A young king from ancient Egypt, and his golden tomb.
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Before we read, let's learn the important words. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.
1 = D (a king) · 2 = A (Egypt) · 3 = F (gold) · 4 = C (a tomb)
5 = H (to find) · 6 = B (treasure) · 7 = E (a mask) · 8 = G (famous)
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
Tutankhamun was a king of ancient Egypt. In Egypt, the king had a special name: a "pharaoh". So Tutankhamun was a pharaoh.
He became king when he was a child — only a small boy. He was king for a few years. Then he died when he was still a teenager. This was about 3,300 years ago, a very, very long time ago.
Tutankhamun was not a big, important king. He did not do many famous things. So after he died, people slowly forgot about him. For more than three thousand years, nobody remembered the young king. His name was lost.
1. What was Tutankhamun? Where was he from?
2. How old was he when he became king? How old was he when he died?
1. He was a king (a "pharaoh") of ancient Egypt.
2. He became king when he was a child (a small boy). He died when he was still a teenager.
In November 1922, a British man called Howard Carter found Tutankhamun's tomb — his special grave. He looked for it for many years. Then, at last, he found it.
Carter made a small hole in the door of the tomb. He looked inside with a candle. He saw amazing things! The tomb was full of gold and treasure — more than 5,000 objects.
There was a beautiful gold mask on the young king's face. It was the most famous discovery in the history of Egypt. People all over the world wanted to read about it.
1. Who found the tomb? When?
2. What did Carter see inside the tomb?
1. A British man called Howard Carter found the tomb in November 1922.
2. He saw amazing things: gold, treasure (more than 5,000 objects) and a beautiful gold mask on the king's face.
After Carter opened the tomb, a story started. People said there was a "curse" — bad luck for the people who opened the king's grave.
But this is not true. It is just a story. There is no curse. Many of the people who opened the tomb lived for a long, long time after.
Today, Tutankhamun is very famous. People remember him for his gold, his mask, and the story of the "curse" — even when the curse is not real.
1. What is a "curse"?
2. Is the curse real or not? How do we know?
1. A "curse" is bad luck for the people who opened the king's grave.
2. It is not real — it is just a story. Many of the people who opened the tomb lived for a long time after.
A king does not do work with his own hands. Other people do it for him. We say he had something done.
Write had + the thing + past participle. Then read the sentence out loud.
1. The king with treasure. (his tomb / fill)
2. He . (his body / mummify)
3. He . (a gold mask / make)
1. had his tomb filled (the workers filled it for him)
2. had his body mummified (the priests did it for him)
3. had a gold mask made (other people made it for him)
Now try these. Use had + the thing + past participle.
1. The king beside him. (his treasure / put)
2. He , deep in the ground. (his tomb / build)
3. Many years later, Carter . (the tomb / open)
1. had his treasure put
2. had his tomb built
3. had the tomb opened (Carter's workers opened it for him)
There is a real podcast about Tutankhamun. It is for native speakers, so it is fast and quite difficult — that is normal! You do not need to understand every word.
From the Noiser podcast network. Hosted by historians, roughly 50 minutes.
Listen on Spotify →Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of Tutankhamun in your own words. Use these steps to help you: a young king in Egypt → he died young → people forgot him → in 1922, Howard Carter found the tomb → gold, treasure and a gold mask → the story of the "curse".
Try to use have something done for the king ("he had his tomb built", "he had a gold mask made") and some of the key words (king, Egypt, gold, tomb, treasure, mask, famous).
People loved the story of the "curse", even though it is not true. Why do people like spooky stories? Do you like them? Tell me about a scary story you know.
The king had everything done for him — his tomb built, his mask made, his treasure put inside. Now you! What do you have done for you? Other people do these things, not you. Tell me about your week or your year.
Not sure what to say? Choose one and use "I have / I had … done":