Weak Bones and Malaria Could Have Contributed to the Death of Tutankhamen

Tutankhamen was an obscure and short-lived pharaoh who lived at the end of Ancient Egypt's glittering 18th dynasty.  If it was not for the fact that his tomb was discovered in the Valley of the Kings in 1922 still intact and bursting with wonderful golden treasures, Tutankhamen's name would have probably have remained as an obscure subnote in history; known only to a handful of learned Egyptologists.

However, since Tutankhamen's tomb was discovered and its contents revealed to the world, more has probably been written about the boy king than any other pharaoh in Ancient Egypt's long history.  Although a lot of information has been gleaned from the study of the tomb and the ancient objects found there, one piece of information has remained elusive and caused a lot of speculation and controversy over the years.  Exactly how did the young pharaoh Tutankhamen die?

Scientists in Egypt have spent the last two years in a detailed examination of the pharaoh's mummy, and have concluded that Tutankhamen probably suffered from malaria, a rare inherited bone disease of the foot called Kohler disease II, a club foot and a curvature of the spine.  Shortly before his death Tutankhamen suffered a fracture to his leg, possibly from a fall, which did not heal properly.  This fracture combined with a bout of malaria could have what led to his death.

The Valley of the Kings