A disturbing history of incest, a multitude of injuries, and two mysterious deaths.
King Tut's tomb contains some very disturbing clues about his children.
The ancient pharaohs of Egypt lived fascinating lives, and their legacies have captivated the
masses for centuries. Of course, Egyptian tombs were meticulously crafted and
majestically preserved, and the tomb of young King Tut is perhaps the most alluring of all.
In it lies a wealth of antiquated objects, and a disturbing truth about his children.
Per World Atlas, of all the tombs erected in the ancient Egyptian era, King Tut's was the least
robbed, making it the best-preserved example of the era discovered by archaeologists. His
tomb was excavated in the Valley of the Kings more than a century ago. Inside,
archaeologists found 5,000 awe-inspiring objects ranging from golden chariots and coffins to
elegant pieces of jewelry and clothing. It also contained the infamous gold death mask. These
findings unlocked the secret world of ancient burial processes, and even revealed how kings
were mummified, a process that involved the removal of the brain and digestive tract.
But the discoveries also revealed an even darker truth about the children of the late King Tut.
At the time of the tomb's discovery in the Valley of the Kings, excavators discovered
two tiny wooden boxes containing gilded coffins among the antiquated relics in the tomb. Autopsies
which were reportedly conducted in 1925 and 1932 concluded that each coffin contained a stillborn
child. Archeologists long speculated that the two tiny coffins contained the mummified remains
of King Tutankhamun's daughters. According to the Daily Express, many believed their burial
and mummification was part of a ritualistic process, and the daughters had been positioned
as guardians for their father against demons he might encounter in the afterlife.
High infant mortality rates made stillborn births rather commonplace in the ancient world. However,
the fact that these two tiny skeletons were meticulously mummified and placed alongside the
king made their presence special, to the point of being spiritual. Later, testing confirmed
that they were indeed the stillborn daughters of the 19-year-old king, and that's not all.
Radiographic imagery suggests that the larger coffin belonged to a nearly
full-term baby whose gestational age could have been as old as 37 weeks. The smaller
skeleton is believed to have exhibited a gestational age of 25 weeks. Sadly,
this imagery also revealed that both mummies showed congenital abnormalities.
It also revealed cranial fractures and malformities that typically
come as a result of incestual relations between closely related family members.
Defects were observed along the feet, arms, and spine of the larger mummy,
including a dislocated clavicle and displaced shoulder on the left side.
Initially, researchers wondered whether these fractures and malformities were
sustained post-mortem, or if they had been the reason for the stillbirths. However,
according to Promega Connections, the 1978 assumption that these babies were stillborn
due to skeletal abnormalities is scientifically unfounded.
It's true that Egypt's ruling class exhibited an elongated history of incest that translated to
genetic disorders. But forensic investigations showed that these two fetuses likely incurred
their skeletal abnormalities after the mummification process had already taken
place. While science has mostly ruled out incest as the cause for these stillbirths,
the reason the babies did not fully develop remains an enduring mystery.
Meanwhile, DNA analysis of the late King Tut also proved that he was the product
of an incestual relationship, per History. Unlike the bodies of his stillborn children,
which sustained mainly post-mortem injuries, King Tut was born with
a myriad of skeletal abnormalities that suggest his parents were closely related.
According to Promega Connections, the feeble ruling Pharaoh Tut was often portrayed as
sitting while engaged in activities during which most people would have stood. Forensic
exams confirmed that this was likely because Tut had a clubfoot in addition to a cleft palate
and multiple bone abnormalities and diseases that affected him as a child and young adult.
“Comprehensive genetic testing has proved, Tut's parents were brother and sister."
Since then, some scientists have expressed opposition, claiming the king's malformities
took place after three successive generations of first cousins married and mated. Regardless
of which theory is correct, the fact remains that there was significant inbreeding taking
place amongst the ruling Egyptian leaders, much to the detriment of their offspring.