History Essay Example: Mystery of Tutankhamen's Death

The tomb of Tutankhamen was discovered in 1922 filled with gold artefacts in the Valley Of Kings. Tut was born around 1341 BC the son of the revolutionary Akhtena who aimed to focus Egypt into worshiping god Aten. The young ruler died at the age of 18 around 1323 B.C. His tomb seemed to have been finished in a hurry. He was married to his half-sister and the two left no heirs to the throne but had two daughters stillborn. Additionally their foetus was discovered in jars in the pharaoh tomb. Although the tomb of Tut was full of wealth, both archaeological and historical studies have not uncovered the exact cause of Tuts death. On most persuasive theory is that Tut died from natural causes evidenced by leg injury while another hypothesis speculates that the young pharaoh was murdered for political motives. Due to the numerous evidence supporting natural causes as the cause of Tuts death, it is highly probable that the young Pharaoh was not murdered.

One common explanation for Tut death is that he died from natural causes. Writing for Live Science, Jarus (2016) states that Tut was ill and spent his time trying to handle a religious revolution that his father had started. Archaeological evidence suggests that he surfed from diferent infections like malaria and a rare bone disorder of the foot. This theory has been supported by the evidence of canes found in the tomb (Doherty, 2013). This evidence suggests that Tut experienced walking difficulties. It has also been suggested that Tut died from an infection that resulted from a broken leg of from injuries sustained during a chariot accident. It has also been speculated that Tut experienced Marfan syndrome that causes the victim to develop unusually long legs, fingers and arms. Jarus notes that members of the loyal family during the reign of Akhtena, his father, were depicted with Marfan syndrome (2016). This depiction has led some researchers to hypothesis that the young pharaoh died from the syndrome. This hypothesis has however been challenged by a 2010 research that suggested Tut did not die from Marfan syndrome.

A 20005 CT scan showed that he had a broken leg and a wound that many thinks led to his death. Due to the limited health solutions available at the time, the wound was exposed for a long time and led to gangrene infection. His tomb had about 130 walking sticks which prove this theory. RT Scans showed that Tut had abnormal curvature in the spine and his upper neck bones were fused. This type of condition is closely linked with scoliosis that leads to abnormality in the heart, nervous system and heart. Additionally, this rare condition is associated with Kilpper-Feil syndrome that causes high risk of serious injury.

Another of the debate states that Tut was murdered for political reasons. Radiographs taken by Ronald Harrison showed fragments of the bone in the lower cavity (Doherty, 2013). The reasoning is that the blow could not have been accidental and therefore someone struck him from behind. The motivation for the murder was the fact that Tut had a high status at a young age which attracted envy from stats people who desired his position. The most suspected if these people was a high ranking officer called Ay, However this this hypothesis lacks sufficient evidence since only the old X Ray evidence backs it. Thus, it is highly possible that Tut died naturally from leg injury and was not really murdered.

References

Doherty, P. (2013). The Mysterious Death of Tutankhamen: Re-opening the case of Egypts boy king. Hachette UK.

Jarus owen (2016). Retrived from https://www.livescience.com/54090-tutankhamun-king-tut.html