Nick Cook 1/25/13 1-2 King Tut Compare and Contrast In the Valley of the Kings the body

of an 18-year-old boy king by the name of Tutankhamun was found by British archaeologist Howard Carter in the year 1922. At the time of his rule it wasnt a very pleasant time because his father Akhenaten had changed the religious system to Monotheism. There are two theories of his death: murder and natural causes. The murder theory states his death could have been caused by a blow to the back of the head by his overseer Ay. Whereas the natural causes states hat he could of had a serious leg injury that got infected with a disease called gangrene. The mystery is yet to be solved How did King Tutankhamun die? The natural causes theory states that he could have died of a broken leg that got infected. But how could a mere fracture have led to his death. Well in 2005 Dr. Zahi Hawass Minister of Egyptian Antiquities, discovered that Tut was a very active boy, some of his favorite chariots were discovered in his tomb meaning he could have fallen off one and broken his leg. 3000 years ago they didnt have antibiotics meaning if he had fallen off a chariot and his leg had been infected he could have easily died in a couple of days. This is only one of the natural causes theories. The other popular theory is the Malaria theory but the broken leg is more plausible because Tut had had many cases of Malaria over the years meaning he could have gained immunity. Could the broken leg have killed him or could there be another possibility? However, the murder theory states that he could have taken a blow to the back of his head. An X-Ray of Tuts head was taken in 1968 showing a subdural hematoma (Bruise) in a spot of his head where you couldnt get one there unless you were hit. But the person who did had to have been in Tuts inner circle leading Egyptologist to believe it was

Nick Cook 1/25/13 1-2 his overseer Ay, because he was the one who took the throne after his death. Ay was also in charge of the burial process, which was quite sloppy meaning he could have rushed the process so he could be pharaoh sooner. But some people think that maybe tomb robbers had messed up the chamber rather than Ay. There is also evidence of a missing heart from Tuts body but the heart was never taken out. Some people believe Ay stole it to prevent him to go to the afterlife and some people believe Carter dropped it. In 1968 there was a bruise but in 2005 when they took a CT scan no evidence of a bruise they even said his skull looked quite healthy. Even though theres no evidence of the subdural hematoma the murder theory goes on. Egyptologists may never know for sure how King Tut died but the most plausible theory is natural causes. Natural causes is more plausible because in recent CT scans no signs of a subdural hematoma were present leading more people to believe his death was from other causes. Further evidence in support of the natural causes theory is that forensic specialists found embalming resin his fractured leg suggesting he broke it prior to death. This evidence has lead many people to believe his death was caused by an infection in his leg. King Tuts reign was cut quite short from illness and injury not homicide. The murder theory has been disproved with the broken leg and even the malaria theory, which led to his death. All though people will still argue about how he died they can still agree on one thing his life was short lived. Although he only lived to the age of 19 he still accomplished a lot but we can only imagine what other amazing things he could have done for the Egyptian community. With the discovery of Tuts tomb he has given Egyptologists

Nick Cook 1/25/13 1-2 a better understanding of ancient Egypt. Although Tut had died at such a young age he had gained something no other pharaoh had and probably never will Immortality.

Nick Cook 1/25/13 1-2 Bibliography "King Tut Not Murdered Violently, CT Scans Show." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.

Than, Ker. "King Tut Mysteries Solved: Was Disabled, Malarial, and Inbred."National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 16 Feb. 2010. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.