CAIRO: A 3,000-year-old cold case is now closed. King Tut was not murdered, according to head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawass.
In a press conference Wednesday, Hawass revealed that the young king died of complications resulting from a combination of an infection from a broken leg and malaria.
“King Tut had severe malaria, said Hawass. “I really believe now that we can answer the death of King Tutankhamen.
After two independent studies, which included Egypt and German scientists and were primarily funded by the Discovery Channel, the real reasons behind King Tut’s early death were revealed via extensive CT scans and DNA testing.
Experts previously thought that a blow to the back of the head killed Tutankhamen at the age of 19, but the new testing proved that the hole in his skull was part of the mummification processes.
“This search looked for a particular DNA from a pathogen, said German scientist Carsten Pusch. “When you find the DNA of a black parasite in any human body or in this case a mummy, this is the big evidence, a leap forward for proof that this person had malaria.
While this parasite is considered the most severe form of malaria, not everyone who carries it shows the symptoms of malaria.
Pusch referred to artifacts found in Tut’s tomb for evidence that confirms their malaria hypothesis.
“We found drugs that fight fever, which is the main condition of malaria, said Pusch referring to the herbs and seeds found in the burial chamber, which were also used for pain relief.
Additional artifacts in the tomb helped reinforce hypotheses related to other complications suffered by the frail boy-king.
“The other important thing that they found in the tomb of King Tut was 130 canes, said Hawass. “He used these canes.
Medical studies concluded that King Tut walked with a limp because of a clef foot.
Hieroglyphics about Tut support this conclusion, which depict him walking with a cane.
Another picture shows Tut sitting while shooting a bow and arrow, which Hawass says isn’t typical of those times.
“He normally should be standing, he is a king, said Hawass, reenacting the hieroglyphic. “But he can’t, he is a sick man.
The days preceding his death, Tut suffered a compound fracture in his leg. The potential blood poisoning from the injury combined with malaria brought a close to the chapter of this young Pharaoh.
The researchers also identified three other mummies believed to be part of King Tut’s family.
DNA testing proved that the mummy found in KV 55 is that of King Akhenaten, Tut’s father.
Akhenaten married his sister, which scientists believe, could have been the reason for Tut’s deformity.
“We know in Ancient Egypt a King can marry his sister or daughter because he is like a god, said Hawass. “This can explain why King Tut has deformities, why he was a sick man.
The two other mummies were also part of Tut’s family.
DNA testing revealed that the mummy referred to as the Elder Lady turned out to be that of Queen Tiye, the wife of Amenhotep III, who is the father of Akhenaten, making her King Tut’s grandmother.
The next mummy, known as the Young Lady, was previously believed to be that of Queen Nefertiti.
“We found out that the younger lady found in cave 35 is the mother of King Tut, says Hawass. “But we don’t know her name.
Nefertiti was the wife and sister of Tut’s father, Akhenaten, but because she wasn’t able to bare him a son, Hawass believes that he then married another sister.
And while they don’t know her name, Hawass is sure that she is the daughter of Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye.
Hawass said that his next expedition would be to discover the name of King Tut’s mother, the body of Nefertiti and more of Tut’s Amarna family.
“The same team is working on this in the two labs, said Hawass. “And we are hoping in about six months from now that we will be able to answer some of these questions.
Magda Gad, professor of Egyptology at Cairo University, said that knowing Tut’s family tree “will help us understand the historical events and texts about the events.
