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Who Was Tutankhamun?
by Paul Badham
InScription - Journal of Ancient Egypt
We can, therefore deduce, that the mask is a true representation of the boy king - he is called the boy king, because he was only nine years old when he ascended the throne of Egypt after the death of his predecessor, Smenkhare - who was probably his brother. Smenkhkare, himself had just succeeded his father, the monotheistic heretic, Akhenaten. The reign of Akhenaten was not without change or intrigue, considering the stable rule of his father and traditionally Tutankhamun’s grandfather, the Great Amenhotep III.

Tiy gave birth to 2 sons and then 5 daughters: Eldest son: Prince Tuthmosis, heir to the throne, died before reigning. The 2nd son: Amenhotep (IV, Akhenaten) became heir to the throne after the death of Prince Tuthmosis. Another son of Amenhotep III was Merymose, viceroy of Kush, ‘King’s Son of Kush’, who crushed a rebellion at Ibhet. Amenhotep married two of his daughters, first Iset and then in year 30 of his reign, Satamun. Either one of these ladies may have been the mother of Tutankhamun by Amenhotep III. It is a possibility that Baketaten may have been Amenhotep’s daughter by Satamun who he married later in his reign.
part 2
A more modern view places Tutankhamen as the son of Amenhotep IV-Akhenaten, with his mother as Akhenaten’s secondary wife, Kiya. Some have even postulated lately, that his ‘traditional’ brother, Smenkhkare, could perhaps be his father, making his mother the wife of Smenkhkare, Merytaten... The problem for us, in determining the probable parentage of Tutankhamen, is that this linear reign of the Amarna Kings, rules out Amenhotep III as his father - simply because he would have died long before Tutankhamen had been conceived. If we accept that Tutankhamen was 9 years old when he acceded the throne, and that there was a co-regency between Akhenaten and Smenkhkare, then Tutankhamun would have been born in Regnal Year 8 of Amenhotep IV-Akhenaten. Giving his birth 8 years after the death of the old king, Amenhotep III. The lack of a co-regency between Amenhotep III and Akhenaten, ruling out Amenhotep III as Tutankhamen’s father, suggests that the privilege belongs to either Akhenaten himself or his brother Smenkhkare.

The worship of the Aten was revived / adapted from Old Kingdom practices by Akhenaten's grandfather and predecessor, Thutmosis IV, who is probably best known (if at all) for the Dream Stele which he had carved and erected between the feet of the Great Sphinx. Attributing monotheism to Akhenaten is at best, inaccurate.

George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent

Badham ends about every fourth sentence with an exclamation point! Strange this article wasn't published by Pendant! Top of the Muffin TO YOU!

Who Was Tutankhamun? (Part 3)
by Paul Badham
InScription - Journal of Ancient Egypt
The British Egyptologist, E.A.Wallis Budge, a great contributor to the cause of Egyptology (but lately much slated, unjustly in my opinion, by some authors) makes reference in his book, 'Tutankhamun', originally published in 1923 shortly after the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, to a scarab which declares the name of the 'King's Mother'! The scarab was found at the Temple of Osiris at Abydos. From this scarab he says, 'we learn that his, Tutankhamun's, mother was called Merit-Ra' - Budge also prints a copy of the cartouche. He gives the reference to such a major claim as being a work published by the French Egyptologist, Mariette, in 1880! (Mariette, Abydos, Paris, 1880, tom.II, pl. 40n)... it has been mentioned in passing by Desroche-Noblecourt in her book on Tutankhamun as, 'his mother might have been Meritra', but does not refer to its source (Mariette). In her 'List of Principal Characters', Desroche describes Meritra as an, 'Egyptian Princess who, according to some authors, might have been Tutankhamun's mother'! ...The amazing thing about this scarab is that it contained the two cartouches, Tutankhamun's and the King's Mother, side by side - leaving no doubt as to its meaning... "The Good God (ie king), (Nebkheperura), King's Mother, (Merytra)". The correct translation for the spelling of the name is Merytra. The scarab declares a lady called Merytra was the mother of Tutankhamun, but who was Merytra? ...What is significant is that the king's name used, is Tutankhamun's Throne Name, Nebkheperura, suggesting that she was still alive after Year 17 of Akhenaten and Year 1 of Tutankhamun, i.e. after the return from Atenism to the old religion of Amun... Another possibility concerning this scarab, is that Merytra was originally called, Meritaten! And that she had a name change to Meryt-ra, beloved of the god Ra, rather than Aten, after the Aten heresy during Tutankhamun's Throne Years - a time suggested by the scarab.