The real face of King Tut: Pharaoh had girlish hips, a club foot and buck teeth according to ‘virtual autopsy’ that also revealed his parents were brother and sister
The real face of King Tut: Pharaoh had girlish hips, a club foot and buck teeth according to ‘virtual autopsy’ that also revealed his parents were brother and sister
With strong features cast in burnished gold, Tutankhamun’s burial mask projects an image of majestic beauty and royal power. But in the flesh, King Tut had buck teeth, a club foot and girlish hips, according to the most detailed examination ever of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh’s remains. And rather than being a boy king with a love of chariot racing, Tut relied on walking sticks to get around during his rule in the 14th century BC, researchers said.
A ‘virtual autopsy’, composed of more than 2,000 computer scans, was carried out in tandem with a genetic analysis of Tutankhamun’s family, which supports evidence that his parents were brother and sister.The scientists believe that this left him with physical impairments triggered by hormonal imbalances. And his family history could also have led to his premature death in his late teens.
Various myths suggest he was murdered or was involved in a chariot crash after fractures were found in his skull and other parts of his skeleton. Now scientists believe he may have died of an inherited illness because only one of the breaks occurred before he died, while his club foot would have made chariot racing impossible.
The revelations are made in BBC One documentary Tutankhamun: The Truth Uncovered, which airs next Sunday. Albert Zink, from the Institute for Mummies and the Iceman in Italy, deciphered the truth about the ruler’s parents by studying the royal family’s DNA. He found that Tut was born after his father Akhenaten – dubbed the heretic king – had a relationship with his sister. Incest was not frowned upon by the ancient Egyptians and they did not know about the health implications for any offspring.
The REAL face of King Tut: Pharaoh had girlish hips, a club foot and buck teeth according to ‘virtual autopsy’ that also revealed his parents were brother and sister
• ‘Virtual autopsy’ composed of more than 2,000 computer scans carried out
• Genetic analysis of Tutankhamun’s family showed his parents were brother and sister
• Family history could also have led to his premature death in his late teens
• Various myths have him murdered or dying in chariot race
• Club foot would have made it impossible to take part in chariot racing
The boy king has fascinated the world since his tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922.
Now a virtual autopsy comprised of thousands of scans has revealed that much of what we thought about Tutankhamun was wrong and far from being murdered or dying in a chariot race, his early death may have been due to physical and genetic problems caused by his parents being brother and sister.
