What killed King Tut?

King Tut

The above picture shows people crowded around the golden mask of King Tutankhamun at the Egyptian museum in Cairo earlier this month. This King Tut link is to a news article that explains why King Tut is being talked about in the media in the last few weeks. The article discusses the research into the cause of death of the 19 year old pharaoh about 1324 B.C.

I found this topic interesting because for years no one really knew for sure what caused his death. Some people had even suggested that he had been murdered. It is amazing what science can reveal. The study determined that there were no signs of foul play and that the most likely agent's of death were a severe bout of malaria combined with a degenerative bone condition. Previous examinations of the Tut mummy had revealed a leg fracture that happened sometime before his death, possibly from a fall. This might have contributed to a life-threatening condition in an immune system already weakened by malaria and other disorders, the researchers said.

This is a picture of the mummified face of King Tut that was taken in 2007. In addition to King Tut, eleven other mummies were studied. Family connections were established for over five generations of King Tut's lineage. Two of the mummies were identified to be his parents. They appeared to be siblings. One overall impression from the new research is that the royal family’s power and wealth did not spare them from ill health and physical impairment. Several mummies revealed instances of cleft palate, clubfeet, flat feet and bone degeneration. Four of the 11 mummies, including King Tut’s, had genetic traces of malaria tropica, the most severe form of the infection.

We have read about malaria in our texts and new that the disease was present in Africa, but who would have ever thought it would be listed as the cause of death for King Tut.