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King Tut: Modern Medical Technology Sheds New Light On Mysterious Boy King

By Noelle Nicholas
Published on: 02:41 PST, Aug 13, 2015

Ancient Egyptian King Tutankhamun, affectionately known as simply King Tut, was a boy king who ruled from the age of 10 to 19. Since his tomb was discovered in 1922, King Tut has been the subject of many theories regarding his short life and death. Recent medical imaging has revealed surprising new evidence.

One popular theory surrounding the death of King Tut was the belief he may have fallen from his chariot. Indeed, he did have a broken leg. New modern imaging has shown that this type of accident was unlikely, if not downright impossible, to have happened to King Tut.

According to the Independent, the boy king was likely in poor health due to generations of inbreeding. Albert Zink, director of the Institute for Mummies and Icemen in Italy, explains why the theory that Tut died in a chariot accident is improbable.

“It was important to look at his ability to ride on a chariot and we concluded it would not be possible for him, especially with his partially clubbed foot, as he was unable to stand unaided. We need further genetic analysis that would give us more insight into his conditions.”

Embalmed and well-preserved, King Tut was buried with only his heart intact, his other organs were preserved each in their own canopic jars. This allows for genetic testing and other modern medical procedures. So far, genetic testing has shown that King Tut had an overbite, buck teeth, a club foot, possibly Kohler disease (a rare disorder that affects the bones), and malaria. The pain and deformation of his foot caused him to use a walking stick to get around. A whopping 130 walking canes were found in King Tut’s tomb.

In those days, royal families procreated with family members in the attempt to keep the royal bloodline pure. The parents of King Tut were brother and sister. The most recent news in the family of King Tut surrounds the tomb of Queen Nefertiti, who is believed to be the boy king’s mother. According to the Washington Post, archaeologist Nicholas Reeves believes he has located the tomb of the legendary queen. Astonishingly, Reeves believes that he has discovered a secret door in the tomb of King Tut that leads to the burial ground of Queen Nefertiti.

“I have been testing the evidence ever since, looking for indications that what I thought I was seeing was, in fact, not there. But the more I looked, the more information I found that I seemed to be looking at something pretty real.

If I’m wrong, I’m wrong. But if I’m right this is potentially the biggest archaeological discovery ever made.”

More studies will be conducted on the tomb of King Tut in the attempt to locate the missing Queen Nefertiti.

[Image via Label 56]

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