The Egyptian Pharoah Akhenaten

Just when he should have come into his own as ruler of a renowned civilization , he was cut down . The question that lingers , however , is whether it was through natural causes or murder that his life came to an end . There are three people , all of whom were close to the young king who stood to benefit from his untimely death

First was his wife , Ankhesanamun , who also happened to be his half-sister . When her husband died , she wrote to the Hittites , seeking their help in finding a new husband . In the end

, she ultimately married Ay , a government official within Tutankhamen 's court . It is possible that she may have hoped to rule Egypt herself , as well as provide heirs to the throne , through which she could continue to maintain power

Second was Horemheb , a military commander within the Egyptian army During the reign of Akhenaten , he saw little military action , as Akhenaten was not the type of king who inspired one to go to battle However , with the young Tutankhamen on the throne , it would be quite simple for Horemheb to use the army as his tool of overthrowing the king and taking control of Egypt

Finally , there was Ay , who happened to be Tutankhamen 's grandfather Like his granddaughter-in-law , Ay wanted the power of ruling Egypt . He gained it by marrying Ankhesanamun , and ruled for just four short years before dying . In the end , the question of what led to Tutankhamen 's death will never be answered . Yet , it is clear that the people closest to him had the most opportunity to do him harm , and most likely , they did

With the death of Tutankhamen ended one of the most glorious periods of Egyptian history . In a time where the norm was to have multiple gods for...