The Death of King Tutankhamun of Egypt - Essay Example

Most theorists and scientists believe that the king died due to a fracture in the left thighbone. Other scientists have found the cause of death to be epilepsy which is a neurological disorder distinguished by seizures. This natural cause of death has been found by scientists nearly 90 years later. The second major theory has been that the king was murdered by his fellow tribe members. Two prime suspects include the successor of King Tutankhamun, Aye, and General Horemhab who succeeded Aye as the king. Both of these men were said to be powerful during this era and therefore, the presence of King Tutankhamun would have been problematic for these people. Furthermore, King Tutankhamun was loved and respected by his tribe and one of the major reasons for this was that he re-established the Amun priesthood after the death of his father. The major for this re-establishment was done by Aye and General Horemhab but the major credit was given to the king which would have deepened their resentment against the king. Another event that supports this theory is that after the death of the king, his wife was forced to marry Aye who succeeded the king himself. But after some years, the wife disappeared and it was believed that the wife was murdered as well. At the time of the death, the king was of the age of deciding on a name for his successor as well which would have permanently disregarded the prospect of these suspects becoming the kings at all. However, research done in 2005 disregarded the theory of murder based on the CAT scans which also concluded that the fragments of bone found from the king`s skull could not have been done through blows and were a result of the mummification process (Bindley 2012; Connor 2007).     

The theory of the natural cause of death has been approved by the director of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, Dr. Zahi Hawass, who agrees with his theory of death due to fracture. However, it is known that the body of King Tutankhamun is not in good shape as the team who found it dismantled it to look for jewelry and other ornaments. However, the director argues that the kind of fracture found on the lower left femur is unlikely to be caused by the dismantling process. It is more likely to be caused during the life of the king or during the embalming process through which the body was turned into a mummy. But the doctor states that the fracture most likely happened a few hours before the actual death. The break in the leg due to the fracture was not life-threatening itself but the resulting infection would have worsened the condition of the king. The believers in the theory of murder refuted it by pointing out the fracture which was found at the back of the king`s head by the University of Liverpool. However, the director confirmed that there are no clear indications of murder as this fracture is likely to be caused during the embalming process. His team agreed that the death was caused by the leg fracture and they even proved it through CAT scans (Dunn, 2013).

A more recent study was done by a surgeon at Imperial College, Hutan Ashrafian, who stated that King Tutankhamun suffered from a neurological disorder, Epilepsy. He said that there are signs that the king`s temporal lobes were affected due to it and this is evident from the feminine features of the king which can be seen through his different statues. Several of the ancestors of King Tutankhamun also died due to this disease and therefore, it is likely that the kind also died because of this reason. Hutan Ashrafian believes that the fractured thigh bone of the king could be due to a fall during a seizure resulting from epilepsy. This theory was further supported by findings that suggested that King Tutankhamun had malaria and bone disorders and these were attributed to inbreeding. The researcher also suggested genetic disorders in the king as well as his father but this could not be proven as the chests of both were missing from their bodies (Katherine Bindley, 2012).