who suffered from a cleft palate and club foot. He died of
complications from a broken leg exacerbated by malaria and his parents
were most likely brother and sister.
Two years of DNA testing and CT scans on Tut's 3,300-year-old mummy
and 15 others are helping end many of the myths surrounding the boy
king. While a comparatively minor ruler, he has captivated the public
since the 1922 discovery of his tomb, which was filled with a stunning
array of jewels and artifacts, including a golden funeral mask.
The study, which will be published Wednesday in the Journal of the
American Medical Association, provides the firmest family tree yet for
Tut. The tests pointed to Pharaoh Akhenaten, who tried to
revolutionize ancient Egyptian religion to worship one god, as Tut's
father. His mother was one of Akhenaten's sisters, it said.
Tut, who became pharaoh at age 10 in 1333 B.C., ruled for just nine
years at a pivotal time in Egypt's history. Speculation has long
swirled over his death at 19. A hole in his skull fueled speculation
he was murdered, until a 2005 CT scan ruled that out, finding the hole
was likely from the mummification process. The scan also uncovered the
broken leg.
The newest tests paint a picture of a pharaoh whose immune system was
likely weakened by congenital diseases. His death came from
complications from the broken leg — along with a new discovery: severe
malaria.
Read the complete article at --
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ml_egypt_king_tut
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