Boy behind the mask.[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Imagine staring into the face of a 3,300-year-old king. That is what scientists in Egypt recently did. Egypt is a country in Africa. Scientists displayed the mummy mummy, dead human or animal body preserved by embalming or by unusual natural conditions. As a rule mummies are from ancient times. The word is of Arabic derivation and refers primarily to the burials found in Egypt, where the practice of mummification was perfected of King Tutankhamen (too-tahn-KAH-mun) for the first time in history. A mummy is a body that has been prepared to last for a long time. King Tut became the ruler of Egypt when he was 9 years old. He ruled for 10 years. Tut died at age 19. His tomb tomb, vault or chamber constructed either partly or entirely above ground as a place of interment. Although it is often used as a synonym for grave, the word is derived from the Greek tymbos [burial ground]. , or burial place any place where burials are made. See also: Burial , was discovered in 1922. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Tut was buried wearing a gold mask (at left). Scientists removed it to show the king's blackened black·en v. black·ened, black·en·ing, black·ens v.tr. 1. To make black. 2. To sully or defame: a scandal that blackened the mayor's name. 3. face. The team also moved the mummy into a special glass case to protect it. "The face of the golden boy is amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. ," spokesperson Zahi Hawass said inside the tomb. "It has magic, and it has mystery." Ask: Who was King Tut? Why is he famous? Vocabulary mummy: a body that has been prepared to last for a long time tomb: a burial place Background * What killed King Tut? In 2005, researchers determined that Tut had broken his leg days before his death. He very likely died of a related infection. * How did Tut's tomb escape harm? Experts say Tut's tomb was small and hard to find. Also, people might not have been searching for the tomb because Tut's successor had tried to erase his name from records. Tut's tomb became even harder to find when laborers built huts over it. Think Critically Why might people call King Tut the golden boy? Extend the Lesson Get writing. In 1922, Howard Carter Noun 1. Howard Carter - Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939) Carter discovered King Tut's tomb. Have students write journal entries, letters, or poems describing what King Tut's tomb was like. Web Resource For an interactive mummification mummification /mum·mi·fi·ca·tion/ (mum?i-fi-ka´shun) the shriveling up of a tissue, as in dry gangrene, or of a dead, retained fetus. mum·mi·fi·ca·tion n. game, visit kids.discovery.corn/ fansites/tutenstein/mummy maker/mummymaker.html. |
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