Andre Begin, age 12, of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, for his question:
WHO WAS KING TUT?
The ancient Egyptian king many of us call King Tut was probably the grandson of Amenhotpe III, but reigned because of his childhood marriage to a daughter of King Akhenaton and the famous queen, Nefertiti. He ruled from about 1334 to 1325 B.C., during one of Egypt's most distinguished and glorious eras.
King Tut was a boy of 8 or 9 when he became ruler of ancient Egypt. At first his full name was Tutankhaton, meaning "perfect is the life of Aton. " Aton was the sun's orb, the sole god of Egypt.
In the third year of his reign, the priests urged the switching of religions from the god Aton to the god Amon. With a switch in devotion came a new name: Tutankhamun. Here's how you pronounce King Tut's official name: toot ahngk AH mun.
History might have just made King Tutankhamun a minor footnote in history except for a very important thing. His tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt had not been opened from ancient times until it was discovered by archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922.
Pharaoh Tutankhamun's burial was a magnificent one, and his tomb was packed with priceless treasures of gilt and gold, probably as a tribute to his youthfulness Che was only 19 when he died) and also because there had been a restoration of the old gods and traditions.
Most tombs of the pharaohs were plundered many times through the years, but the entrance to Tutankhamun's underground vault had become deeply buried beneath rock, and knowledge of its location was lost. Therefore, the treasure was nearly intact when it was found in 1922.
Fifty five beautiful items from Tutankhamun's tomb were brought to the United States last year from the Cairo Museum and they will remain here until late in 1979. Millions of visitors have already studied the treasures that have been on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as well as in museums in Chicago and New Orleans. Since mid February the display has been in Los Angeles where it will remain until June 15, 1978. The collection of magnificent treasures will then be on display in Seattle from July 15 until Nov. 15 and at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art from Dec. 15, 1978 until April April 15, 1979. The display ends its American visit in San Francisco where the treasures will be exhibited between June
Experts agree that one of the finest artistic items in the Tutankhamum collection now touring the United States is the mask of solid gold which was placed over the head and shoulders of the linen wrapped mummy. The magnificent mask, of beaten and burnished gold, has blue glass stripes in the headdress. The eyebrows, eyelashes and kohl marks extending sideways from the eyes are made of lapis lazuli while the eyes are made of quartz and obsidian.