The Journal of the American Medical Association announced today just how ancient Egypt’s most famous pharaoh died. After two years of DNA tests and CT scans, scientists can positively say that King Tutankhamun died of a broken leg brought on by malaria, and his parents were brother and sister.
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Tut became King at the age of nine in 1333 B.C.E. and died ten years later. It was long speculated that the boy King was murdered, and a hole in his skull appeared to be proof. But now, it is clear that is not the case.
“A sudden leg fracture possibly introduced by a fall might have resulted in a life threatening condition when a malaria infection occurred,” the JAMA article said.
The study also reveals the King’s numerous physical ailments. He had a cleft palate, a clubbed foot and walked with a cane. These problems might have been due to his incestuous origins, confirmed by the DNA test results.
The Egyptian pharaohs had a long history of marrying brother and sister. Cleopatra was married to her half-brother before getting involved with Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony. King Tut himself was married to his half-sister.
These revelations display a much different King Tut than often seen in the popular imagination. Ever since his intact tomb was found in 1922, filled with treasures beyond anyone had dreamed, including the Pharaoh’s golden face mask, Tut had been seen as a sort of romantic figure. But the test results prove otherwise.
This study on King Tut’s lineage is part of a massive project to test the DNA of the Egyptian mummies to determine who they are and who their parents were. Egypt built two DNA labs in order to do the genetics testing.
Egypt’s top archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, believes many more discoveries could be found for King Tut and the other ancient royals
“It will never be revealed completely, still we need more research,” Hawass, said. “We finished the first great part of the mystery and the second one is coming soon in one year.”
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