Posted on 03/08/2005 5:29:13 AM PST by Pharmboy
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - The results of a CT scan done on King Tut's mummy indicate the boy king was not murdered, but may have suffered a badly broken leg shortly before his death at age 19 - a wound that could have become infected, Egypt's top archaeologist said Tuesday. Zahi Hawass, secretary general if the Supreme Council of Antiquities, announced the results of the CT scan about two months after it was performed on Tut's mummy.
Hawass said the remains of Tutankhamun, who ruled about 3,300 years ago, showed no signs that he had been murdered - dispelling a mystery that has long surrounded the pharaoh's death.
"In answer to theories that Tutankhamun was murdered, the team found no evidence for a blow to the back of the head, and no other indication of foul play," according to a statement released Tuesday by Egyptian authorities.
"They also found it extremely unlikely that he suffered an accident in which he crushed his chest."
Hawass said some members of the Egyptian-led research team, which included two Italian experts and one from Switzerland, interpreted a fracture to Tut's left thighbone as evidence that the king may have broken his leg badly just before he died.
"Although the break itself would not have been life-threatening, infection might have set in," the statement said. "However, this part of the team believes it also possible, although less likely, that this fracture was caused by the embalmers."
Some 17,000 images were taken of Tut's mummy during the 15-minute CT scan aimed at answering many of the mysteries that shrouded his life and death - including his royal lineage, his exact age at the time of his death and the reason he died.
"I believe these results will close the case of Tutankhamun, and the king will not need to be examined again," Hawass said. "We should now leave him at rest. I am proud that this work was done, and done well, by a completely Egyptian team."
Tutankhamun's short life has fascinated people since his tomb was discovered in 1922 in the fabled Valley of the Kings in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor by a British archaeologist, Howard Carter. The find revealed a trove of fabulous treasures in gold and precious stones that showed the wealth and craftsmanship of the Pharaonic court
Hawass had long refused to allow DNA testing on Tut's remains and only agreed to perform a noninvasive CT scan on the mummy, which has since been returned to its tomb. The CT machine was brought from Germany and donated by Siemens and National Geographic.
The study, which was the first CT scan on a member of Egypt's ancient royalty, showed that Tut was of a slight build, well-fed and healthy and suffered no major childhood malnutrition or infectious diseases.
The boy king also had a slight cleft palate, which was not however associated with an external expression, like a hair-lip, or other facial deformities. He also had large incisor teeth and the typical overbite characteristic of other kings from his family. His lower teeth were also slightly misaligned.
Ruled out also were pathological causes for Tut's bent spine and elongated skull, which had been noted in earlier examinations. His head shape appeared normal and spine was bent as a result of how royal embalmers had positioned his body.
Tut's lineage also has long been in question. It's unclear if he is the son or a half brother of Akhenaten, the "heretic" pharaoh who introduced a revolutionary form of monotheism to ancient Egypt and who was the son of Amenhotep III.
He is believed to have been the 12th ruler of ancient Egypt's 18th dynasty and ascended to the throne at about the age of 8 and died around 1323 B.C.
At any rate, I'm glad they finally solved this mystery involving the boy king. And, I guess the folk medicine for treating the infection did not work. A little penicillin would have saved him.
Ping for GGG, if appropriate.
Not really . . . .he'd still be dead.
But Egypt didn't have a 2B$ gun registry.
Will they be sharing results of DNA testing also?
I wonder if they charged the Italians and Swiss thirty bucks to see him.
Tut was of a slight build ... had a slight cleft palate .. He also had large incisor teeth and the typical overbite characteristic of other kings from his family. His lower teeth were also slightly misaligned.Sooooooo, King Tut was in fact... Mortimer Snerd!
Hilarious!
Hawass had long refused to allow DNA testing on Tut's remains and only agreed to perform a noninvasive CT scan on the mummy...
Talk about a Cold Case File!!!
Conclusion: Boy king, King Tut, fell out of his high chair eating breakfast, broke his leg, got a lethal infection......and the rest is history.
Thanks for reading for me~!
Anyway, I wonder why? I understand not wanting to do something invasive, but with an opportunity like this, it seems a shame not to.
No No No, you see, It was an ancient relative of George Bush that tripped Tut, hence the broken leg, etc etc.
;-)
You're welcome. :)
I don't really know why, but I agree with you.
From the article, it seems the only reason not to is Because Zahi Hawass Said So.
Because they might find out he was JEWISH! (His real name was Tutstein).
My father was born in 1904, and as the story goes, he fell as a young boy and developed a severe infection in his leg. Years later it was diagnosed as Osteomyelitis. As kids, we were told that the doctor's back then had grafted a sheep's bone into his leg and that the procedure had been written up in the medical journals. I have no idea if this story was true or not, but my Dad did walk with a noticeable limp and his leg was badly scarred. His whole life he had an open wound on his upper arm that drained pus. My mother would wash and dress the wound every night when he came home from work. I can't imagine how my father worked 50+ years on the railroad with the disease. He never took any medication for it. Occasionally the wound would close up on him, he'd develop a fever/chills and feel generally oogy, but he never missed a day's work because of it. After about a week, the infection would fester and reopen, usually in a different place on his arm. My Dad lived to be 72, dying of lung cancer and the effects of a massive stroke.
Shlomo Tannenhammen.....
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