Read more
Informationen zum Autor Michelle Roehm McCann has worked as a children's book editor and art director for more than twenty years, as well as writing and compiling several award-winning children's books of her own. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, two world-rocking kids, and their brilliant cats, Horace and Percy. Klappentext Short profiles of famous men throughout history, from King Tut to Crazy Horse to Stan Lee to Shaun White.Boys Who Rocked the World King Tutankhamun APPROXIMATELY 1347–1329 BC PHAROAH EGYPT As my eyes grew accustomed to the light . . . I was struck dumb with amazement. —HOWARD CARTER, ARCHAEOLOGIST, REFERRING TO THE DISCOVERY OF KING TUT’S TOMB Ten-year-old Tutankhamun nervously approached the great Karnak Temple. The last in a long line of rulers, young Tut was to be crowned pharaoh of Egypt. It was now his job to oversee the largest empire in the world, which stretched from Africa to Asia. Will I be remembered as a great leader too? he wondered as he walked past the great monuments and statues of the pharaohs who had ruled before him. The cheers from the crowd at the temple grew to a deafening roar as the boy entered. Would the boy pharaoh bring prosperity back to Egypt? He was their last hope. Several priests poured sacred water from golden urns over Tut. Then they placed the magnificent three crowns of Egypt on his head. There was the tall, white crown of Lower Egypt, then the red crown of Upper Egypt, and finally the khepresh, a blue crown representing Egypt’s vast armies. Thousands of Egyptians looked on in hushed silence as the priests balanced the triple crown on Tut’s small head. Even though his reign was brief—only nine years—Tut’s dream to be remembered came true. Though he ruled over three thousand years ago, he is now the most well-known of all the Egyptian pharaohs. As ruler, he helped return a crumbling empire to its former prosperity and stability. His tomb, filled with an immense wealth of gold and priceless artifacts—as well as a mysterious curse—has only helped solidify young Tut’s legend. Pharaoh means “one who resides in the palace.” King Tut was born in 1347 BC in Egypt’s rich, green Nile valley. His name, Tutankhamun, meant “strong bull,” which suited Tut well. As a young man, he was praised for his strength and skills as a hunter of ostriches, peacocks, ibexes, gazelles, and wild hippos. His father was Pharaoh Akhenaten, who was not well-liked by Egyptians since he had defied the traditional religion, which had many gods, and singled out one god as worthy of worship. Akhenaten had also moved the capitol from Thebes to Amarna, further angering his people. Growing up in Amarna, young Tut was a bit of a slacker. His older brother, Smenkare, was next in line to be pharaoh, so not much was expected of Tut. When he wasn’t learning to read or write Egyptian hieroglyphs (pictures that represent words), Tut did what most kids do today: he goofed off. He hunted and raced around in chariots, played Senet, his favorite board game, and swam in the Nile with his siblings. When Tut was seven years old, he received the shock of his life. Smenkare got very sick and died. Suddenly, Tut was destined to inherit all his father’s duties as pharaoh of Egypt. No more slacking—it was time to cram! Tut’s lessons got a lot harder as he prepared for his new role. Good thing he crammed. . . . Just two years later his father died. Only nine years old, Tut was now the ruler of t...
