Tutankhamun family background
The 18th dynasty was one of the most powerful royal houses of ancient Egypt. The late 18th dynasty, which included the reign of Akhenaten and Tutankhamun was an extraordinary and mysterious time. The recent identification of a number of royal mummies from this era, the exact relationships between some members of the royal family and possible illnesses and causes of death have been matters of debate.
Akhenaten, who ruled from 1351-1334 B.C. is considered one of the most controversial of the Egyptian Pharaohs because of his attempts to transform the traditional religion of his ancestors which lasted for a great number of years and that reflected all facets of society and caused great turmoil. As for Tutankhamun, he is probably the most famous of all Egyptian Pharaohs and this has nothing to do with any historical importance but is due to the treasures that were found inside his tomb that had been discovered almost intact.
Akhenaten, who ruled from 1351-1334 B.C. is considered one of the most controversial of the Egyptian Pharaohs because of his attempts to transform the traditional religion of his ancestors which lasted for a great number of years and that reflected all facets of society and caused great turmoil. As for Tutankhamun, he is probably the most famous of all Egyptian Pharaohs and this has nothing to do with any historical importance but is due to the treasures that were found inside his tomb that had been discovered almost intact.
King Tutankhamun family tree
In this article we will talk about the family tree of Tutankhamun and the rightful parents according to the latest studies.
Amarna Relief: We are certain that Tutankhamun was a son of a king and we know that from a text on a block from one of the destroyed buildings of Akhenaton, Tutankahmun is described as the son of the king from his divine body, but unfortunately the name of the king wasn't recorded. But because this block came from one of the buildings of Akhenaton, this strengthened the assumption that Akhenaton is his father.
Before 2010, there were several theories about the parentage of Tutankhamun and these will be discussed below:
1- He may be the son of Amenhotep III and queen Ty.
The agreement:
A lion statue was discovered in Soleb near Sudan (now displayed at the British Museum), bears inscriptions which claim that Tutankhamun is the son of Amenhotep III. However, it should be kept in mind that grandchildren receive much love and attention from their grandparents and they might call them “father” and “mother”, so the word 'son' may be out of respect and love of Tutankhamun to his grandfather.
The disagreement:
(a) after Amenhotep III death "Akhenaton" ruled for 18 years, but when Tutankhamun became king he was only 9 years old, so it’s not possible.
(b) the age of queen Ty at the time of giving birth to Tutankhamun would have been over 50 years old which is quite an old age for a woman to give birth.
2- There was a certain relationship between Tutankhamun and the remains of the mummy found in the anthropoid coffin in KV 55 as when they were both examined in 1968 at Liverpool University, it was found that both possess the same blood group and the same defects in the bone structure of the skull.
3- The most probable theory is that Tutankhamun was the son of "Akhenaton" from Kiya .
The agreement:
(a) Amarna scene: we found at the royal tomb at El Amarna a scene that represents a lady on her death bed, and when they compared her features she seemed to be kiya, and next to her there is a royal fan-bearer and a royal nurse carrying a baby who was most probably the king-to-be "Tutankhamun".
(b) one of the titles of Kiya was "the greatly beloved wife of the king" may be because she gave him a son after 6 daughters (from Nefertiti) which was much appreciated in ancient Egypt.
Family tree of Tutankhamun:
(c) The Amarna Relief (mentioned earlier) is a strong proof.
(d) 2010 investigation proved that he was the son of Akhenaten, who is now confirmed to be the body from KV 55. Thus we were not certain of anything and we needed the new technology to determine the familial relationships and to search for any diseases or inherited disorders.
