What if I told you that Tutankhamun had many health issues and died because of injuries?
His mummy revealed he had a thigh bone fracture which was recent at the time of his death. There was no healing, and his fracture was comminuted and therefore the embalming material entered the fracture. His cause of death is unknown, but he clearly had an injury before, he possibly fell from his chariot or from a height, or he had a fight with an enemy or even an assassin. His sternum was removed at the time of embalming and the reason for that is unknown.
DNA analysis
DNA analysis of his blood remnants revealed he suffered from malaria, and he had infections with more strains of Plasmodium Falciparum. Also, his family members mummies showed they had malaria. The cause of his death is still a debate. Murder by a blow to the head was theorized as a result of the 1968 x-ray which showed two bone fragments inside the skull. His leg fracture was perhaps as the result of a fall, and a severe malarial infection.
Inbreeding
He was the son of Akhenaten and his sister and because of inbreeding he had multiple genetic conditions. With certainty , Tutankhamun had clubfoot and he was walking with a stick. He took 130 canes with him in his tomb.
In January 2005 Tutankhamun’s mummy was CT scanned. The young king had a partially cleft hard palate and a mild case of scoliosis. Some scholars claimed he had sickle cell anemia however this offers resistance to malaria and is less likely. Some researchers claimed he had gynecomastia or even Marfan syndrome. But what do you think? And…
Further reading and suggested videos
The Truth About King Tut’s Health Problems (grunge.com)
King Tut Was Disabled, Malarial, and Inbred, DNA Shows (nationalgeographic.com)
Inside King Tut’s gruesome final months – from horrific leg break to malaria battle (thesun.co.uk)
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