CBSE Class 11 English - Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues

Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues

Summary

Tut, who was the last heir of the royal family that ruled Egypt for centuries, died 3,300 years ago when he was just a teenager. He was buried with beautiful pieces of gold and forgotten until English archaeologist, Howard Carter discovered his tomb in 1922. As his mummy was taken from cemetery for C. T. scan on 5th January, 2005, dark furious clouds covered the whole sky as indicating some unnatural happening. Tourists from around the world came to see 26 feet underground tomb. They looked at the wall, murals of the burial chamber and Tut's gilded face.
Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt's Council of Antiquities held Carter responsible for the bad condition of mummy. Carter was the British archaeologist who discovered Tut's tomb in 1922. It contained beautiful and amazing artefacts in gold and things of day to day. use as they believed in afterlife. They believed that king would again come back to life and would need all those things. There were three coffins. In the first one, Carter found a shroud covered with garlands of flowers and leaves which suggested that the burial took place in the month of March or April. Carter got into trouble when he reached the solid gold coffin of mummy as it was covered with resins which had hardened like cement. He kept the mummy cemented to its gold coffin out in the blazing sun that heated it to 149 degrees F but it failed.
Finally he had to chisel out the resin to separate mummy from the gold base. He also eut the head and almost every important joint to take it out. He defended himself by saying that, had he not cut the mummy free, thieves would have ripped it apart to remove the gold. Archaeology has changed a lot now as it focusses more on the details of life and mysteries of death and less on the treasures. It uses more sophisticated tools and medical technology. In 1968, an anatomy professor X-rayed the mummy and revealed the astonishing fact that beneath the resin that covered his chest, his breast bone and front ribs were missing. Another tool of modern archaeology through which diagnostic imaging can be done is C.T. scan or computed tomography by which hundreds of X-rays in cross section are put together like slices of bread to create a three dimensional virtual body. But it could not answer two questions--How did Tut die and how old was he at the time of death?
Tut's demise was the death rattle for his dynasty as he was the last of his family line. Tut's grandfather Amenhotep III was a powerful pharaoh who ruled 18th dynasty for almost four decades. He was succeeded by his son Amenhotep IV who brought revolutionary changes.
He promoted the worship of Aten, the sun disk, changed his name to Akhenaten and moved the religious capital from the old city of Thebes to the new city of Akhetaten. He discouraged the worship of 'Amun' and destroyed his images, idols and temples. Ray Johnson, director of the University of Chicago's research centre in Luxor called this period 'a horrific time'.
After Akhenaten's death, a mysterious ruler named Smenkhkare ruled for a brief time and then a very young Tutankhaten took the throne. Widely known as Tut, he changed his name to Tutankhamun, 'living image of Amun' and oversaw a restoration of the old ways. He reigned for about nine years and then died unexpectedly. The Egyptian Mummy Project, which began an inventory in 2003, has recorded 600 mummies so far. A CT machine scanned the mummy from head to toe, creating 1700 digital X-rays in cross section. Scanner had quit because of sand in cooler fan but the substitute fans worked. The scanning was done in less than three hours. Results were studied and debated upon by radiology, forensic and anatomy department. Zahi Hawass felt relief after the successful scanning. Mummy was again sent back to its place where it rested in peace watched over by Osiris, the god of the afterlife.

Extra Questions

(Short Answer Type)

Q. 1. How did the atmosphere change when Tut's mummy was taken for CT scan?
Ans. As King Tut was taken for CT scan from his resting place in the ancient Egyptian cemetery known as the Valley of the Kings, dark bellied clouds driven by the wind covered the whole sky all day and now were hiding the stars in a grey coffin.

Q. 2. What was the reason behind the scanning of King Tut's mummy?

Ans. On 5th January, 2005 at 6 p.m., the world's most famous mummy was put under c cranner. The head glided first to probe the lingering medical mysteries of that young ruler who died more than 3,300 years ago.

Q. 3. There was a huge gathering of Tourists near Tut's tomb. Why?

Ans. Throughout the day tourists from around the world had come to the rock- cut tomb some 26 feet underground to pay their respects to the last heir of the powerful Egyptian rulers, King Tut, who died very young. They looked intently at the murals on the wall of the burial chamber and peered at Tut's glided face.

Q.4. What were the tourists discussing about?

Ans. The tourist's came to the tomb to pay their homage to King Tut. Some of the visitors read from guidebooks in a whisper. Others were standing silently and were pondering Tut's untimely death or might be wondering whether pharaoh's curse on the one who disturbed him was true.

Q. 5. What was Zahi Hawass' opinion about Howard Carter?

Ans. Zahi Hawass, who was the Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, blamed Carter for the bad condition of the mummy. Howard Carter was the British archaeologist who discovered mummy in 1922. He ransacked its contents in haste but they all were complete.

Q. 6. Why did the discovery of Tut's tomb create a sensation?

Ans. Tut's tomb was discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter after lot of efforts. Its contents were the richest royal collection ever found and have become the pharaoh's legend. Wonderful artefacts in gold and their eternal brilliance created a sensation and got the most attention.

Q. 7. What was the reason behind giving an extremely royal burial to King Tut?

Ans. Tutankhamun was fabulously wealthy pharaoh. He was given a royal burial and buried with the stunning artefacts of gold as it was believed that their brilliance would ensure resurrection to King Tut and he could take his wealth with him.

Q.8. What evidences tell that Tut was buried in the month of March or April?

Ans. While investigating one of his three nested coffins, Carter found a shroud adorned with garlands of willow and olive leaves, wild celery, lotus petals and cornflowers which suggested that the funeral might have taken place in the months in which flowers bloom to their best i.e. March or April.

Q.9.. Which problem did Carter face when he reached Tut's mummy?

Ans. Carter ran into trouble when he tried to raise the mummy from its resting place, Where it had been for centuries. The ritual resins had hardened so much that it became impossible for him to remove the mummy from the base of the gold coffin. 0.10. Finally, what step did Carter take to loosen the resins?
Ans. Carter used the natural way to soften the cemented resins. He placed the mummy in the blazing sun at the temperature of 149 degrees Fahrenheit so that the extreme heat might loosen the resins.

O. 11. How did Carter defend himself from Zahi Hawass' remarks or blame?
Ans. After applying all the methods, when carter could not get success in releasing the mummy from the tomb, he chiselled the consolidated material which left the mummy disfigured. He defended himself by saying that he had no other option otherwise thieves would have ripped it apart for want of gold.

Q. 12. It has been called that archaeology has changed substantially. Prove it.
Ans. Archaeology has changed a lot in the past few decades as it now focuses mainly on the interesting facts of life and mysteries of death rather than the treasures. It also uses sophisticated tools and medical technology.

Q. 13. What fact was revealed forty years after the discovery of Tut's mummy?
Ans. In 1968, more than forty years after the discovery of Tut's mummy, an anatomy professor Using X-Rays found that beneath the resin that caked the mummy's chest, his breast bone and front ribs were missing.

Q. 14. What was the basis of the guard's joke, "Curse of the pharaoh"?
Ans. During the CT scanning of King Tut's mummy, the angry wind began to blow and the clear sky was covered with dust clouds. Later on, the CT scan machine was jammed by the sand and curse of pharaoh that would fall upon those who would disturb their peace seemed to become true. This made the guard joke.

Q. 15. Zahi Hawass took a sigh of relief after the scanning of mummy was over.

Ans. Zahi Hawass was the Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. He had the responsibility of getting the scanning done safely. He felt relieved when the mummy was scanned successfully without any big problem.

(Long Answer Type)

Q. 1. There was a fear of Pharaoh's curse among the people. How did it become true?

Ans. According to ancient Egyptian mythology, the body of Tut, the boy king, was buried in 'The Valley of the Kings', the royal burial ground which was the part of ancient Thebes. The body was buried along with gilded treasures as there was a belief that eternal brilliance would guarantee resurrection of the great king. He was also buried with everyday things like board games, bronze razor, linen undergarments, cases of food and wine he'd want in afterlife. To protect the mummified bodies of their kings from robbers or other enemies, a curse was invoked that would befall in the form of death or misfortune upon those who would try to disturb them from rest.
The fear seemed to become alive when king Tut's body was taken for scanning. An angry wind began to stir ghostly dust devils. Dark heavy clouds driven by the wind were formed in the bare sky and veiled the stars in grey coffin which symbolises death. These weather conditions signify the curse of pharaoh who was being disturbed in his eternal sleep. Then there was snag in the CT scan machine due to sand. Thus the curse was still working.

Q.2. Zahi Hawass was worried about the bad condition of the mummy. Whom did he held responsible for it and why?
Ans. Zahi Hawass was the Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, When he first saw the mummy of King Tut, his first remark was to blame Carter for its bad condition. Howard Carter, a British archaeologist discovered Tut's tomb in 1920's after spending years. Its contents were hastily ransacked but they were surprisingly complete. He was in real trouble when he tried to remove the body from its gold coffin. The ritual resins had hardened and were cemented to the coffin. Any type of force seemed to be futile. Finally, he had to keep the body in blazing sunshine for several hours under the temperature of 149 degrees Fahrenheit to loosen the resins. Nothing proved to be fruitful. Then his men had to chisel away the consolidated material from beneath the limbs and trunk before it was raised. They removed mummy's head and severed nearly every major joint. Once they had finished their work, they reassembled the remains on a layer of sand in a wooden box with padding that concealed the damage. The mummy was left in a very bad condition which made Zahi Hawass worried.

O. 3. What does author want to convey by saying that 'King Tut's demise was a big event, even by royal standards!?

Ans. King Tut was the last of his family's line and his funeral was the death rattle of a dynasty. Tut was in his teens when he died. He was given a royal burial in "The Valley of the Kings indicating the fabulous wealth and riches of the ancient Egyptian rulers that had ruled Egypt and its empire for centuries. He was buried with stunning artefacts in gold like precious collars, inlaid necklaces and bracelets, rings etc. which caused a sensation at the time of the discovery. They were supposed to guarantee resurrection. But he was buried with the things of day to day use also as they might be required by him in the afterlife as per their belief. Even the burial chamber was decorated with murals on the walls. In the further investigations, it was found that there were three nested coffins in his tomb. The shroud was adorned with garlands of willow and olive leaves, wild celery, lotus petals and cornflowers which suggested the burial to have been done in the month of March or April. King Tut's mummy was found in the solid gold coffin. Thus, King Tut had a place of pride in life as well as after death.

Q. 4. What were the political and religious changes that took place in Egypt before and after Tut's reign?
Ans. Although King Tut reigned only for a very short period of nine years and died unexpectedly, the empire saw revolutionary changes. Tut's grandfather Amenhotep I was a powerful pharaoh who ruled Egypt for almost forty years at the height of the eighteenth dynasty's golden age. His son Amenhotep IV succeeded him and initiated one of the strangest periods in the history of ancient Egypt. He chose one God to be worshipped and that was the Sun God, Aten. He made it the reigning deity and changed his name to Akhenaten according to his religious belief which meant the 'servant of the Aten'. He moved the religious capital from the old city of Thebes to the new city of Akhetaten, now known as Amarna. He ordered to close the temples and smash down the images and idols of Amun, a major God. After Akhenaten's death, a mysterious ruler named Smenkhkare ruled for a brief period and then a very young Tutankhaten took the throne. His reign lasted for about nine years, the period which saw prosperity. He revived the practice of the old religion and changed his name to Tutankhamun, 'living image of Amun'

Q.5. Which astonishing facts about the mummy were revealed in CT scan?
Ans. Archaeology has changed substantially in the intervening decades, it has shifted its focus from treasures to the details of life and death. Carter's discovery of Tut's mummy focused basically on unravelling the fascinating facts of life and intriguing mysteries of death. He wanted to reveal the secrets of the civilization of that era, but more than forty years after his discovery, an anatomy professor X-rayed the mummy and produced startling facts. Beneath the resin that covered his chest, his breast- bone and front ribs were missing. So, the mummy was further subjected to CT scan. On January 5, 2005, 1700 digital X-ray images in cross section were created. His head, scanned in 0.62 millimeter slices to register its intricate structures, takes on fearful and exciting detail in the resulting image. A grey head took shape from a scattering of pixels and the technician tilted it in every direction. Neck vertebrae appeared as clearly as in anatomy class. Other images revealed a hand, several views of the rib cage and a transection of the skull. It was more than enough for the anatomy professors to search for the hidden mysteries of the pharaoh's life.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

CBSE Class 11 English - Debate Writing

CBSE Class 11 English - Note Making Format

Class 11 English Hornbill -Silk Road