In 1922 British archeologist Howard Carter made an astonishing discovery.

He found a pharaohs tomb in Egypt, located in the Valley of the Kings. The tomb was teeming with golden riches and the finest antiques from a time long ago. Carter and his men quickly got to excavating the chamber, because where theres a tomb full of relics, theres a pharaoh to whom they belonged. However, when the burial had been exhumed, Carter found that there was no mighty pharaoh who ruled over a prosperous Egypt. Instead, there was a Boy King who died before the age of 19, while still attempting to undo the havoc and distress his father, Akhenaten, had caused during his reign. With that said, when Howard Carter and his team discovered the vault of Tut, they uncovered a mystery that would trigger the curiosity of scientists, and archeologists for numerous years to come. That mystery being, why did King Tut die at such a young age? Over the course of time, after the discovery of the tomb, historians, forensic scientists, and archeologists have configured multiple adequate death theories for the young pharaoh. Among the most controversy thesiss that have erupted over the years is the possibility of natural causes, seeing as the King had a severely broken leg that could have become infected, leading to the death of Tut. Others believe that a violent beating to the head by someone who wanted the throne was the true fate of the boy king. What happened to King Tut that would cause him to perish at such an infelicitous time? In Ancient Egypt 3,000 years ago, disease was common and nearly impossible to fight, it was one of the many natural causes of death. There were no antibiotics, like there are nowadays, to battle these nasty germs and bacteria. In Ancient Egypt if someone were to be jinxed enough to become that slightest bit sick, they were at huge risk of death. In an article in National Geographic, Ker Than declared The scientists found DNA from the mosquito-borne parasite that causes malaria in the young pharaoh's bodythe oldest known genetic proof of the disease, (2010). Malaria was a radically deadly, and unfortunately rather frequent, illness. Likewise, it was a sickness carried in the saliva of female mosquitos, and was

transferred to the human body when one was bitten by one of these pests. This plague haunted the ancient world, and could have been the cause of King Tuts tragic decease. While an assorted group of scientists continued to attempt to convey evidence suggesting a death due to natural causes, an entire other theory was being pursued, murder. In the ancient times, in the empire of Egypt, burial rituals for the bodies of the dead were beyond critical in the lives of Egyptians. The people of Egypt would remove the brain, liver, and other vital organs in the body of the dead, leaving the heart so their soul could live in the afterworld. Howard Carter, the archeologist who excavated the cave remarks, Again, whenever it was possible, to discern details of method of wrapping, the evidence was suggestive of hastiness - that was the consensus of opinion among the scientific element present, (1925). Furthermore, this demonstrates that much hastiness was involved in the embalming of King Tut. Possibly someone desired to wrap the king up quickly so that no one was discover the wounds they had left on the king. Indeed, foul play is most definitely a strong theory for the death of King Tutankhamen. When children are family bred, there bodies tend to be underdeveloped, this can cause unseasonable death. Pharaohs were thought to be the link between mere humans, and the extraordinary gods. Therefor, the pharaohs of Egypt would often marry within their own families to keep the royal blood pure and superior. For instance, in a report written by Ker Than, Carsten Pusch proclaims, Normally the health and immune system are reduced and malformations increase, (2010). This illustrates how King Tut may have passed away at a premature time due to the fact that his father and mother were closely related. Tuts own father, Akhenaten, had a disease referred to as marfan disease, which caused him to look slightly feminine, because of the fact that his parents were of the same kin. Attempting to keep the family blood uncontaminated may have caused King Tutankhamen to decease so young. By and large, there is no specific evidence that points to murder, whereas there are scans and X-rays that strongly suggest natural causes were the true cause of the boy kings death. King Tut suffered from serious health issues such as malaria, a severely

fractured leg, and the fact that he was family bred; these are among some of the many adequate examples of what could have led to King Tutankhamens extinction. In the end, King Tutankhamens reign on Egypt was about more than just his tragically shortlived life. He received the throne from his father, Akhenaten, at a radically young age. He was believed to be only a mere eight or nine when he inherited the royal dominion. His father had passed away to leave his son with a country of angry men and women, for Akhenaten had altered the religious system in Egypt. King Tut, just a piddling boy, had to return the ancient realm to peace, and tranquility. With a large task at hand, and inevitably not much time to complete it, the Boy King remains a hero, yet mystery to this day.

Work Cited

Howard Carter's diary and journal 1922. (n.d.). Howard Carter's Diary and Journal 1922. Retrieved February 13, 2013, from http://www.griffith.ox.ac.uk/gri/4sea1not.html

Than, K. (2010, February 16). King Tut Mysteries Solved: Was Disabled, Malarial, and Inbred. National Geographic. Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100217-health-king-tut-bone-malaria-dnatutankhamun/