Ironically the thing that makes Tutankhamen aka King Tut so famous was that he was nearly forgotten. Prior to the discovery of his tomb, there was a thought that he did not rule and some scholars went so far to think that he may not have even been a real person due to his name sake being similar to another member of the royal family. This wasn’t the prevailing thought at the time but it is interesting to note just how little thought was paid to him by scholars.

What we do know is that when King Tut died, he was a young man and did not have time to have a proper tomb carved and ready for him. As a result of this, his hastily put together tomb when it was discovered had many signs that that it was quickly thrown together- it was a small chamber, it was tucked away, even the items that would go with the young pharaoh were in some cases just stacked up in a corner, almost like a person stacking up things for a move.

None of this speaks to his importance though. What is so important is that he was not important and these setting events played a large role in that. Due to where the tomb is, it was tucked in the corner and it was buried and forgotten. Since there is another tomb in front of it, it has been surmised that tomb raiders simply didn’t suspect that there was another tomb, leaving the young pharaoh and all his possessions untouched.

So, now we come to modern times. It can’t be understated how important and noteworthy his tomb is. Although he is famous for his gilded sarcophagus, scholars have found that there are far more important things to study and examine. His tomb had many of notable thing such as wooden chairs, sandals, board games, and other items that do not survive the centuries. As a result, we can learn more about the daily lives of people of the time- all be it the most rich and powerful- through this hoard. This is what makes him so famous, all his stuff. It is ironic that being a forgotten footnote has catapulted him to fame and has made him with a doubt the most famous pharaoh (maybe Cleopatra is up there with him but that’s a debate for another time) because his tomb was buried, forgotten, then rediscovered, photographed, and became a major press story and exhibit.