Secrets of Tutankhamun Revealed: How Did He Die and Were His Children Buried with Him?

A bout of malaria and a broken leg killed the boy-pharaoh Tutankhman when he was just nineteen. Almost a century after Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun's Egyptian tomb, scientists used DNA testing techniques to test Tutankhamun's mummified body along with 15 others. The DNA tests found that Tutankhamun had a cleft palate and a club foot and, despite his powerful position, was a "frail king who needed canes to walk."

Tutankhamun became pharaoh at the age of 9 or 10 in 1333 BC and ruled for a brief nine years until his death. He was the last ruler in Egypt's powerful royal line from the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom.

Two years of painstaking archaeological DNA testing were done to complete the studies. Computed tomography scans were also carried out on the remains discovered nearly a hundred years ago. The results of the studies are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The tests also shed more light on Tutankhamun's family. The other mummies tested include 'Tiye' , the mother of the pharaoh Akhenaten, who was Tutankhamun's grandmother, and the 'KV55 mummy' which is believed to be Akhenaten, Tutankhamun's father.

A third mummy, known till now only as 'KV35YL' is believed to be Tutankhamun's mother, whose identity has never been proven.

Archaeologist Dr Zahi Hawass led the team and gave a press conference at the Cairo Museum on the 17th of February 2010 to reveal the forensic team's findings. The Cairo Museum houses the boy-pharaoh's fabulous treasure including his famous solid gold death mask set with lapis lazuli and semi-precious stones.

The secrets of the young king Tutankhamun, buried in the desert sands of Egypt for thousands of years, are slowly being revealed by scientists like Zahi Hawass. Among those secrets are the identities of two tiny mummified bodies buried with Tutankhamun. Believed to be two children who died at or shortly after birth, it is not known exactly how they died - or whether Tutankhamun was their father.

For more on Tutankhamun click here. For more on archaeological digs click here. For detail of underwater archaeological excavations in the Rhone and the Roman treasures retrieved and now on show, including a marble bust of Caesar, click here.