THE DARK SECRETS OF KING TUT’S DEATH: Royal Inbreeding And Hidden Illness

Ancient Egypt’s darkest family secret: How royal inbreeding and disease brought down the boy king Tutankhamun before his 19th birthday.

For over three millennia, the death of Egypt’s boy king has remained one of archaeology’s most enduring enigmas. Tutankhamun ascended to the throne as a child and departed this world at just 18 years old, his promising reign cut mysteriously short. But what exactly claimed the life of this ancient ruler?

Recent genetic research has finally pulled back the veil of time, offering us a macabre glimpse into the pharaoh’s final days. Scientists from Egypt’s National Research Centre, Cairo University, and two German DNA specialists have meticulously examined tissue samples from royal mummies, including the famous King Tut himself.

Their findings paint a grim picture of royal privilege gone wrong. The young pharaoh’s death appears to have resulted from a deadly combination of malaria and health complications stemming from something far more disturbing – systematic royal inbreeding.

“This is another piece of the great jigsaw that is Tutankhamun’s life,” explains Tim Batty, general manager of the Tutankhamun Exhibition.

The DNA analysis revealed that Tutankhamun suffered from necrosis in his left foot – literally the death of tissue cells – which would have made walking extremely painful, if not impossible without assistance. This discovery explains the numerous walking canes found within his lavish tomb. Imagine a teenage ruler of the ancient world’s greatest civilization, unable to walk without support, his body betraying him due to his own royal bloodline.

Speaking of bloodlines, the tests confirmed that his grandparents were Pharaoh Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye. However, his parents’ identities remain shrouded in controversy. Evidence suggests the mummy discovered in tomb KV55 – believed to be Akhenaten – was his father. Even more disturbingly, Akhenaten’s own sister may have been Tutankhamun’s mother.

This royal inbreeding contributed significantly to the boy king’s frail health, according to experts studying the DNA results published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The findings have ignited fresh debate among Egyptologists. While some scholars believe Tutankhamun’s parents were siblings or close relatives, others suggest his mother might have been Nefertiti, Akhenaten’s cousin and chief wife.

For those fascinated by these dark revelations, the results are now on display at the Tutankhamun Exhibition in Dorchester.

“This is something people have been wondering about for over 100 years,” Batty notes with academic excitement. “Now we’re starting to get real answers, and that’s incredibly exciting.”

The curse of Tutankhamun wasn’t some supernatural hex placed on those who disturbed his tomb – it was written in his very DNA, a biological curse passed down through generations of royal inbreeding that ultimately claimed the life of Egypt’s most famous boy king.

(Source)