The famous Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun was not a beautiful young man, but had a stunted leg, several genetically transmitted diseases, walked with a cane, and eventually died of malaria, is the conclusion of a long and very expensive study conducted by scientists in Egypt.
Tutankhamun's tomb was found in 1922 in the Valley of the Kings, not far from Luxor. It was discovered by British archaeologists Howard Carter and George Herbert. It is the only tomb from Pharaoh's New Kingdom (1550 BC-1069 BC) that was found intact or looted. The reason for such preservation was the fact that the entrance to Tutankhamun's tomb was covered with stones excavated during the construction of a later tomb.
What was found in it provided insight into the practice of burying the pharaohs, as well as the artistic and craft achievements of the period. Although most of the items found in the tomb are now in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo, visitors to the tomb can still see Tutankhamun's mummy, an outer wooden coffin, a sarcophagus and paintings depicting his life and death. Tutankhamun is believed to have ruled from 1334 BC to 1325 BC, during the 18th dynasty. As he began his reign in the ninth year, much of the power was held by the vizier and Tutankhamun's successor Ai, who was the most important adviser to the two or three pharaohs who preceded him.
The mystery of Tutankhamun's death
Tutankhamun ruled Egypt for between eight and ten years. Examinations of his mummy showed that he was very young when he died. He is believed to have been 19 when he passed away. That conclusion was reached after examining his teeth. The cause of Tutankhamun's death has not been known for a long time. The body was first examined by Howard Carter’s team, in the 1920s.
Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass presented the results of a study of Tutankhamun's mummy in 2005, according to which there is no data to suggest that the pharaoh was killed. There was a hole in the head, but it most likely formed during mummification. There are findings that indicate the possibility that Tutankhamun broke his leg, and that it is possible that he died as a result of the infection.
A recent study from August 2010 found that Tutankhamun was the fruit of incest, and that his parents were in fact a brother and sister. These data were obtained by DNA examination of 16 mummies. Scientists believe that due to the kinship of the parents, a copy of the bad genes is easier to pass on to the offspring. Scanning showed that Tutankhamun had a genetic deformity of his feet and a cleft lip, which made his life difficult. According to the research of Egyptologist Chris Naunton, it is believed that the pharaoh was hit by a wheel of a carriage moving at high speed, and that his body was therefore mutilated and demanding to be embalmed. Due to a poorly done embalming, his body caught fire in the sarcophagus due to a chemical reaction
