King  Tut  Mystery

Forensics  Vocabulary

• Circumstan+al  Evidence-­‐  Theore0cal  evidence  that  requires  and  explana0on/inference.

• Direct  Evidence-­‐  Factual  evidence  that  directly    proves  something.

• Irrelevant-­‐  The  evidence  doesn’t  ma?er• Plausible-­‐  This  COULD  have  happened• Mo+ve-­‐  A  person’s  mo0va0on

Expert  Resources

Dr.  Zahi  Hawass-­‐  Supports  Natural  Causes

Dr.  Bob  Brier-­‐  Supports  Murder

Evalua6ng  Online  SourcesUse  the  5  W’s

1.  Why  is  this  informa0on  valuable?2.  Who  wrote  the  informa0on?3.  Where  does  their  informa0on  come  from?4.  What  is  the  intent  of  the  informa0on?  5.  When  was  the  informa0on  published?

Primary  vs.  Secondary  Sources

Primary  Sources:Fossils,  Ar0facts,  Photographs,  Pain0ngs,  and  Wri?en  Documents  taken  AT  the  0me  of  the  

event.

Secondary  Source:    A  secondhand  account  taken  AFTER  the  0me  

of  the  event.  

Exhibit  A:  X-­‐Ray  of  Broken  Leg

This  original  x-­‐ray  scan  was  taken  in  1968.  The  femur  is  clearly  broken;  however,  scien6sts  debate  if  this  injury  was  the  “death  blow”  that  killed  the  young  pharaoh.  Could  a  broken  leg  have  killed  a  19  year  old  boy?  

Supporters  of  NATURAL  CAUSES  might  say:   “The  broken  femur  became  infected  

with  gangrene  which  lead  to  the  death  of  Tut.  There  were  no  an6bio6cs  to  cure  infec6ons  3,000  years  ago.  Plus,  the  break  was  jagged  indica6ng  an  accident.”

Supporters  of  MURDER  might  say:   “Howard  Carter  may  have  broken  this  

bone  during  the  ini6al  excava6on.  Finally,  there  is  no  ‘soX  6ssue  evidence’  that  clearly  suggests  an  infec6on.”  

Exhibit  B:  Skull  X-­‐RayThe  1969  x-­‐ray  you  see  here  has  caused  a  tremendous  debate  among  historians.  Could  Tut  have  been  assaulted  or  was  the  pharaoh’s  skull  trauma  simply  another  example  of  Howard  Carter’s  poor  excava0on  skills?  Supporters  of  NATURAL  CAUSES  might  say:   “The  small  fragment  found  within  the  skull  

was  probably  caused  during  the  embalming  or  excava0on  process.  The  brains  were  typically  removed  through  the  nose  by  breaking  a  small  bone  in  the  nose.”  

Supporters  of  MURDER  might  say:   “The  bone  fragment  is  irrelevant.  The  real  

issue  is  the  density/dark  area  near  the  base  of  the  skull  which  indicates  ‘foul  play’.  Some  scien0sts  believe  this  x-­‐ray  shows  a  hematoma  (blood  clo`ng)  where  the  skull  meets  the  neck.”  

Exhibit  C:  King  Tut’s  TombTutankhamen’s  remains  were  placed  in  the  Valley  of  the  Kings  by  his  successor  Aye  (who  oversaw  the  burial).  His  tomb  was  filled  with  four  rooms  of  clu?ered  treasure.  Was  his  tomb  led  in  disarray  by  Aye,  Howard  Carter  or  possible  tomb  robbers?

Supporters  of  NATURAL  CAUSES  might  say:   “Tut’s  belongings  may  have  been  looted  

by  tomb  robbers  before  Howard  Carter’s  discovery.  Evidence  of  thieves  were  found  when  Carter  first  found  the  tomb  (Read  the  diary  entry  from  November  25th  )”

Supporters  of  MURDER  might  say:   “Carter  also  describes  in  his  journal  how  

he  spent  most  of  the  0me  trying  to  carefully  maneuver  around  the  tomb  without  damaging  the  ar0facts.  Aye  and  his  priests  seem  to  have  worked  quickly  with  li?le  care  given  to  the  normal  rituals.  View  photos  taken  by  Harry  Burton  at  the  0me  of  Carter’s  discovery.”  

Exhibit  D:  Wife’s  Le]erSomeone  in  Egypt  wrote  a  le]er  to  the  Hi^te  King  asking  for  help.  Who  wrote  it?  Why?  Could  Ankhesenamun  have  wri]en  for  help?

Supporters  of  NATURAL  CAUSES  might  say:   “The  true  author  of  this  le]er  is  cannot  be  

proven.  Some  historians  believe  Nefer66  could  have  wri]en  the  le]er  aXer  Akhenaten  died  because  it  was  discovered  in  Amarna.  We  can  only  speculate  as  to  who  actually  wrote  this.”  

Supporters  of  MURDER  might  say:   Murder  theorists  believe  this  le]er  was  sent  to  

King  Suppiluliumus  (Hi^te  King).  Even  more  important,  the  Hi^tes  actually  sent  their  prince  to  help  answer  the  queen  who  sent  the  le]er.  Unfortunately,  the  same  Hi^te  prince  was  assassinated  on  route  to  Thebes.  Interes6ngly,  Ankhesenamun  was  force  to  marry  Aye  shortly  aXer  Tut’s  death.  She  “disappeared”  aXer  becoming  the  wife  of  Aye.  To  this  day,  her  body  has  never  been  found.  

“Why  do  you  say:  'They  may  try  to  deceive  me'?  If  I  had  a  son,  would  I  write  to  a  foreign  country  in  a  manner  which  is  humilia=ng  to  

myself  and  to  my  country?  You  do  not  trust  me  and  tell  me  even  such  a  thing.  He  who  was  my  husband  died  and  I  have  no  sons.  Shall  I  perhaps  take  one  of  my  servants  and  make  him  my  husband?  I  have  not  wriEen  to  any  other  country,  I  have  wriEen  (only)  to  you.    People  say  that  you  

have  many  sons.  Give  me  one  of  your  sons  and  he  is  my  husband  and  king  

in  the  land  of  Egypt.”

-­‐  Author  Unknown

Exhibit  E:  CT  ScanThis  CT  scan  was  taken  by  a  team  of  archaeologists  in  2005  and  uncovered  no  evidence  of  a  subdural  hematoma  (even  though  the  skull  was  heavily  damaged).  Was  the  damage  to  the  skull  done  before  or  aXer  Tut’s  death?

Supporters  of  NATURAL  CAUSES  might  say:   “The  CT  scan  shows  no  physical  

evidence  of  the  hematoma  that  was  claimed  from  the  1965  X-­‐ray.  In  2005,  nine  different  doctors  examined  this  scan  and  agree  that  the  base  of  the  skull  looks  quite  healthy.”    

Supporters  of  MURDER  might  say:   “King  Tut’s  ul6mate  cause  of  death  is  

s6ll  unclear.  Howard  Carter  describes  how  damaged  the  skull  was  when  he  first  discovered  Tut.  Also,  there  were  several  bone  fragments  inside  the  cranial  cavity  that  cannot  be  accounted  for.”

Exhibit  F:  Tut’s  Mummifica6onMany  unconven6onal  techniques  were  used  on  King  Tut’s  mummy.  Why  was  the  wrapping  done  so  has6ly?  Why  are  the  sternum,  ribs  and  heart  MISSING?  

Supporters  of  NATURAL  CAUSES  might  say:   “Tut’s  tomb  may  have  been  robbed  before.  

Thieves  could  have  stolen  the  ribs  and  sternum;  however  Carter  makes  no  men6on  of  missing  bones  in  his  notes.  Perhaps  these  parts  were  stolen  or  misplaced  aXer  the  mummy  was  removed.”    

Supporters  of  MURDER  might  say:   “According  to  Howard  Carter’s  Diary  from  

November  12th,  the  mummy  wrapping  and  the  embalming  of  Tut’s  body  were  done  has6ly.  We  know  that  Aye  oversaw  the  mummifica6on  because  there  are  pictures  of  him  conduc6ng  the  “opening  of  the  mouth”  ceremony  on  the  walls  of  Tut’s  tomb  (Aye  is  pictured  on  the  right).”  

Exhibit  G:  DNADNA  evidence  has  uncovered  that  Tut  suffered  from  a  severe  form  of  malaria  known  as  ‘Malaria  Tropica’.  Could  a  vicious  bug  bite  kill?  

Supporters  of  NATURAL  CAUSES  might  say:   “Malaria  Tropica  s6ll  kills  over  2  million  people  a  year.  A  

deadly  bug  bite  is  plausible.  Even  if  Tut  didn’t  die  immediately  from  the  mosquito  bite;  he  would  have  certainly  had  a  weakened  immune  system.  Indeed,  malaria  could  have  prevented  his  leg  from  healing  properly.”

Supporters  of  MURDER  might  say:   “Scien6sts  uncovered  more  than  one  strain  of  malaria  

parasite,  which  means  King  Tut  caught  mul6ple  malarial  infec6ons  during  his  life6me.  Essen6ally,  this  means  that  Tut  had  survived  several  bouts  of  malaria  BEFORE  his  death.  Malaria  could  have  easily  weakened  his  immune  system;  however,  it  does  not  mean  a  mosquito  bite  was  the  ul6mate  cause  of  death.”  

SOURCE  STARTERS

• Photo  journal  of  Carter’s  excava6on• List  of  items  found  in  Tut’s  tomb• Howard  Carter’s  Diary  (1922)• Rear  view  of  Tut’s  body  (CT  Scan)• Interac6ve  view  of  Tut’s  Burial  Chamber