The mystery of Tutankhamun's tomb takes another twist
A new documentary about the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun will add to the intrigue that continues to surround the curse of 'King Tut'
An anatomage table of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun Photo: Channel 4/PA
8:20AM GMT 03 Nov 2013
It is one of the most famous – and certainly most intriguing – Egyptian artefacts to have been discovered, with an accompanying curse said to date back millennia.
Now the tale of Tutankhamun has taken a new twist, with the discovery that the pharaoh’s mummified body spontaneously combusted after a botched attempt to embalm him.
A fragment of flesh from the young pharaoh, whose tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter and the Earl of Carnarvon, was tested by researchers who confirmed his body was burnt while it was sealed in his coffin.
Fire investigators, who took part in the new study, believe a chemical reaction caused by embalming oils used on Tutankhamun’s mummy ignited the blaze.
The discovery of his nearly intact tomb, along with a gold coffin and gold funeral mask, caused a worldwide sensation and led to widespread and continuing public fascination with ancient Egypt and its treasures.
Tutankhamun and his treasures have long been associated with a curse said to have been responsible for several mysterious deaths – including that of Lord Carnarvon shortly after the discovery of the tomb.
More than 20 people linked to the opening of the pharaoh’s burial chamber in Luxor bizarrely died over the following years – six of them in London.
Victims included Carter’s personal secretary Captain Richard Bethell, who was found dead in his bed from suspected smothering at an exclusive Mayfair club, and Aubrey Herbert, half-brother of Carter’s financial backer Lord Carnarvon, who died suspiciously in a Park Lane hospital shortly after visiting Luxor.
At the time, the press blamed the 'Curse of Tutankhamun’ for the deaths and speculated on the supernatural powers of the ancient Egyptians.
An experiment by fire investigators, alongside new chemical tests Dr Chris Naunton, an Egyptologist, will add to the intrigue surrounding the mummy, after he concluded that King Tut’s body spontaneously combusted due to a badly conducted mummification.
Dr Naunton examined Carter’s original notes and with forensic scientists from the Cranfield Forensic Institute, in Bedfordshire, carried out a virtual autopsy of the body using X-ray and CAT scanning technology, the results of which may also revive the possibility that the young ruler died in battle.
He said: “Although the death mask and other treasures are very familiar, a staggering amount of the evidence has been overlooked. It’s amazing how many questions have not even really been asked let alone answered.”
Dr Naunton, the director of the Egypt Exploration Society, drew on the expertise of forensic scientists and car crash investigators to reveal the circumstances that left the royal mummy with a highly distinct pattern of injuries and missing its heart.
For more, see:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10422693/The-mystery-of-Tutankhamuns-tomb-takes-another-twist.html
More than 20 people linked to the opening of the pharaoh’s burial chamber in Luxor bizarrely died over the following years – six of them in London.
Victims included Carter’s personal secretary Captain Richard Bethell, who was found dead in his bed from suspected smothering at an exclusive Mayfair club, and Aubrey Herbert, half-brother of Carter’s financial backer Lord Carnarvon, who died suspiciously in a Park Lane hospital shortly after visiting Luxor.
At the time, the press blamed the 'Curse of Tutankhamun’ for the deaths and speculated on the supernatural powers of the ancient Egyptians.
An experiment by fire investigators, alongside new chemical tests Dr Chris Naunton, an Egyptologist, will add to the intrigue surrounding the mummy, after he concluded that King Tut’s body spontaneously combusted due to a badly conducted mummification.
Dr Naunton examined Carter’s original notes and with forensic scientists from the Cranfield Forensic Institute, in Bedfordshire, carried out a virtual autopsy of the body using X-ray and CAT scanning technology, the results of which may also revive the possibility that the young ruler died in battle.
He said: “Although the death mask and other treasures are very familiar, a staggering amount of the evidence has been overlooked. It’s amazing how many questions have not even really been asked let alone answered.”
Dr Naunton, the director of the Egypt Exploration Society, drew on the expertise of forensic scientists and car crash investigators to reveal the circumstances that left the royal mummy with a highly distinct pattern of injuries and missing its heart.
For more, see:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10422693/The-mystery-of-Tutankhamuns-tomb-takes-another-twist.html
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