Tutankhamun Wall Plaque

The 12th king of the 18th Dynasty was only eight or nine years old at his succession. His father, Smenkhkare, died at the age of 25 and the cause remains a mystery. Tutankhamun was married to Ankhesenamon, the third daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. The couple originally lived at el Amarna but later moved to Memphis where they refurbished the apartments of Amenhotep III.

The Restoration Stela gives an account of his effort to stabilize the government and to restore the temples and honors of the old gods after the Amarna period. He paid the priest and palace staff from his own pockets. He built a mortuary temple close to Medinet Habu, with two colossal statues, but they were usurped by his successors. Tutankhamun died at the age of 19 by a head injury. He was buried in the Valley of the Kings. Two mummified fetuses were found in coffins that had been sealed by his name. These are believed to have been his children that were born prematurely.