King Tut Died from Malaria and Broken Leg
The teen-aged pharaoh King Tutankhamun, who we all know better as just King Tut, had an Egyptian tomb filled with treasures, but it appears that the boy had tender bones and a clubfoot. Researchers revealed the new details on Tuesday and said that it’s likely the young pharaoh died from malaria.
Since King Tut’s tomb was discovered in 1922, there has been much speculation as to how the young king died at the young age of about 19. Along with his mummified body, scientists and researchers performed tests on 16 royal mummies and discovered that they had all contracted a severe case of malaria, which is likely to have cut Tut’s reign. This has ruled out rumors of other sicknesses and murder. Scientists were also able to rule out possibilities that he and his family members were afflicted with sever abnormalities like Marfan syndrome.
Scientists from Germany, Egypt and other countries compiled results from radiological and genetic testing performed on the mummies from 2007 to 2009. The results have clarified details about the 18th Dynasty, which lasted for 155 years and included King Tutankhamun, who took the throne at only 11 years old. It’s speculated that he was weakened by a broken leg that could have come from a fall. They believe that this, combined with contracting a malaria infection, are what led to his death.
King Tut was also troubled with a mild clubfoot in his left foot, a cleft palate, as well as other bone ailments. Along with some other members of his family, he had a form of Kohler disease, which causes foot bones to collapse due to lack of blood. However, this wouldn’t have been fatal.