Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues
1. Give reasons for the following.
(i) King Tut’s body has been subjected to repeated scrutiny.
Ans: King Tut’s body has been subjected to repeated scrutiny because of his history, his
treasures which he was buried with and to know the reason behind his death.
(ii) Howard Carter’s investigation was resented.
Ans: Howard Carter’s investigation was resented because of his unscientific methods to cut
off his body from the tomb. He also focused more on Tut’s wealth and less on to solve the
mystery of Tut’s life and death.
(iii) Carter had to chisel away the solidified resins to raise the king’s remains.
Ans: Carter had to chisel away the solidified resins to raise the king’s remains because the
body was cemented to the bottom of the solid gold coffin as the resins had hardened. No
force could move the body away and keeping the body in the sun, under 149 degrees
Fahrenheit also did not help.
(iv) Tut’s body was buried along with gilded treasures.
Ans: Tut’s body was buried along with gilded treasures as the ancient Egyptian royals were
extremely wealthy. They also believed that the royalty would take all the treasures with them
in their afterlife.
(v) The boy king changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun.
Ans: Tutankhamun means ‘Living image of Amun’. Amun was a major god of ancient
Egypt. Amenhotep III smashed and closed his temples, later Tut restored his temples and
beliefs back in his empire. That is why he changed his name from Tutankhaten to
Tutankhamun to choose his belief in the god.
2. (i) List the deeds that led Ray Johnson to describe Akhenaten as “wacky”.
Ans: According to Ray Johnson, the Akhenaten was wacky because of the following reasons:
He smashed and closed Amun’s images.
He worshipped Aten, sun’s disk
He moved the religious capital from the city of Thebes to the new city of Akhenaten,
called Amarna
He changed his name to Akhenaten
(ii) What were the results of the CT scan?
Ans: The results of the CT scan were astonishing which was 1700 digital X-rays cross-
sectioning each other to make a three-dimensional image. A grey head appeared and his
vertebrae were shown. The images of the hand, ribcage, and skull were shown which were so
clear.
(iii) List the advances in technology that have improved forensic analysis.
Ans: With the advancement in technology, it has been made possible for many scientific tests
to be carried out in a more accurate way to determine the cause of a crime. X-Ray, CT scan,
Post mortem, biopsy, and autopsy are now possible.
(iv) Explain the statement, “King Tut is one of the first mummies to be scanned — in
death, as in life...”
Ans: Tut’s mummy was the first one to be X-rayed in 1968 and later, in 2005, the first to be
scanned through Computing Tomography (CT). CT scan revealed new three dimensional
images of his body which answered many questions.
Working with Words
1. Given below are some interesting combinations of words. Explain why they have been
used together.
(i) ghostly dust devils (vi) dark-bellied clouds
(ii) desert sky (vii) casket grey
(iii) stunning artefacts (viii) eternal brilliance
(iv) funerary treasures (ix) ritual resins
(v) scientific detachment (x) virtual body
(i) ghostly dust devils – It refers to the anger of the dusty winds by frightful movements on
those people who tries to disturb the king.
(ii) desert sky – it refers to the dusky sky of the desert.
(iii) stunning artifacts – It refers to the beautiful items which were found in the tomb.
(iv) funerary treasures – the gold items which were kept while burying the king because
Egyptians believed that there is an afterlife.
(v) scientific detachment – it refers to the indifference towards science.
(vi) dark-bellied clouds – dark clouds containing rain
(vii) casket grey – It refers to the stars were covered by dark-bellied clouds the way jewels
are kept in a casket box
(viii) eternal brilliance – it refers to the timeless luster and shine of the gold and other
valuable items of the king
(ix) ritual resins – it is a customary duty in the process of burying a dead body
(x) virtual body – three dimensional body created by CT scan.
2. Here are some commonly used medical terms. Find out their meanings.
CT MRI Tomography Autopsy Dialysis ECG Post Angiography Biopsy
Scan Mortem
CT scan - It is a three-dimensional scan of a body with the help of hundreds of X-Ray in
cross-section together
MRI – Magnetic Resonance Imaging, a medical examination by the help of strong magnetic
field and radio waves to create a detailed image of the organs of the body
Tomography – a technique used to display a cross-section of a human body using hundreds of
X-rays or ultrasound
Autopsy – a post mortem examination used to discover the cause of death of the dead person
Dialysis – the process of purification of blood with the help of a machine which works as a
substitute for kidney
ECG – Also known as Electrocardiography, it is a process to test the signs of heart disease by
recording the electrical activity through small electrodes attached to the chest, arms and legs
Post Mortem – an examination of a dead body to know the cause of the death
Angiography – radiography of blood or lymph vessels
Biopsy – examination of tissue removed from a living being to know the reason for the
disease
