What killed King Tut? Malaria, genetic disease implicated

[CatWoman]

that damned inbreeding will get them every time

(CNN) -- The legendary Egyptian "boy king" Tutankhamun, commonly known as King Tut, died of conditions including malaria and complications from a leg fracture, according to a study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered in 1922, but his life remains shrouded in mystery, and not much is known about him. He ruled during the 18th Dynasty, from 1336-1327 B.C., according to the Web site Egyptology Online, and is believed to have died young. Forensic analysis of his mummy has put his age of death at about 17 to 19 years.

In the study published this week, researchers used anthropological, radiological and genetic testing to examine Tut and 10 other bodies mummified over a two-year period during Tut's dynasty.

Previously, based on historical records and earlier digs, Zahi Hawass, the lead investigator of the study, had said Tut could have been the son of Amenhotep III, a successful and popular king of the 18th Dynasty, who was later known as Akhenaten.

Through DNA, Hawass' researchers determined that was indeed the case, and that Tut was married to his sister. Scientists believe that genetics and inherited diseases played a role in Tut's health because of inbreeding within the family.


http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/16/king.tut.malaria/index.html?hpt=C1

[tabasco]

1. Akhenaten was a reviled apostate.

Tut was almost surely murdered.

[LibertyLover]

2. Tutankhamon returned to the polytheism of his ancestors,

removed his court from Akhetaten, the city Akhenaten built, back to Waset (Thebes)and restored the temples, in particular the temple of Amon, of the gods and in general tried to reverse everything Akhenaten had done. There was no particular reason to murder him.

[tabasco]

4. The vizier Ay made all decisions for boy-king Tut,

including the return to traditional religion.

Ay likely murdered both Tut and Ankhesenamun.

The reason: to become pharaoh himself, which he did.

The writings of Ankhesenamun and the episode with the Hittite prince support the murder theory. Ankhesenamun was afraid for her life.

[dugaresa]

3. Tut was likely a pawn. His name was changed to revere Amun

the god that had been briefly put aside by Akhenaten.

Political turmoil is never a desired state of affairs, if anything the weak boy king was a useful pawn in the restoration of the old religions and bringing back order to the state. Akhenaten had not only tried to get rid of the old religions but he had tried to create a new capitol at Amarna. He made enemies in almost every camp. Civil war would not have made things better so a few weak kings and some powerful ministers were all that was needed to help transition things back to the "norm"

[aquart]

5. "Almost surely"? IOW, you don't know anything about it.

I suppose someone could have trapped him a room full of malarial moquitoes. Hardly seems necessary, considering the geography. An angry enemy could have caused a brother to marry his sister and give birth to a child with inherited defects but, since it was the custom of the time, still hardly necessary.

The reason Egyptians are shown clinging to the lotus flower in art is that it was an anaesthetic, and they were in constant pain, from worms, arthritis, heavy lifting, all sorts of good stuff.

And "reviled apostate" is a VERY Christian viewpoint on the situation. He deposed some well-monied priesthoods who regrouped and came after him. If Akhetnaten was all that reviled, we wouldn't have found anything with his name on it left, but some people took good care that he and his son should have a happy eternity.

[tabasco]

7. LOL!

You know zilch.

[Maru Kitteh]

8. Were you there or something?

[pinto]

6. More re: King Tut (National Geographic) -

http://s.ngeo.com/wpf/media-live/photologue/photos/2010/02/16/cache/025870

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100216-king-tut-malaria-bones-inbred-tutankhamun/

Ker Than
National Geographic News
Published February 16, 2010

King Tut may be seen as the golden boy of ancient Egypt today, but during his reign, Tutankhamun wasn't exactly a strapping sun god. Instead, a new DNA study says, King Tut was a frail pharaoh, beset by malaria and a bone disorder—and possibly compromised by his newly discovered incestuous origins.

The report is the first DNA study ever conducted with ancient Egyptian royal mummies. It apparently solves several mysteries surrounding King Tut, including how he died and who his parents were.

"He was not a very strong pharaoh. He was not riding the chariots," said study team member Carsten Pusch, a geneticist at Germany's University of Tübingen. "Picture instead a frail, weak boy who had a bit of a club foot and who needed a cane to walk."

<snip>

Tutankhamun was a pharaoh during ancient Egypt's New Kingdom era, about 3,300 years ago. He ascended to the throne at the age of 9 but ruled for only ten years before dying at 19.

Despite his brief reign, King Tut is perhaps Egypt's best known pharaoh because of the wealth of treasures—including a solid gold death mask—found during the surprise discovery of his intact tomb in 1922. The new study, published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, marks the first time the Egyptian government has allowed genetic studies to be performed using royal mummies.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100216-king-tut-malaria-bones-inbred-tutankhamun/

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