention garnered by the more resplendent tombs of Tutankhamun’s fellow monarchs. Over time, the tomb was covered by debris placed there either through the carelessness of workers or by forces of nature. Both the history of the young king and the location of his final resting place were forgotten.
On 4 November 1922, after years of disappointing searching among the ruins of ancient housing once inhabited by workers tasked with preparing the burying places of the Egyptian pharaohs and nobles, a team of excavators led by English archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered steps leading down into the earth which when cleared revealed a door. Carter sent a wire to the man who had been financing his thus far fruitless search, asking him to come. George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon had grown weary of tossing his wealth down a seemingly bottomless pit and only recently informed Carter that the expedition would would receive no further funding after year’s end. Lord Carnarvon and others watched attentively on 26 November as Carter, using a chisel given to him on his 17th birthday, made a small breach and, using candlelight, peered into the antechamber beyond.
The enterment of a pharaoh was typically a lavish affair, filled with pomp and ceremony. The deceased was interred with kingly riches to make his transition to and life in the beyond. Over millennia, these burial goods proved irresistible to rapacious grave robbers. Few tombs escaped unharmed by these cultural vandals. Even Tutankhamun’s tomb was looted and resealed on at least two occasions soon after his burial although the items taken seem to have been limited to perishable oils and perfumes. But this small tomb failed to attract the attention garnered by the more resplendent tombs of Tutankhamun’s fellow monarchs. Over time, the tomb was covered by debris placed there either through the carelessness of workers or by forces of nature. Both the history of the young king and the location of his final resting place were forgotten.
“Can you see anything?” inquired Lord Carnarvon.
“Yes,” replied Carter, “Wonderful things!”
Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon at Entrance to the Newly Discovered Tomb
The dim candle-light revealed the best preserved ancient burial site yet to be discovered in all Egypt, a small chamber filled haphazardly with precious treasures and, beyond them, another sealed door leading deeper into the tomb. The rich contents of the antechamber took months to inventory and catalogue. It was not until 16 February 1923 that the second door was breached. Beyond it lay the burial chamber, and for the first time in over three-thousand years, human eyes beheld the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun.
The remains of Tutankhamun still rest within his tomb but tells of his discovery as well as his burial treasures have crisscrossed the globe time and again, sparking a love affair with Egyptology that finds expression in film, fiction, and music. The very year Carter broke the seals on that final chamber, revealing the tomb's innermost sanctum, his findings inspired wags to make artistic discoveries of their own. Consider this 1923 offering:
Wall Decorations Within Burial Chamber
Howard Carter Examines Innermost Coffin of Tutankhamun
The remains of Tutankhamun still rest within his tomb but tells of his discovery as well as his burial treasures have crisscrossed the globe time and again, sparking a love affair with Egyptology that finds expression in film, fiction, and music. The very year Carter broke the seals on that final chamber, revealing the tomb's innermost sanctum, his findings inspired wags to make artistic discoveries of their own. Consider this 1923 offering:
"Old King Tut"
The Happiness Boys (William Jerome, Lyrics, and Harry Von Tilzer, Music)
The Happiness Boys (William Jerome, Lyrics, and Harry Von Tilzer, Music)
Three thousand years ago,
In history we know,
King Tutenkhamen ruled a mighty land.
He ruled for many years,
‘Mid laughter, song and tears,
He made a record that will always stand.
They opened up his tomb the other day and jumped with glee,
They learned a lot of ancient history.
In old King Tut – Tut – Tutenkhamen’s day,
Beneath the tropic skies
King Tut-Tut-Tut was very wise
Now old King Tut – Tut – Tut was always gay,
Cleopatra she sat upon his knee
Pat! That’s where she sat.
Now old King Tut was just a nut as you can see,
Still proud was Tut about his Beechnut ancestry.
A thousand girls would dance each day,
With lots of hip-hip-hip-hooray,
In old King Tut-Tut – Tut-Tut-Tut-Tut
King Tutty’s day.
His tomb instead of tears,
Was full of souvenirs,
He must have travelled greatly in his time.
The gold and silver ware,
That they found hidden there,
Was from hotels of every land and clime.
While going thru his royal robes they found up in his sleeve,
The first love letter Adam wrote to Eve.
In old King Tut – Tut – Tutenkhamen’s day,
The dancers then in style
Would even make the old Sphinx smile.
In old King Tut – Tut – Tutenkhamen’s day,
On the desert sand old King Tutty’s band
Played while maidens swayed.
They’d dance for old King Tut ‘neath moon-lit skies so warm,
They wore such happy smiles and were in perfect form,
They’d dance for him both fat and thin,
He didn’t care what shape they’re in,
In old King Tut-Tut – Tut-Tut-Tut-Tut
King Tutty’s day.
Even today, the boy king retains his hold on the imagination of the public. While the remains of Tutankhamun still rest within the tomb in which it was discovered, the treasures adorning his grave site have been displayed around the world. Once such exhibition, The Treasures of Tutankhamun, toured the United States appearing in a total of seven different cities between 17 November 1976 and 30 September 1979. Over eight-million visitors crowded into the museums hosting the exhibits to view 53 artifacts recovered from from the burial site.
Among those Americans fascinated by the exhibited was talented comedian Steve Martin who penned and recorded this delightful homage to the late pharoah. In this recording, Martin performs his creation with the backing of the Toots Uncommon, better known to pop music lovers as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
"KingTut"
Steve Martin and the Toots Uncommon
Now when he was a young man he never thought he'd see (King Tut)
People stand in line to see the boy king (King Tut)
How'd you get so funky (funky Tut)
Then you'd do the monkey
(Born in Arizona moved to Babylonia King Tut)
Now if I'd known the line would form to see him (King Tut)
I'd take up all my money and buy me a museum (King Tut)
Buried with a donkey (funky Tut)
He's my favorite honky
(Born in Arizona moved to Babylonia King Tut)
Dancing by the Nile (Disco Tut)
Ladies loved the style (Fox Tut)
Rocking for a mile (Rockin' Tut)
He ate a crocodile
He gave his life for tourism
Golden idol
He's an Egyptian!
They're selling you
Now when I die now don't think I'm a nut
Don't want no fancy funeral just one like old King Tut (King Tut)
He coulda won a grammy (King Tut)
Buried in his jammies
(Born in Arizona moved to Babylonia)
(Born in Arizona)
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