Who was King Tut?

Perhaps the most “famous” of all ancient Egyptians is King Tut or Tutankhamun (also spelled Tutankhamen). This young Pharaoh has become synonymous with ancient Egypt since his nearly intact tomb was discovered in the early 20th century. In this activity, students will be asked to look beyond the stunning artifacts and focus on the intriguing backstory to Tutankhamun.

Students should create a timeline that tells the story of Tutankhamun's father, Akhenaten, and Nefertiti, Akhenaten’s queen. The timeline should include the political and religious turmoil that Tutankhamun was born into, and should conclude with the 20th century discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

For an alternative to the timeline layout, have students create a timeline poster to incorporate into a presentation or gallery walk. You can add more than one template to this assignment to give students lots of options, and update the instructions accordingly.

Extended Activity

A logical extension of this activity would be to create a traditional storyboard that examines Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. Have students think about the impact Howard's discovery had on archaeology and public interest. Teaching King Tut & ancient Egypt for kids is so fun with storyboards!

Student Instructions

Create a timeline that illustrates the major events in the life of King Tut.

1. Use the template provided by your teacher
2. In the title of each cell, note the major events in King Tut's life
3. In each description box, describe the event
4. Create an illustration using appropriate scenes, characters, and items