CT Studies Reconstruct King Tut’s Facial Features, Reveal Possible Causes of Young Pharaoh’s Death

Kristina Woodworth

^*Contributing Editor, SciMantis Communications, Inc, Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania.
Address correspondence to: Kristina Woodworth, Contributing Editor, SciMantis Communications, Inc, PO Box 3, Pen Argyl, PA 18072. E-mail: kristina@scimantis.com.

The first computed tomography (CT) study of an Egyptian mummy has yielded detailed reconstructions that approximate the facial features of King Tutankhamun. The images and other CT findings are the result of an international collaboration of forensic artists and scientists from the United States, Egypt, and France.

While the Egyptian scientists worked from the CT scans of the mummy, the US and French teams were given a plastic reproduction of the mummy's skull. The Egyptian and French scientists knew that they were working on a reconstruction of King Tut's face, but the Americans were not provided with any details of the reproduction's origins. Nevertheless, the US team accurately categorized the skull as one belonging to a Caucasoid North African individual.¹

Tutankhamen became pharaoh at the age of 8 and ruled until his early death at the age of 18, in approximately 1323 BC. Investigators have speculated that the pharaoh met with a violent death that prematurely ended his reign.

Facial Reconstructions Resemble Available Mask, Portraits of the Pharaoh
To perform the CT analysis, the mummy was briefly removed from its tomb in the Valley of the Kings to a waiting trailer containing a portable CT scanner, which was donated by the National Geographic Society and Siemens Medical Solutions for this purpose.

Based on the CT images and reproduction of the mummy's skull, the forensic experts released reconstructions of King Tut's face, including eyes marked with heavy eyeliner (see photo below), which closely resembles the gold mask found in the young pharaoh's tomb during the landmark 1922 excavation by Howard Carter. Likewise, the reconstruction is evocative of available portraits of the king, including those of King Tut as a young boy. The French and American teams submitted very similar images, whereas the Egyptian team developed an image with a more prominent nose, jaw, and chin (Figure 1).¹

All of the facial reconstructions suggest that King Tut had an overbite, which was consistent with other kings in his lineage. The researchers also noted that the pharaoh had a slight cleft palate, but that this defect was not substantial enough to result in an overt facial deformity.² Overall, the investigators reported that the scans of the mummy's bones suggested that the pharaoh was healthy and well-nourished, and did not suffer from any substantial infectious diseases as a child.

Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, noted that the 3 independent analyses resulted in facial features and skull shape that were "identical or very similar in the shape of the face, the size, shape and setting of the eyes, and the proportion of the skull."¹ Hawass is leading an ongoing effort to perform scans on all available Egyptian mummies. Ultimately, the project hopes to display the physical mummies in conjunction with their CT scans and facial reconstructions.¹

CT Findings Narrowed Possible Causes of Death
The CT analysis was also able to rule out long-held notions that King Tut was killed in a violent blow to the back of the head or an accident that caused his chest to be crushed (Figure 2). These theories stemmed from obvious injuries to the mummy, which are now thought to have occurred after mummification.

However, the investigators did note that the pharaoh likely experienced a severe break to his left thigh that punctured his skin, shortly prior to his death. If this is in fact the case, an infection of the wound could have resulted in death. Meanwhile, other researchers contend that the apparent thigh fracture is actually the result of the rough handling of the mummy during Carter's original excavation, or that the fracture was otherwise inflicted during the embalming process.

The initial analysis of the scans also dispelled previous contentions that King Tut's embalming was rushed or substandard, which were used to support the theory that the king was murdered. In fact, the researchers all concurred that the mummy was expertly embalmed.

After these initial CT findings, Hawass said that he would focus on natural causes or poisoning as possible causes of death.

More Questions to Be Answered with CT
Hawass noted that analyses of the mummy's CT scans are continuing and that he did not anticipate that the mummy would need to be scanned again in the future.³ He emphasized that his entirely Egyptian team of scientists is performing the CT analyses, and that only these individuals will have access to the CT images. Through this advanced imaging modality, the investigators hope to answer important outstanding questions about the king's exact royal lineage, his exact age when he died, and the exact cause of his early death.

Since the initial CT scans, which took place in 2005, Hawass and his team have made an effort to reconstruct the mummy, which was broken in 18 pieces during the 1922 excavation.⁴ Although there are concerns that the humidity and heat from visitors could damage the mummy, the specimen has been placed on display in the pharaoh's Valley of the Kings tomb.

In August 2008, Hawass announced that CT scans and DNA tests were being performed on the mummies of 2 female, premature fetuses found in King Tut's tomb, which may have been the result of Tutankhamun's marriage to Ankhesenamun.⁵ These investigations are part of a larger, ongoing effort to collect DNA from hundreds of mummies to determine the lineage of the Egyptian pharaohs. Investigators are still hoping for DNA confirmation that Tutankhamun is the son of Akhenaten, the pharaoh who introduced monotheism to Egypt, and his wife Kiya. Ankhesenamun, meanwhile, is thought to be the daughter of Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti, making her the half-sister of Tutankhamun.⁵

Additional Resources
Readers interested in additional information about the analyses of the King Tutankhamen mummy can access the following resources.

MSNBC.com: CT Scans Reveal King Tut's Face
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7806495/

MSNBC.com: Scans Resolve Mystery Over King Tut's Death
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7128729/

References
1. MSNBC.com. CT Scans Reveal King Tut's Face. Available at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7806495/. Accessed September 2, 2008.

2. MSNBC.com. Scans Resolve Mystery Over King Tut's Death. Available at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7128729/. Accessed September 2, 2008.

3. National Geographic. King Tut Not Murdered Violently, CT Scan Shows. Available at: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/03/0308_050308_kingtutmurder.html. Accessed September 2, 2008.

4. CNN.com. King Tut Mummy on Display for First Time. Available at: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/11/04/king.tut.ap/index.html. Accessed September 2, 2008.

5. MSNBC.com. Egypt Tests DNA from Fetuses in Tut's Tomb. Available at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26056598/. Accessed September 2, 2008.