Theory of How King Tutankhamen Died

One theory of how King Tutankhamen died at the tender age of 18 suggests that it was due to illness. According to Professor Albert Zink, the illness consisted of genetic deficiencies that may have been a direct result of his parents being siblings. This meant that his body was extremely weak and could not withstand the burdens of everyday life. In those days, it was norm to have unions between members of the same family in order to keep the bloodline going (Dovey, 2014). No one saw any issues with this notion especially since such medical knowledge hadn’t been discovered yet. It was said that “the chances of a newborn child who is the product of brother-sister relations suffering early death, a severe birth defect, or some mental deficiency is around 50 percent(Dovey, 2014). Moreover, Tutankhamen was diagnosed with Kohler’s disease, a rare bone disorder of the foot in children.  Scientists believe that at the time of his death, he was said to have malaria, a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite that if left untreated can result in death. Hence, Tutankhamen had many illnesses which could’ve single handedly or cohesively contributed to his death.

Another theory about Tutankhamen’s death is that he was murdered. According to the Egyptologist, Bob Brier, it was discovered that he suffered from broken fragments in his skull leading us to believe that he was killed by a blow to the head. The main suspect in his death was Aye, the king who succeeded him. It was said that at some point Tutankhamen no longer needed Aye’s assistance as he had in the past. This angered Aye and prompted him to think of a murder for hire plan in order to get rid of Tut and become the new King. The plot thickened after his death as Aye married Ankhensenpaaten, Tut’s wife. The union was an important step in taking over Tutankhamen’s reign, because marrying his wife meant that Aye would automatically become heir.