By the beginning of the twentieth century, researchers were sure that there was nothing to do in the Valley of the Kings: everything had been dug up and studied long ago. But the English archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter was of a different opinion. He worked a lot, turned to various sources, interrupted research during the First World War and returned to them. On the morning of November 4, 1922, an extraordinary silence reigned at the excavation site, conducted under the leadership of a brave Englishman: this is how the workers reacted to the descent found in the rocky ground, which was located several meters below the entrance to the tomb of Ramses VI. A sealed door was soon found. So the tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered, with whose name many legends and conjectures are still associated.
Pharaoh's curse
All the newspapers of that time wrote about the mysterious premature death of the persons who opened the tomb of Tutankhamun. By 1935, there were already more than twenty "victims" of the pharaoh. The circumstances of the death of many of them caused superstitious horror: someone died from the bite of a poisonous insect, and the scar on his cheek resembled a wound on the face of the mummy itself, someone died as a result of a sudden illness, and someone from an accident.
There was even a popular theory about pathogens that allegedly survived in the sarcophagus and allegedly penetrated the lungs of those who unfolded the mummy, but this also does not stand up to criticism. In general, all the evidence of the "curse" pursued only one goal - to create a newspaper sensation. Indeed, in fact, most of the members of the Carter expedition (including himself) lived to old age.
Final diagnosis
A great many unconfirmed theories have been put forward regarding what caused the death of Tutankhamun himself. For example, a team of forensic scientists led by Egyptologist Dr. Chris Naunton believes that the pharaoh fell under the chariot, as he had several broken ribs (and some did not), injured his leg and skull.
Promotional video:
Other researchers believe that this damage is a "side effect" of the embalming, but in fact the pharaoh was strangled. In the 1960s, after X-ray studies, a version appeared about a fatal blow to the head - the attempt could be associated with a power struggle.
Carter himself was sure that Tutankhamun had been poisoned. In favor of the accident is the fact that a wreath of spring flowers was worn around the mummy's neck, and since the mummification process lasts about 70 days, the young ruler apparently died in winter, at the height of the hunting season, which testifies in favor of the theory of injury obtained on the hunt.
Other possible causes of the death of the ruler include obesity and malaria. The latest version emerged relatively recently, in 2010, after analyzing Tutankhamun's DNA. In her favor is the fact that the remains of drugs for malaria were found in the tomb.
Far from the standard
Many Egyptian researchers portrayed Tutankhamun as a handsome man - a tall, stately young man with expressive eyes and regular facial features. In fact, everything was much more prosaic: the ruler had more than enough problems with his appearance and health, and the reason for this was the close ties of his parents.
So, according to later studies, the pharaoh had a bunch of genetic diseases, there was a cleft in the palate, malformed foot bones and an elongated skull. Probably, it was difficult for him to walk, since unique shoes were found in the tomb, never before seen in other tombs. Most likely, he also had to use a cane.
The version about obesity belongs to Dutch scientists. They studied the material in which the mummy was wrapped, and came to the conclusion that the volume of the pharaoh's thighs was 30 cm larger than the volume of the chest, that is, he had a "female" type of figure. At the same time, his height was about 170 centimeters. However, this version is more than controversial: if earlier it was believed that Tutankhamun was protected from physical exertion due to his pain, now scientists are inclined to believe that he led an active lifestyle. So, in his tomb was found a hunting chariot and weapons, which were clearly often used. However, there were also walking sticks - about 130 pieces.
Baby mummies
The wife of the young pharaoh Ankhesenpamon was also his close relative - perhaps even a half-sister or niece, there are also several versions of this. They married when they were 12-13 years old, and from this marriage the couple had two children who were clearly born prematurely and died in infancy, probably immediately after birth.
The mummies of two girls were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. They are very tiny, the height of one is 30 cm, the other is 38.5 cm. Scientists believe that they could be twins, and DNA analysis has confirmed that, most likely, the pharaoh was their father. In particular, the blood type of one child exactly matches the blood type of Tutankhamun.
X-rays of both mummies revealed an abnormal bone shape - again due to incest. But the very fact of the mummification of children is almost unique and indirectly indicates that Ankhesenpamon and Tutankhamun loved each other, the funeral paintings on the walls of the tomb also speak of this.
Incomprehensible spots
Archaeologists who were present at the opening of the tomb saw incomprehensible spots on the walls. Some of them covered the faces of figures depicted on the walls, such as the goddess Hathor. Almost a hundred years have passed since the discovery of the tomb of the pharaoh, and the nature of the appearance of the spots has not been able to figure out.
One of the most convincing versions is that these are waste products of bacteria and fungi. However, no living bacteria were found in the samples. Scientists came to the conclusion that Tutankhamun was buried when the paint on the walls had not yet dried, that is, the funeral rite was carried out in a hurry, and the death of the young king was unexpected. Since the decoration of the tomb itself is relatively modest, and some inscriptions have been erased and altered in the name of the pharaoh, there is a version that the tomb was not intended at all for a royal person, but rather for one of the courtiers.
A minor figure?
Tutankhamun is one of the most famous Egyptian pharaohs, his name first comes to mind of many when mentioning Ancient Egypt, but in reality he was not at all a significant figure in the political arena of the New Kingdom. He did not rule for long: he ascended the throne when he was 10 years old, and died before his 20th birthday. Throughout the nine years of his reign, Tutankhamun was under the powerful influence of two politicians - the dignitary Aye (who is considered the likely murderer of the pharaoh) and the commander Horemheb.
Moreover, the memory of Tutankhamun was not simply not protected - they tried to get rid of reminders of him in every possible way, for example, destroying his images, beating off the faces of the statues. And it was no coincidence that the entrance to his tomb was filled up so that it was difficult to find it, and it took several months to dig it out.
During his reign, Tutankhamun did not accomplish anything remarkable, apart from several religious reforms and the construction of several large objects. Nevertheless, the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun became one of the greatest archaeological events of the past century, it is not for nothing that Howard Carter himself, who discovered it, spoke of Tutankhamun: "The only remarkable event in his life was that he died and was buried."
