Interesting news (King Tut died from Malaria)

King Tut's DNA reveals real killer
By Jennifer Macey for AM

Updated 1 hour 36 minutes ago


Death mask: Dr Markel says while it was malaria that killed King Tutankhamun, there is also new evidence that he suffered from a rare bone disorder. (AFP: Lennart Preiss)

Researchers say Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun may have died from malaria and was not murdered as previously suspected.

A team of international scientists studying DNA blood samples from the mummified remains of the 19-year-old king have found traces of the malaria parasite and evidence that he may have suffered from a crippling bone disorder.

The findings are being published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Medical historian Dr Howard Markel from the University of Michigan says it is the first time that evidence of malaria has been found in ancient Egypt.

"The malaria was quite intriguing. It was found in King Tut and several other members of his family," he said.

"It is probably the earliest scientifically recorded evidence of malaria.

"Ancient Egypt had marshy areas and mosquitoes and it is not unlikely that malaria was quite prevalent.

"Interestingly, in ancient Egyptian texts we don't find any real treatments, let alone cures, for malaria."

Researchers also say King Tutankhamun may have broken his thigh bone a day before he died, disputing the theory that his bones were damaged by archaeologist Howard Carter, who first discovered the pharaoh's mummy in the 1920s.

The project's lead researcher, Dr Zahi Hawass of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, has featured in a documentary on the subject.

"This fracture is an accident that happened to Tutankhamun one day before he died," he told documentary makers.

"Tutankhamun used the desert of Memphis for hunting and for jumping. And then he could, number one, die while he was hunting in the desert or, the second thing, maybe in a war.

Dr Markel says while it was malaria that killed King Tutankhamun, there is also new evidence that he suffered from a rare bone disorder.

"So he probably had fractures of the bones, of the feet, and we know he walked on canes. In fact there are canes in his tomb that are well worn," he said.

"You know, whenever you injure your foot - I am sure you know this - you walk in a different way and you are very prone to falling or tripping, so he may have fallen and broken his left leg [and] we know that he has evidence of a left thighbone fracture.

"Now the thighbone is the largest bone in the body and then, as well as now, if you break the thighbone and it is not taken care of immediately, that is a very major emergency. You could literally bleed to death in a matter of hours with a broken thighbone.

"So if you add those existing conditions, plus he had evidence of the worst type of malaria - something called malaria tropica, that could all set up for a perfect storm of an early demise.