Since the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt over 100 years ago, the contents have been examined countless times. But new details continue to surprise archaeologists.

Recently, a team at the University of York has been investigating the pierced ears of Tutankhamun’s burial mask. It’s a feature that, the team claims, was usually reserved for female or young royalty.

Tutankhamun was born in around 1341BC – an unusual time in Ancient Egyptian history. His father, the so-called heretic pharaoh Akhenaten and his stepmother, the famed Nefertiti, had been ruling from their new city in middle Egypt, Akhetaten (modern day Tell el-Amarna). There, they elevated the new state god, the sun god Aten, above all others.

The resulting changes to religious protocol meant that power was taken from the high-ranking priests of the supreme god Amun, along with the political control they were accustomed to having. After Akhenaten’s death, events are somewhat obscure, although many scholars believe that Nefertiti may have continued to rule in her own........

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