The body of King Tutankhamun, the 19-year-old Egyptian Pharoah who died 3,000 years ago, was revealed to the public for just a couple of minutes yesterday. The showing came about as the remains of his ancient body was moved from the stone carved sarcophagus protected by goddesses into a simple glass climate-controlled case.
The ancient Egyptians managed to preserve King Tut’s body in such a way that it lasted for millennium. Then about 85 years ago British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the mummy, took it from its tomb and tried to remove the golden mask. The body was broken into 18 pieces as the early archaeologists attempted to remove gold pieces that had been buried with it. Scientists have spent the last two years repairing the mummy and preparing it for its final (hopefully this time!) resting place. The hope is the climate controlled environment will prevent any further damage by tourists and exposure.
The mystery surrounding King Tutankhamun — who ruled during the 18th dynasty and ascended to the throne at age 8 — and his glittering gold tomb has entranced ancient Egypt fans since Carter first discovered the hidden tomb, revealing a trove of fabulous gold and precious stone treasures and propelling the once-forgotten pharaoh into global stardom.
He wasn’t Egypt’s most powerful or important king, but his staggering treasures, rumors of a mysterious curse that plagued Carter and his team — debunked by experts long ago — and several books and TV documentaries dedicated to Tut have added to his intrigue.
Archeologists in recent years have tried to resolve lingering questions over how he died and his precise royal lineage. In 2005, scientists removed Tut’s mummy from his tomb and placed it into a portable CT scanner for 15 minutes to obtain a three-dimensional image. The scans were the first done on an Egyptian mummy.
The results ruled out that Tut was violently murdered — but stopped short of definitively concluding how he died around 1323 B.C. Experts, including Hawass, suggested that days before dying, Tut badly broke his left thigh, an apparent accident that may have resulted in a fatal infection.
The CT scan also provided the most revealing insight yet into Tut’s life. He was well-fed and healthy, but slight, standing 5 feet, 6 inches tall at the time of his death. The scan also showed he had the overbite characteristic of other kings from his family, large incisor teeth and his lower teeth were slightly misaligned.
Handsome devil, isn’t he!