King Tut mystery may finally be solved

Tutankhamun Murder Mystery Hangs on March Report
Thu Feb 17, 8:16 AM ET
Science - Reuters

CAIRO (Reuters) - A team of experts expects to announce in March whether the latest test results on the mummified body of Tutankhamun will provide evidence for the theory that the boy pharaoh was murdered.

Zahi Hawass, head of the Egyptian government's Supreme Council for Antiquities, told Reuters that results from a high tech x-ray scan of the mummy would help explain a bone chip in the skull that has sparked the murder theory.

"This hole in the skull, people talked about it a lot, we have to tell the public and the scholars what is this hole exactly and therefore we need time," Hawass said.

"We are finishing the examination and the announcement will be at the beginning of March."

Although the treasures and artifacts from his burial tomb have famously toured the world, the mummified body of the boy king has been examined only four times in detail since British archaeologist Howard Carter stunned the archaeology community by finding Tutankhamun's tomb intact in 1922.

In January, the mummified corpse was given its first CT (computed tomography) scan, which uses special x-ray equipment to obtain image data from different body angles.

Archaeologists last opened the coffin in 1968, when an x-ray revealed the chip of bone in his skull which led to the theory that the king was killed with a blow to the head. His high priest and army commander have been mooted as chief suspects.

Tutankhamun ruled during a troubled and confusing period in Egyptian history, starting shortly after the death of the monotheist pharaoh Akhenaten in 1362 BC, who may have been his father.

Tutankhamun died just as he was reaching adulthood.

"Many things happened with the mummy. We are examining and answering all these questions," Hawass said.

Hawass said the team of experts was currently made up of Egyptians, including experts in pathology and anthropology, but said they would be joined by experts from Italy and Switzerland at the end of the month.