Tutankhamen’s Death
Tutankhamen’s Death
By Tiffany Lambert
Professor Lilia, Fontana, Hum 111
11/3/2012
Tutankhamen died young, at around 18 years of age. However his cause of death has not been confirmed. Did he die of an injury of illness or was he murdered?
Nebkheperure Tutankhamun was a Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty during the period of the Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom. His original name, Tutankhaten meant “Living Image of Aten,” while Tutankhamun meant “Living Image of Amun.” Tutankhamun is in modern times one of the most famous of the Pharaohs, and the only one to have a nickname in a popular culture “King Tut.” (Newworldencyclopedia.org)
For a long time Tutankhamun’s death as been a subject of considerable debate. It ranged from believing that King Tut was murdered, to he could have he died of natural causes from a leg infection, and even from malaria. While his artifacts where being retrieved researchers found a fracture in the mummy 's left thigh. They felt that the break represented a serious injury that Tut had sustained shortly before death, perhaps resulting in an open wound and the possibility of a life-threatening infection. Others dismissed the broken bone as yet another example of damage inflicted by Carter 's team. (news.nationalgeographic.com). On the other hand in 1968 x-rays of his mummy had revealed a dense spot on the lower back of his skull. This would have could have been consistent with a blow to the head. Such an injury could have been sustained from an accident or possibly from murder with a blunt object. I also found that Tutankhamun may well have died of malaria after the disease ravaged a body crippled by a rare bone disorder, experts say. The scientists in Egypt spent the last two years scrutinizing the mummified remains of the 19-year old pharaoh to extract his blood and DNA. This revealed traces of the malaria parasite in his blood, the Journal of the American Medical Association says. (news.bbc.co.uk)
With so many theories
By Tiffany Lambert
Professor Lilia, Fontana, Hum 111
11/3/2012
Tutankhamen died young, at around 18 years of age. However his cause of death has not been confirmed. Did he die of an injury of illness or was he murdered?
Nebkheperure Tutankhamun was a Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty during the period of the Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom. His original name, Tutankhaten meant “Living Image of Aten,” while Tutankhamun meant “Living Image of Amun.” Tutankhamun is in modern times one of the most famous of the Pharaohs, and the only one to have a nickname in a popular culture “King Tut.” (Newworldencyclopedia.org)
For a long time Tutankhamun’s death as been a subject of considerable debate. It ranged from believing that King Tut was murdered, to he could have he died of natural causes from a leg infection, and even from malaria. While his artifacts where being retrieved researchers found a fracture in the mummy 's left thigh. They felt that the break represented a serious injury that Tut had sustained shortly before death, perhaps resulting in an open wound and the possibility of a life-threatening infection. Others dismissed the broken bone as yet another example of damage inflicted by Carter 's team. (news.nationalgeographic.com). On the other hand in 1968 x-rays of his mummy had revealed a dense spot on the lower back of his skull. This would have could have been consistent with a blow to the head. Such an injury could have been sustained from an accident or possibly from murder with a blunt object. I also found that Tutankhamun may well have died of malaria after the disease ravaged a body crippled by a rare bone disorder, experts say. The scientists in Egypt spent the last two years scrutinizing the mummified remains of the 19-year old pharaoh to extract his blood and DNA. This revealed traces of the malaria parasite in his blood, the Journal of the American Medical Association says. (news.bbc.co.uk)
With so many theories
References: Article, Michelle Roberts, February 16, 2010, Malaria and weak bones may have killed Tutankhamun, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8516425.stm Tutankhamun, New world encyclopedia, newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Tutankhamun Article, Brian Handwerk, March 8, 2005, King Tut Not Murdered Violently, CT Scans Show, news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/03/0308_050308_kingtutmurder.html [pic][pic][pic]