Radio Shows | King Tut | mp3 … wma … wav

Today we'll examine what killed King Tut. He was a boy king, a Pharaoh of Egypt who died 3300 years ago.

Tutankhamen, often called King Tut, ascended to the throne at the age of 8 and ruled until his death at 19. As was the custom of the time, the boy king was mummified and buried in Luxor, in the Valley of the Kings.

The tomb remained undiscovered until 1922 when Egyptologist Howard Carter unearthed it - one of the richest tombs ever opened. There were over 5000 artifacts like thrones, beds, chests, golden jewelry, statues and masks. Despite the many studies of his remains, it's a mystery: What killed King Tut.

So often when important historical figures die there are conspiracy theories. A popular one suggested King Tut was murdered by a blow to the head. Finding evidence to prove or disprove this theory has been tough.

The embalming of King Tut involved resins that glued his body to the sarcophagus. When Carter tried removing the mummy, he ended up dismembering King Tut. So the damage he did could not be distinguished from what might have caused his death.

To answer that question scientists recently used a CT scanner to analyze the remains. Despite the mummy's horrible condition, they found evidence King Tut broke his left thigh bone shortly before he died.

Remember, there were no antibiotics 3300 years ago and if he suffered an infection it was probably fatal. Although we'll never know for sure, the best evidence we have supports the theory King Tut died from complications of a broken leg.

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