HISTORY EGYPT62 | SCIENCE ILLUSTRATEDThe boy king died suddenly at the age of only 19
in 1323 BC, suggesting that he could have been
murdered. In 1968, the suspicion was confirmed,
when an X-ray of the back of Tutankhamun’s
head revealed two loose bone fragments in his
skull – potentially resulting from a violent blow.
However, the theory was invalidated in 2006,
when a CT scan showed that the injury was
caused after the king’s death.
Scientists also found the left thighbone to be
fractured, so infection could have contributed to
the pharaoh’s early death, but the direct cause
was probably malaria. A DNA analysis of the
king's blood from 2010 included the remains of
malaria parasite DNA. More tests showed that
Tutankhamun suffered from the most lethal
variant of the disease, Malaria tropica. Together
with a weakened immune system due to a
hereditary disease and complex bone fracture,
malaria probably killed the young king..Tutankhamun
Died of Malaria?
6
On Elephantine Island in the Nile, German
Egyptologists discovered piles of ancient
papyrus writings in the late 1800s, too
fragile to be unfolded and read. Not until
now, scientists from the Egyptian Museum in
Berlin have dared to try.
Using CT scanners, scientists can turn
the folded papyrus into some 10,000 digital
discs, which they will subsequently
"unfold" and reconstruct by means of acomputer programme. The work will
continue until 2020.. The texts – of which
some date back from 2500 BC – include
food recipes, temple accounts, divorce
documents and more.Scans reveal the
secrets of papyrus5
Papyrus was formerly successfully scanned. This
roll is from Herculaneum, Italy.POTENTIAL: New sources, which could teach us
more about everyday life in Ancient Egypt.
CHALLENGE: Many writings are badly damaged
and might be impossible to scan.POTENTIAL: Finding out why Tutankhamun died.
CHALLENGE: The embalming and numerous
examinations make it difficult to find new
material to finally establish the cause of death.Left thighbone was fractured
The thighbone was fractured a few days before
Tutankhamun’s death, and infection may have
weakened the pharaoh.Disease caused deformities
Several bones from Tutankhamun’s left foot
have crumbled. The most badly affected is the
toe beside the big toe. The deformities are
probably the results of Köhler disease, which is
genetic and particularly affects young people.
The disease might have weakened the pharaoh
and consequently contributed to his death.Infection and a malaria outbreak probably killed Tutankhamun,
according to CT scans and DNA testing of the boy king's blood.B. IVERSON/ALL OVER
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY