August 24, 2021

151: The Death of Tutankhamun

35 minutes

A life cut short. By 1334 BCE, Tut'ankhamun had ruled Egypt for approx. 10 years. Sadly, this would be his last. At the age of nineteen or so, the young ruler died. How did it happen? There are a few major hypotheses (illness, accident, or murder). However, as technology and medical science develops, some ideas seem less likely than others. In this episode, I review the major studies and proposals, and present a hypothetical reconstruction of the King's final moments...

Date: c. 1334 BCE.

King: Neb-kheperu-Ra Tut-ankh-Amun.

Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com.

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Logo image: Statue of Anubis, from the tomb of Tut'ankhamun, KV62 (Artstor).

Music by Keith Zizza https://www.keithzizza.net/

Music: Michael Levy http://www.ancientlyre.com/.

Music by Ancient Lyric http://www.bettinajoydeguzman.com/.

Sound interludes by Luke Chaos https://twitter.com/Luke_Chaos.

Audio mixing/editing by Vincent Cavanagh.

Hear additional music on my Spotify Playlist.

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Select Bibliography:

B. Brier, The Murder of Tutankhamen: A True Story (New York, 1998).

R. Connolly and G. Godenho, ‘Further Thoughts on Tutankhamun’s Death and Embalming’, in C. Price et al. (eds.), Mummies, magic and medicine in ancient Egypt, Multidisciplinary essays for Rosalie David (2016), 240–8.

A. Dodson, Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation (2nd edn, Cairo, 2017).

M. Eaton-Krauss, The Unknown Tutankhamun (London, 2016).

C. El Mahdy, Tutankhamen: The Life and Death of a Boy King (London, 1999).

M. Gabolde, Toutankhamon (Paris, 2015).

J. G. Gamble, ‘King Tutankhamun’s Family and Demise’, JAMA 303 (2010), 2471–5.

W. B. Harer, ‘New Evidence for King Tutankhamen’s Death: His Bizarre Embalming’, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 97 (2011), 228–33.

R. G. Harrison and A. B. Abdalla, ‘The Remains of Tutankhamun’, Antiquity 46 (1972), 8–14.

Z. Hawass, Discovering Tutankhamun: From Howard Carter to DNA (Cairo, 2013).

Z. Hawass and S. N. Saleem, Scanning the Pharaohs: CT Imaging in the New Kingdom Royal Mummies (Cairo, 2016).

K. Hussein et al., ‘Paleopathology of the Juvenile Pharaoh Tutankhamun: 90th Anniversary of Discovery’, Heidelberg Virchows Archiv 463 (2013), 475–9.

N. Kawai, ‘Studies in the Reign of Tutankhamun’, Unpublished PhD. Thesis, Johns Hopkins University (2005).

N. Reeves, The Complete Tutankhamun (Cairo, 1990).

F. Rühli and S. Ikram, ‘Purported Medical Diagnoses of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, c. 1325 BC-’, HOMO – Journal of Comparative Human Biology 65 (2014), 51–63.

J. Tyldesley, Tutankhamen’s Curse: The Developing History of an Egyptian King (London, 2012).

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By Dominic Perry

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