According to The Humanities by our author, King Tutankhamun had just turned 16 when he passed away. This was an early death for a pharaoh in ancient Egypt, who had been well-fed and protected. His death marked the beginning of the end for the 18th Dynasty in ancient Egypt. (Sayre, 2015) Why and what happened? First of all, the most likely cause for death is catastrophic injury.
National Geographic (2013) states that in 2005, under Zahi Hawass’s direction, the then-head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities performed an accurate CT on the mummified remains of King Tutankhamen. It showed the severe damage done to the ribs and breastbone. A broken leg was also revealed. It is clear that King Tut suffered a major trauma. Researchers hypothesized that King Tutankhamen had been struck by an oncoming chariot as he was kneeling. The researchers suggest that the chest injury to King Tutankhamen was caused by the swift kick of a chariot horse. (Williams, 2013)
Bob Brier, a writer, speculates that Tutankhamun may have died for a sinister reason. Brier, following in the footsteps of previous researchers, examines the skull more closely. He discovered evidence which led him to conclude that the bumps and marks on Tutankhamun’s skull were the reason for his early death. Brier believes that the marks on Tutankhamun’s head were most likely caused by malicious intent. He claims that only someone who was close to the King could have caused the damage. For example, a slave. (Williams, 2013)
Third, King Tutankhamun may have been poisoned. The Egyptian state information service later posited this theory. Others claim that King Tutankhamen suffered a genetic disorder due to his parents’ being brothers and sisters. Some say the information is vague; they state, “Forensic investigation carried out”. “This shows that Tutankhamun, who was poisoned by the mummies, died after the attack on his back. It said “There was even a suspected named Tutu who appeared as an official first in the Amenhotep court and later in Akhenaten court. Tutu was described as not Egyptian, a character that caused friction.” (Williams, 2013)
The Egyptian state-run information service was of the opinion that the young King had been poisoned. Final speculation: King Tutankhamen’s death was caused by illness. This speculation was prompted by several images of a young boy king, with his young wife. He is also shown in some instances sitting or resting on his walking stick. Tutankhamun’s tomb also contained images that depicted him as an active ruler, who was mowing the enemies down in Egypt with his chariot. Tutankhamun could have been a sickly child who never had the chance to reign for long. The illness of a king, not a blow on the back of his head or from a chariot crash. There are several theories on the cause behind King Tutankhamen’s death. After reading the opinions I have come to believe that King Tutankhamen died of illness.
Virtual autopsy revealed later that King Tutankhamun died unlikely in a chariot accident because of his serious genetic and physical impairments. The king’s partially clubbed left foot made it impossible for Tutankhamun to ride a cart. In his tomb, 130 walking canes were found. This was evidence of his disability. A genetic illness was present because of his siblings and malaria. The fractures and injuries in his skull occurred after the young King was dead. Only his knee fracture is reported to have occurred before his death. The fall that caused this fracture, not a chariot racing incident, was the cause. Tutankhamen succumbed to complications caused by a broken knee (leg) that was made worse by malaria.