Theories on Tutankhamen Death – Essay

Tutankhamen was a young Egyptian king who ascended to the throne at the age of 9 or 10 years and who ruled for only 9 or 10 years before he died at the age of 19. Tutankhamen ruled between 1332BC to 1323BC when he died for a reason that is still subjected for debate. There have been a number of theories created to explain the early death of the Tutankhamen Pharaoh (Buchanan, 2014).

One of the most ancient theories that were created to explain Tutankhamen death was murder. This theory was based on the fact that there was a motive for murder which was to take the throne over and thus, this was anticipated to have been done by his courtiers. There were also marks found by medics on the head of his skull. These marks and bumps were said to play a part in explaining Tutankhamen early death. It was also proposed that the marks could only have been caused by an individual who was closely related to the king. In this regard, this theory concluded that Tutankhamen was murdered by those who eyed his throne (Krystek, 2002).

Another most recent theory claims that Tutankhamen died of inherited illness. According to the theory, Tutankhamen was as a result of intensive inbreeding in the family of pharaohs. He was actual a son of brother and sister and thus, he had a higher chance of acquiring a genetic hereditary disease. Moreover, the recent autopsy eliminates the chances that Tutankhamen died of chariot crash. It also demonstrated that the breaks in Tutankhamen body took place after his death. The back holes can also be explained by natural mummification that took place in pharaohs’ linage (Buchanan, 2014). Another evidence for this theory is that most of his drawing in the cave shows Tutankhamen with a walking cane or sited being attended by his young wife. This can explain that he was not in good health based on the fact that he was very young. In this regard, the theory of death by illness can serve strongly to explain his death (Tripod, n.d.).

 

 

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