Tut's Mummy Lost and Found

Tut's Mummy Lost and Found

1 The King Is Dead " Tutankhamen is dead! The boy king is dead! " The news travels through Egypt. King Tutankhamen (too-tonk-AH-men) was only eighteen years old. His wife and family are very sad to lose him. But the Egyptians are glad for their king. They believe his spirit will travel to a wonderful place-the Land of the Dead. There the king will do all the things he loved to do when he was alive. He will feast and play games. He will go hunting and fishing. His spirit will be happy forever.

Tutankhamen will need many things in the Land of the Dead. He will need food and furniture and clothing. He will need games and jewelry. All these things must be buried with him.

Most of all, the king will need his body. The Egyptians believe a spirit cannot live on without its body. So dead bodies are dried out to last forever. They are turned into mummies. Priests come to the palace. They say prayers for the king. Then they dry out the king's body. They use a special kind of salt called natron. It takes many days. The mummy is wrapped in yards of fine cloth. More than one hundred jewels and charms are tucked in the folds. The charms will keep evil spirits away from the king.