King Tut's Face: Buck-Toothed and Blackened

The host of treasure found when King Tut's tomb was opened in 1922, has made Tutankhamun the best-known pharaoh of ancient Egypt.

"The mystery of his life still eludes us -- the shadows move, but the dark is never quite dispersed," was how Carter described his fascination with the boy king.

Indeed, only a few facts about King Tut's life are known. Tutankhamun (which means "the living image of Amun") ascended the throne in 1333 B.C., at the age of nine, and reigned until his death in 1325 B.C., aged 19.

As the last male in the family, his death ended the 18th dynasty -- probably the greatest of the Egyptian royal families -- and gave way to military rulers.

Speculation about his parentage, his short reign and his early death abounded since his tomb was discovered. Recent, extensive examinations have revealed that he was about 1.70 meters tall (5' 6"), and suffered a badly broken leg, just above his knee just before he died.

"He was not murdered as many people thought. He had an accident when he was hunting in the desert. Falling from a chariot made this fracture in his left leg and this really is in my opinion how he died," Hawass told reporters.

Despite speculation about a series of diseases he might have suffered, the CT scan revealed that King Tut was a healthy young man with no signs of childhood malnutrition or infectious diseases.

Doubts about King Tut's parentage remain. It is unclear if King Tut is the son or a half-brother of Akhenaton, the "heretic" pharaoh who introduced a monotheistic religion by overthrowing the pantheon of the gods to worship the sun god Aton.

Apart from the face, another part of King Tut's body has remained intact.

"The royal penis is still there. It is mummified," Hawass said, dismissing recent rumors that it was stolen by soldiers during the Second World War.

"This is absolutely not true. The penis fell in the sand when we did the CT scan, but we immediately recovered it," Hawass said.

Related Links:

Official Website for Dr. Zahi Hawass

King Tut's Treasures

The Story of King Tut