Did you ever have the feeling that half the week has gone with you even noticing? That’s the feeling I’m having this week. It’s already Wednesday! So, are you ready for an open thread?
The short, pain-filled life of King Tutankhamun:
King Tutankhamun, the boy pharaoh, was frail, crippled and suffered “multiple disorders” when he died at age 19 in about 1324 B.C., but scientists have now determined the most likely agents of death: a severe bout of malaria combined with a degenerative bone condition.
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The study, reported Tuesday, turned up no evidence of foul play, as had been suspected by some historians and popular writers familiar with palace intrigues in ancient Egypt. Previous examinations of the Tut mummy had revealed a recent leg fracture, possibly from a fall. This might have contributed to a life-threatening condition in an immune system already weakened by malaria and other disorders, the researchers said.
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One overall impression from the new research is that the royal family’s power and wealth did not spare them from ill health and physical impairment. Several mummies revealed instances of cleft palate, clubfeet, flat feet and bone degeneration. Four of the 11 mummies, including Tut’s, contained genetic traces of malaria tropica, the most severe form of the infection.
The researchers said that several other pathologies were diagnosed in the Tut mummy, including a bone disorder known as Kohler disease II, which alone would not have caused death. But he was also afflicted with avascular bone necrosis, a condition in which diminished blood supply to the bone leads to serious weakening or destruction of tissue. The finding led to the team’s conclusion that it and malaria were the most probable causes of death.
Tutankhamun had a cleft palate, curved spine, fragile bones and a club foot. He most likely had difficulty walking (there were hundreds of canes in his tomb). A lot of these conditions were caused by the inbreeding practiced by royal families of that era. Genetic testing showed Tutankhamun was the son of “heretic king” Ahkenaten and his sister.