Forensic Experts Claim That King Tut Died In A Chariot Accident

Since the discovery of Egyptian King Tutankhamun’s body in 1922 by archaeologists Howard Carter and George Herbert, his life has served as a fascinating mystery to archaeologists and the public at large. He became Pharaoh at the tender age of 9 years old and reigned for 10 years before his untimely death at the age of 19.

 

Although several theories have been put forth for why the young Pharaoh died, several signs have pointed to the idea that he died in an accident involving a chariot. Now scientists working at the Cranfield Forensic Institute, working with car accident investigators, believe that they have confirmed this theory.

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The team was led by Dr. Chris Naunton of the Egypt Exploration Society.  Naunton and a team of forensic scientists from Cranfield used x-ray and CT data of King Tut’s body to perform a “virtual autopsy” of the body. That “autopsy” showed a distinct pattern of injuries on one side of Tut’s body. Car crash investigators then used computer simulations similar to those used to determine injuries to car crash accidents to put together the most likely chariot crash scenario that killed the Pharaoh.

In addition to determining Tut’s cause of death, the researchers may have solved another mystery – namely, why Tut’s body appeared to have been burned, something that Howard Carter noted in his initial discovery of Tut’s mummy.

For that, the research team turned to fire investigators, who determined that that combination of embalming oils led to a chemical reaction that caused King Tut’s body to spontaneously combust after it was already in the coffin. In other words, it seems likely that King Tut’s mummification process was botched.

“I think what the project shows is that when it comes to ancient material there is always more to learn, and there probably will be in the future,” Naunton said in a statement. “But with this study we have taken a big step forward in terms of understanding what happened at the end of Tut’s life.”

There are many mummies of Pharaohs in museums the world over...many of them more exalted and powerful than Tut but the fascination with the boy king has never diminished since he was discovered in 1922. He gave us a window into a glorious Egyptian past and into the life and times of a young Pharaoh. He is far more celebrated now than he ever was in life.