...The Mystery of King Tut's Death The Mystery of King Tut's Death If you ask the average American to name an egyptian king ninety nine percent of the time they will spout out the name king Tutankhamun or king Tut for short with out really even thinking about it. Why is that so many automatically associate an egyptian casket with the one that was unearthed in Tut's tomb? Maybe it has something to do with the kings appointment at such a young age and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death or murder at the tender age of eighteen. Maybe it has something to do with the highly publicized discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. Tutankhamun's is the only royal tomb in Egypt to have escaped the discovery of looters. In addition to the royal sarcophagus discovered by archeologist Howard Carter, there were also vast quantities of beautiful furniture in the tomb, including a golden throne that dates from the early kings rule (Sayre, H. M., 2011). This makes us curious about what really happened to king Tut there are many accounts but they have not been proven so for now they are just theories that add to the mystery of king Tut's demise. The most controversial theory of what happened to tutankhamun is that he was murdered by someone in his inner circle whom he trusted maybe even a family member. In his international bestseller The Murder of Tutankhamun paleontologist Bob Brier accuses Aye, Tutankhamun's administrator of assassinating him...
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...Week 4 Assignment 1 Hum 111 July 29,2013 King Tutankhamen better known as King Tut was a ruler of ancient Egypt in 1343 B.C. At an early age King Tut inherited the throne. However King Tut did not rule the New Kingdom for more than a decade, before he died at a young age before his 20th birthday (King Tut Fun Facts, 2013). Since the tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922 more than 90 year old ago. The question has been how did the young ruler die? Was he murdered? Or did he die from an injury or illness? There are many mysteries of King Tutankhamen’s death theories though out the years. One of the popular theories of King Tut’s death would be the murder theory. Many suggested that he was murder possibly from begin fatally hit from the behind because of an x-ray in 1968 of King Tut’s skull indicated sign of bone fragment lost (Rattini, 2013). There were only a few servants that could benefit from the King Tut’s death. One of the close advisor named Ay would mostly likely kill he out of greed or/and to gain power of the throne. Later an Egyptologist named Bob Brier believe this theories because of a ring found in Cairo in 1931, that show that Ay and Ankhesenamun got married after King Tut’s death because if Ay did not forced her to marry him he would of not inherited the throne (King Tut's Death Remain a Mystery, 2013). Another theory was that King Tut died from a chariot accident when he was hunting in the desert. Zahi Hawass, a National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence...
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...The Mysteries of King Tutankhamen’s Death There have been many theories on how Tutankhamen died. However, several scientist and doctors believe that they have solved the mystery. During research of this mystery many theories and assumptions have been made; such as murder, accidental death, birth defects, and illnesses. The three theories that will be discussed here are as follows: gynecomestia, accidental death, or murder. First we have the theory of Dr. Hutan Ashrafian, a lecturer and surgeon at the Imperial College London. He says that the key to solving the mystery lies in the art of the time. Numerous signs in the art depict King Tut with highly feminine features, and that the enlarged breast is indicative of a condition known as gynecomastia. He states that this condition when added to familial evidence, indicates that Tutankhamun might have suffered and eventually died from temporial lobe epilepsy. “ For all of them to die sequentially at younger ages is a sign of genetic inheritance of some sort,” Ashrafian said, adding “you could argue that one of them died in battle, one of them was poisoned, but none of them did die in battle. They could have been poisoned, of course, but it’s very odd for sequential pharaohs who were aware that they could have been killed to be killed at such a young age.” This statement he made after researching King Tut’s family members that preceded him in ruling as Pharoah. Ashrafian believes that Tutankhamun’s father, Akhenaten...
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...Death of King Tut In: Philosophy and Psychology Death of King Tut Did King Tut die from a sickness or was he murdered, that’s the question. Some Egyptologists and Scientists argue over the fact regarding King Tut’s death. The first theory is that King Tut was murdered because he had a lot of power. King Tut’s father (Akhenaten) changed Egypt in a big way. He wanted Egyptians to only believe in one God, in which it was against what they believed in. Some of the Egyptians wasn’t happy with that decision. King Tut’s father changed the way that the priest thought and it would have forced the priest to close down their temples and believe in what he believed in. The change caused the environment to be unstable. This change would also change the thinking from hundreds of years prior. When King Tut was a child, his father died and that’s how he received the throne. With King Tut being so young, he had little knowledge of how to run Egypt so that meant that he needed someone with a lot of experience to help him, so they would also look at the help that he had. Meaning, the help may have had something to do with his death. The second theory from Forensic experts was that King Tut may have had an infection. Doctor Zahi Hawass, stated that King Tut had a crack in his skull and it may have been caused during the process of mummification. Doctor Zahi Hawass also stated that King Tut had a fracture in left leg, supposedly to have happened a few days before...
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...The Mystery of King Tutankhamen's Death (Assignment 1) John Clevenger Strayer University World Cultures I HUM 111 Mark Tolf May 02, 2013 The Mystery of King Tutankhamen's Death (Assignment 1) Since his lavishly furnished, nearly intact tomb was discovered in 1922, the cause of Tutankhamen’s death more than 3,000 years ago has been at the center of intense debate. There have been theories of murder, leprosy, tuberculosis, malaria, sickle-cell anemia, a snake bite and a fall from his chariot. Speculation about a mummy’s curse became a popular superstition due to his tomb being broken into by archaeologist Howard Carter and his team. The two theories that I found the most believable are King Tut died from complications from disease and dying from a fall from his chariot. Due to forensic evidence, murder has been ruled out but they did find other traces that can account for claims involving his frailty. “A pair of unusually large breasts on a male statue has convinced one scholar that he’s solved the riddle of King Tutankhamen’s early death. According to Hutan Ashrafian, a surgeon and lecturer at Imperial College London, the ancient Egyptian pharaoh is often depicted with feminine features and suspiciously large breasts a sign of gynecomastia, which points to temporal lobe epilepsy. Other factors play into the epilepsy diagnosis: a family history of early deaths, strong religious visions and fractures from falling, all of which suggest a history of epilepsy. There’s one...
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...As a child of a King, I don’t doubt that the young King Tut was fiercely guarded. When looking at King Tutankhamun’s (Tut) mask, it easy to see that he was young. Yes indeed, he was only 19 years old when he died. King Tut was by far from being the most powerful of the Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs, however, he is the most celebrated Ancient King, now three thousand years after his death; people are still incredibly fascinated about the circumstances surrounding his death. Speculation about the possible cause of King Tut’s death have been swarming around since Howard Carter, British archaeologist discovered the tomb in the Valley of Kings in 1922. Designated KV62 (Kings Valley Tomb 62), it was the first royal tomb to be found almost intact (Kmtsesh). Along with the discovery of his mummified body, his tomb was stuffed with treasures and artifacts. One theory regarding King Tut is murder. Many scientists believe the fracture to the back of the skull which was revealed in an X-ray of his mummy is due to being hit with a blunt object. There is no need to jump to conclusion about this theory. Some scientists are convinced the he was not murdered; however, some are convinced that the crack in the skull was accidental, caused during the process of mummifying the body. If proper care was not taken during the initial process, they are many things that could have occurred such as his corpse being dropped on the ground or a sharp instrument falling on his skull. The two prime suspects...
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...tutankhamen theory By Lavonda Adkins Professor: Leonard Lowe HUM 111 February 2, 2014 THE TOMB King Tut’s tomb was discovered in November 1922, it is said to have been undisturbed for over 3,000 years. There was a rumor that engraved on the exterior of King Tut’s Tomb was the warning, “Death Shall Come on Swift Wings To Him Who Disturbs the Peace of the King”. This did not deter anyone from unearthing this wondrous sight. THE THEORY Tutankhamen became a king at the tender age of eight or nine years old, he was the ruler of Egypt. As ruler his reign only lasted roughly around ten years before his untimely demise. He passed away in his late teens. No cause of death was listed for him as there was no real reason that may have caused the young rulers death. The theories I have found for the cause of Tutankhamen’s death are as follows. THEORY ONE For many years scientists have used every available source of technology in an effort to determine the cause of King Tut’s death. There have been many theories named and many proved wrong. It is not easy to fathom that such an existence and death could not be determined by now. One theory listed is that maybe King Tut died of blunt force trauma, caused by a skull crushing blow to the back of the head. Many believe that his murder happened during his tenth year of his reign while there was a war raging in Egypt. The Egyptians were at war with the Hittites. Could it have been an enemy that murdered this king? Friend...
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...Was king Tut murdered or did he die from an illness? It seems that this question has puzzled Egyptologist, historians, and scientist for decades. While conducting my research it became apparent that there are many different theories as to how King Tut’s life came to an end. Many of the theories that revolve around the death of the king tend to circle many controversial topics. With so many theories surrounding King Tut’s death it is almost impossible to rule out an exact cause of his death. One thing that is certain; there will always be many theories as to how King Tut died. One popular story that stands out is based on the relationship between King Tut and Ay. This story is popular so much so, that It was said that Ay killed King Tut out of greed. Ay knew that by killing King Tut he would inherit the throne. In 1968, Ronald Harrison, a British scientist took x-rays of Kings Tut’s skull. During his examination he discovered fragments of bone inside the skull possibly indicating trauma to the head. The damages to the head could have been caused after death, during the mummification process; however, it is highly unlikely. A trauma specialist from Long Island University by the name of Bob Brier insisted it could not have been caused naturally. He stated, “The blow was to a protected area at the back of the head which you do not injure in an accident, someone had to sneak up from behind.” Bob Brier revealed his findings January 17, 1997 in a conference held in California. ...
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...Did King Tut die from a sickness or was he murdered, that’s the question. Some Egyptologists and Scientists argue over the fact regarding King Tut’s death. The first theory is that King Tut was murdered because he had a lot of power. King Tut’s father (Akhenaten) changed Egypt in a big way. He wanted Egyptians to only believe in one God, in which it was against what they believed in. Some of the Egyptians wasn’t happy with that decision. King Tut’s father changed the way that the priest thought and it would have forced the priest to close down their temples and believe in what he believed in. The change caused the environment to be unstable. This change would also change the thinking from hundreds of years prior. When King Tut was a child, his father died and that’s how he received the throne. With King Tut being so young, he had little knowledge of how to run Egypt so that meant that he needed someone with a lot of experience to help him, so they would also look at the help that he had. Meaning, the help may have had something to do with his death. The second theory from Forensic experts was that King Tut may have had an infection. Doctor Zahi Hawass, stated that King Tut had a crack in his skull and it may have been caused during the process of mummification. Doctor Zahi Hawass also stated that King Tut had a fracture in left leg, supposedly to have happened a few days before he died. Doctor Hawass states that King Tut could have broken his leg but there is...
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...Humanities 111 5/01/2016 No other king is more well-known or studied than a pharaoh named Tutankhamen. There is a lot of mystery surrounding the king, but among the most popular is the way the young pharaoh died. Some theories state it was an injury; others say the pharaoh died due to illness, and yet, still others indicate he was murdered. This paper will reveal the most likely and acceptable theory on the cause of King Tuts death. A team of British scientist, working with vehicle accident investigators at the Cranfield Forensic Institute in Swindon, England stated that the king died on his knees while being run over by a chariot. The team used x-ray and other data received from the results of a virtual autopsy. The results showed injuries in a manner of a particular pattern on one side of Tuts body. By using the computer to simulate related injuries in a car accident, the team put together a crash scenario involving a chariot that resulted in his death (Knapp, 2013). Although this is one possible theory from evidence gained during research, the pharaoh could have lived through the chariot accident. According to Egypt’s chief archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, the real cause of the young king’s death was an inherited bone disorder called Kohler disease that made the King week, followed by an infectious disease called Malaria. This conclusion came from x-rays and DNA analysis performed. Hawass found genes from the malaria parasite in Tut’s body. This claim has already been challenged...
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...Mystery of King Tut HUM 111 – World Cultures 1 NANCY RHETT MAY 1, 2016 Professor Mayhall The Mystery of Tutankhamen is one that has been written about before Howard Carter found the tomb on November 26, 1922. The mystery is what did King Tut die of? : illness, murder, or an accident. King tut was very young when he died and there are only theories as what caused his death. One theory is by Howard Carter. He did a virtual autopsy that revealed the stunning discovery. The pattern of injuries down on side of his body, including shattered ribs and pelvis, were consistent with injuries caused by being struck by a high chariot. Computer simulations of chariot accidents were put together by expert crash investigator suggest that the chariot stuck King Tut while he was on his knees. Another theory is that King Tut died from gangrene as a result of a broken bone. Scientists ran a CT Scan of King Tut’s mummified body and found a severe fracture in his lower left femur, which appeared to be different than the breaks caused by Carter’s team because it had ragged rather than sharp edges and there appeared to be two layer of embalming material present inside the facture. I am more convinced that the recent finding of new CT Scans of King Tut revealed...
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...SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT KING TUTANKHAMEN DID NOT DIE OF NATURAL CAUSES - HE WAS MURDERED. ~KING TUT~ Tutankhamen, king of Ancient Egypt (often referred to as King Tut), died at the early age of around eighteen. To this day, his death remains a mystery that has brought many historians, Egyptologist and scientist to many theories as to how King Tut died. Two theories in particular are the theory that he succumbed to a broken leg that became infected, and the theory that he was murdered. The latter theory holds the most weight. In 1968, while performing an x-ray of Tutankhamen's mummy, scientist found bone fragments in his skull leading to the conclusion that he was murdered by blunt force trauma. (Lovgren, 2006.) However, later research lead some to say that the most famous pharaoh likely died of a leg injury which was complicated by bone disease, malaria and/or infection. (Tutankhamen CT scan Press Release, 2010.) The theory that the "boy king" had been murdered because of a hole in his head was ruled out and determined by many Egyptologist to have been the result of the mummification process. To be sure, homicide police in Ogden, Utah have been requested by a British film producer to apply modern forensics to the ancient case. According to their studies, they believe that they have proof of murder. Prominent Egyptologist, however, says that those conclusions are nonsense and based on hearsay. They argue that if in fact King Tut was murdered, then one would have...
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...The Death of King Tut Assignment 1 By Angela Faison Humanities 101 Professor Charles Fleming King Tut was born 1341 B.C.E. and was the 12th king of the 18th Egyptian dynast. King Tutankhamun was in power from approximately 1332 to 1323 B.C.E. After King Tutankhamun (also known as King Tut), death at age 19 he disappeared from history, until the discovery of his tomb in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter. (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history) With this discovery came a fascination into King Tut’s life and death. There have been many theories surrounding his death. Two theories I find interesting are that an accident caused the untimely death of teenage pharaoh King Tut. The other theory is that King Tut was murdered by his advisor Ay. King Tutankhamun's mummy has been X-rayed three times, in 1968, 1978 and in 2005. (ancientegyptonline.co.uk) But these scans have not been able to confirm the cause of his death. The first theory is that King Tutankhamun was genetically inferior. In 2010 DNA tests published revealed that Tutankhamen’s parents were likely brother and sister. (www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/tutankhamen) This left King Tut with a bone disease in his clubbed left foot. It also made it difficult for King Tut to stand in the chariot while performing his Kingly duties. Theorist believe that King Tut may have crashed his chariot leaving him with a broken leg. (www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/tutankhamen) In 1995 CT scans...
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...brief summary of at least two theories which could explain the mystery. Because some theories may sound far-fetched, include the source or promoter of each theory- such as a scientist, a historian, a theologian, etc. There are so many ways King Tut could have died. Some people are saying he was murdered and some say he died from an injury. The book of Sayre said, “at the time of Tut’s death, the last judgment was routinely illustrated in Books of Going Forth by Day (also known as Books of the Dead), collections of magical texts or spells buried with the deceased to help them survive the ritual of judgment” (Sayre, 2012, p.88). Most people think that King Tut was murdered but I see in an online magazine that King Tut died from a broken and infected leg. “It’s official: King Tutankhamen’s death was caused by a badly broken and infected leg, refuting murderous theories about the famous pharaoh’s demise 3,300 years ago, according to Egyptian radiologists” (Hayes, 2006). Everyone believed that King Tut was killed by a blow to the back of his head, “however recent medical imaging of the mummy refutes this widely accepted theory, present today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North American” (2006). They said King Tut did not experience any violence during his death. “There was no evidence of violent premortum trauma to the skull”, according to Ashraf Selium, from the Cairo University in Egypt” (2006). Another theory is saying that King Tut was murdered by Ay because...
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...What Happened to “King Tut?” There is no true explanation or clear reasoning on how King Tutankhamen died suddenly, approximately at the age of 18. Theorists have yet to come to any clear explanation on how he suddenly died. Two theories that make the most sense to me are that he died from some sort of sickness, such as malaria combined with a degenerative bone disease, which some studies suggest, or a broken leg, which later lead to infection, that has been discovered and recent autopsies. The theory revolving around malaria has been one of the the lasting reasoning’s on how he died, which was accelerated by a broken leg, recent studies suggest. Several mummies buried along with the remains of King Tut have been examined and 4 out of the 11, including King Tuts remains, showed strands of malaria. In fact, 4 of the 11 mummies, including King Tut’s, had genetic traces of malaria tropica, the most severe form of the infection. He was also plagued with avascular bone necrosis, a condition in which diminished blood supply to the bone leads to serious weakening or destruction of tissue. These two findings have deemed theorists to believe that these findings are a likely reason to his death. In recent studies, Ashraf Selim, a radiologist at Kasr Eleini Teaching Hospital at Cairo University in Egypt, along with a team of scientist set up a noninvasive CT scanner in Luxor to perform a full-body scan on the king's remains, obtaining about 1,900 digital cross-sectional images. The...
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