New study sheds a light on Tutankhamun´s death by Zuzana Zelenakova

Pharaoh Tutankhamun who ruled Egypt from 1333 BC to 1324 BC represents one of the most interesting and well-known archeological issues of all time. The discovery of his intact tomb in 1922 by Howard Carter was one of a kind sensation that boosted a new wave of public interest in ancient Egypt. Tutankhamun´s burial mask remains to this day one of the most recognizable archeological artefacts. There has been a lot of controversy about the cause of the pharaoh´s death. The latest study suggests 19-year-old young man died of malaria, to be more precise complications of a broken leg infected with malaria. "A sudden leg fracture possibly introduced by a fall might have! resulted in a life threatening condition when a malaria infection occurred," said the article concerning the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Tutankhamun had multiple disorders... He might be envisioned as a young but frail king who needed canes to walk." For two years the 3,300 year-old mummy of the young pharaoh and 15 others have been objects of DNA testing and CT scans. The study tried to establish his family tree as well. According to the tests, Tut´s father was Pharaoh Akhenaten, quite a revolutionary ruler who tried to introduce monotheistic religion in Egypt, the cult of the only god Aton. Tutankhamun´s mother was one of Akhenaten´s sisters. The young pharaoh suffered from congenital diseases that weakened his whole organism. To certain extent these were genetically conditioned as incestuous marriages or relationships between close relatives were a common practice in ancient Egypt. King Tut has a club foot like his! grandfather and suffered from Kohler´s disease, a rare b! one diso rder when particular bones in the foot lack the sufficient blood supply. As a result, tissue in the bone dies and the bone collapses.

related story (sgx16506): http://www.france24.com/en/20100216-egypt-pharaoh-tutankhamu...

by Zuzana Zelenakova for SigEx Ventures (http://sigexventures.com)

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