This series of articles seeks to examine the character attributes of highly successful leaders, regardless of their adherence to a strong faith or moral standard. In presenting these thoughts, Leadership Ministries is not agreeing with or advocating these traits or practices, but rather presents these as ideas for discussion and development in your own leadership journey.
He was between eight and nine years old when he ascended the throne to rule one of the greatest dynasties in the world. He took power during a tumultuous time in his country’s history, and wasted no time in reestablishing traditions, rebuilding diplomatic relationships, and scoring military victories[1]—all this before his thirteenth birthday. He ruled over an estimated 7.5 million people living in 20,000 different towns[2]. He died at the early age of 19, just 10 years into his reign. It’s impossible to calculate his wealth today, but he was buried in a coffin coated in $4 million worth of gold, and his entire tomb contained over 5,000 items worth more than $1 billion. He was the young Pharaoh Tutankhamen, ruler of ancient Egypt.
Reigning from 1332 to 1323 BC, King Tut became leader following his father, Akhenaten. Imagine the pressure on a boy who became a leader at an age where most of us would be out playing games with friends, or learning how to read and write, or receiving that talk about the birds and the bees. His tomb, discovered nearly intact by Howard Carter in 1922, tells us much about this young ruler. What might we learn about leadership from the boy-king of ancient Egypt?
Unearthed in 1922, the tomb of Tutankhamen was remarkably well preserved. Photo: Wikipedia
Some leaders have to grow up fast. Ruling from the age of nine, Tutankhamen was a very young king, but not Egypt’s youngest Pharaoh. Pepi II, who ruled from 2325 BC, reportedly became ruler at age six. Ancient texts credit Pepi II with a 94-year reign.[3] Nevertheless, Tutankhamen had a steep and quick learning curve on leadership. Tut’s stepmother was the famous Queen Nefertiti, but it was Tut who had the role as absolute ruler. Pharaohs were considered gods among men by the Egyptians. Whatever Tut did was right, and whatever he said was law. A Pharaoh was a statesman, religious leader, military commander, administrator and steward of the land.
Back to tradition. Tutankhamen’s name means “living image of Aten”, a reference to his father. Unfortunately for young Tut, his father’s legacy gave him little standing among his people. Akhenaten had instigated a new form of religion during his reign, doing away with priests and inventing a single god named “Aten” while naming himself as a living deity. Tut’s original name was Tutankhaten, in reference to his father’s newly-created god. Tut’s father ignored home and foreign affairs, and was so unpopular he was forced to abdicate his reign shortly before he died. To distance himself from his father’s rule, Tut reinstated the more popular traditional religion, and changed his name to Tutankhamen, referencing Amun, a god most Egyptians had worshipped all of their lives.
Leading despite disabilities. It was common of the ancient Egyptian rulers to interbreed by marrying relatives, so as to keep the power of leadership contained to close family. Interbreeding created numerous birth defects among the Pharaohs. Tut’s tomb reveals a king who had bone necrosis and Kohler’s disease, a rare disorder that caused pain, swelling and disfigurement of his feet. Tut was buried with more than 130 walking sticks, and his tomb contains pictures of him standing with a cane.[4] Tutankhamen also married at the insanely young age of nine. His 14-year-old wife gave birth to two stillborn daughters, both of whom were buried with Tut. Without a male offspring, Tut’s ruling line came to an abrupt end.
Tut was buried with more than 5,400 items, the study of which reveal details of his life and times. Photo: Shutterstock
Fame is not the same as success. After his death, subsequent Egyptian leaders did their best to erase references to Tut. There are few references to his name in ancient texts and little was known about his rule. Except for the discovery of his tomb, Tut would have been all but forgotten in Egyptian history as a minor, short-lived and largely unpopular young leader. Despite his responsibilities at a young age, King Tutankhamen is most often referred to as “The Boy King”. His age, his actions and reputation kept him from being perceived as a man. Though he held tremendous power in ancient Egypt, he did little of note to endear him to his people or to history.
From the items in his tomb, we know much about the life of Tutankhamen, moreso than most other Egyptian Pharaohs. “The life of Tutankhaten was privileged. His home was a spacious palace. While average Egyptians survived on bread, the prince also ate meat, vegetables, and fruit. He wore finely woven clothing, and when he slept, servants fanned him with ostrich plumes so he would not be disturbed by the heat. When he swam, guards watched over him to protect him from Nile crocodiles. As the prince got older, he became skilled with a bow and arrow and may have driven his own chariot.”[5]
Tut’s death came unexpectedly. A CT scan of his mummy shows a badly broken leg, which may have become infected. He had malaria. In his tomb were 29 chairs, three of which were thrones. He was also buried with six chariots, 14 bows, two quivers and hundreds of arrows, and more than 100 boxes of food, including meat, grain and fruits, barley, honey, dates and figs. His tomb also had an extensive wardrobe for the king, 93 sandals, and 145 sets of underwear (loincloths). In all, some 5,400 artifacts were discovered, which took researches more than 10 years to catalog.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutankhamun
[2] https://brewminate.com/estimating-population-in-ancient-egypt/
[3] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pepi-II
[4] https://www.snexplores.org/article/king-tuts-tomb-still-holds-secrets-100-years-after-its-discovery
[5] https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/beyond-king-tut/
Cover photo: Shutterstock
Thomas Paine (1737-1809) was an English-born Founding Father of the United States. An inventor and philosopher, he authored Common Sense, a pamphlet that was influential at the start of the American Revolution.