Tutankhamen Died Young

The death of Tutankhamen has been a subject of an animated scholarly debate; however, the cause of his death at the age of 18 has not been conclusively confirmed. This has resulted to evidentiary theories, which have suggested that Tutankhamen's death may have been caused by an injury, illness or murder. The course of events that led to his death have been researched, analyzed and queried by archeologists, scientists and Egyptologists for decades. Various theories have been presented attempting to explain Tutankhamen’s death, but each theory is met with contravening arguments and theories. Various theorists have argued that Tutankhamen is likely to have been murdered as a result of greed and hunger for power; while others are of the opinion that he died from an illness or fell from his chariot and died as mentioned in various essays https://essaysmasters.com

Recently, scientists and archeologists have made several findings in an attempt to determine the actual cause of Tutankhamen’s death. In 2008, Zahi Hawass, an Egyptian Archeologist revealed CT scan results that had been performed on Pharaohs mummy. The CT scan did not reveal any evidence of a blow to the back of the head or any indications suggesting foul play. However, there was a crack in Tutankhamen’s skull which appeared to have resulted from embalmers drilling. A fracture on Tutankhamen’s left thigh bone has been interpreted to indicate that his leg broke shortly before his death; subsequently the fracture in his leg became severely infected. An Egyptian leading a research team concluded that the fracture in Tutankhamen’s leg was a consequence of the embalming process. This was determined after the analysis of various images that were obtained through the mummy’s CT scan.

In a 2006 article in the National Geographic News, an international team of scientists disclosed the findings of another CT scan. The findings disproved a popular theory intimating that Tutankhamen was murdered through a blow to the head. The scientists concluded that the most likely explanation for Tutankhamen’s death at the age of 18 was that a thigh fracture became infected ultimately leading to this death. An x-ray performed on the mummy in 1968 revealed a bone fragment lodged in Tutankhamen’s skull; provoking the theory that Tutankhamen’s death was a consequence of bludgeoning committed by his political enemies in a volatile period, in Egypt’s history.

However, the scan performed in 2006 did not reveal any skull fractures. The scan revealed that the two bone fragments in the cranial cavity of Tutankhamen’s skull matched a number of pieces missing from the pharaoh’s first vertebra located near the skull (Lovgren, 2006). The new team of scientists supposed that since the fragments were loose, they were not covered with a solid embalming material; hence, the damage could have resulted after Tutankhamen’s remains were prepared for burial.

The scientists have attributed the fracture on Tutankhamen’s left thigh bone as the most likely cause of death; as a consequence of the CT scan’s revelation of a thin embalming resin coating around the area where the leg broke. This suggests that Tutankhamen broke his leg prior to his death and that his death may have been caused by an infection or other causes. It is probable that the resin came into direct contact with the fracture hence becoming solid, an aspect that could not be detected in any other area of the body. Since the medical development was primitive in Tutankhamen’s era, there is a possibility that he succumbed to severe infection that may have led to his death.

This theory convincingly affirms the belief that the bone fragments may have dislodged during the process of removing the Tutankhamen’s golden mask; which was attached to the mummy. The damage most likely occurred as a result of poor handling of the mummy. There is also a probability that Tutankhamen’s immune system may have been compromised; since he was attempting to heal the leg fracture, it may have subsequently contracted one or various diseases. While scientific evidence continue to present various conclusion towards Tutankhamen’s death, newer discoveries and observations continue to dispel various theories while reinforcing others; however, in spite of these, there will always be speculation towards the death of Tutankhamen.