Mishap, Malady, or Murder? The Many Theories Behind the Death of King Tut
Tutankhamun’s tomb is considered to be one of the greatest archeological finds of our time, but perhaps what makes King Tut even more appealing is the most widely debated mystery of the young pharaoh’s life-his death. The tomb of King Tut was discovered by Egyptologist Howard Carter and his financial backer Lord Carnarvon on November 4, 1922; on November 11, 1925, a team led by anatomist Douglas Derry and Howard Carter performed what was to be the first of several examinations on the body of King Tut. (Marchant, 2013). Carter and his team caused significant damage while removing Tut’s mummy from its coffin, but was it the only cause of the many cracks and fractures to …show more content…
Benson Harer-an Egyptologist and medical doctor- was given permission by Dr. Hawass to review the 2005 CT scans and according to his research, he too surmises that King Tut was likely killed by injury. Depending on who you believe, the missing chest pieces have been explained away by grave robbers. The notion was that during WWII Egypt’s tombs were left mostly unguarded. This left the tomb of King Tut open for robbers enter and remove the beaded cap and beaded bib that held Tutankhamun’s jewelry. However, CT scans show what appear to “neatly trimmed” edges where the ribcage would be, and it is thought that grave robbers would not take the time to saw cleanly through the bones in an attempt to remove valuables. Dr. Harer supported this theory by pointing out the unusual way that Tutankhamun’s organs were removed and his body was stuffed with linens. To Harer, this would only make sense if the chest region was crushed in some way prior to internment making it necessary to pack the chest to restore its natural contour. (Jarus, 2010) Even though it was agreed scans seemed to disprove the “murder theory”, scientists and investigators still could not settle on the idea that King Tut was definitively killed by
Tutankhamun’s tomb is considered to be one of the greatest archeological finds of our time, but perhaps what makes King Tut even more appealing is the most widely debated mystery of the young pharaoh’s life-his death. The tomb of King Tut was discovered by Egyptologist Howard Carter and his financial backer Lord Carnarvon on November 4, 1922; on November 11, 1925, a team led by anatomist Douglas Derry and Howard Carter performed what was to be the first of several examinations on the body of King Tut. (Marchant, 2013). Carter and his team caused significant damage while removing Tut’s mummy from its coffin, but was it the only cause of the many cracks and fractures to …show more content…
Benson Harer-an Egyptologist and medical doctor- was given permission by Dr. Hawass to review the 2005 CT scans and according to his research, he too surmises that King Tut was likely killed by injury. Depending on who you believe, the missing chest pieces have been explained away by grave robbers. The notion was that during WWII Egypt’s tombs were left mostly unguarded. This left the tomb of King Tut open for robbers enter and remove the beaded cap and beaded bib that held Tutankhamun’s jewelry. However, CT scans show what appear to “neatly trimmed” edges where the ribcage would be, and it is thought that grave robbers would not take the time to saw cleanly through the bones in an attempt to remove valuables. Dr. Harer supported this theory by pointing out the unusual way that Tutankhamun’s organs were removed and his body was stuffed with linens. To Harer, this would only make sense if the chest region was crushed in some way prior to internment making it necessary to pack the chest to restore its natural contour. (Jarus, 2010) Even though it was agreed scans seemed to disprove the “murder theory”, scientists and investigators still could not settle on the idea that King Tut was definitively killed by