Was Tutankhamun murdered, or was the Boy King just an unfortunate victim of pre-modern medicine?
Yeah, it’s fun to think that Tut was murdered, and I wouldn’t rule it out, but I don’t think any of the injuries found on his mummy were inflicted by a murdered. When it comes right down to it, I think many mummifiers were just plan lazy when working with the dead. Missing rib – they probably stole it for some secret ritual. Blow to back of head – they might have dropped his skull or jabbed the hook through too hard when pulling out his brains. The Field Museum in Chicago has a great mummy exhibit, but the most interesting thing about it was the x-ray they’d done of one of the small child mummies. Inside the case, the x-ray showed both legs had been broken so the mummy would fit in the case. That way, even though the case was too small, it could still be used. People are still people, whether they’re embalming the dead or designing chips. What’s it like to hold a scorpion and a spider? And why would you want to? It’s frightening. And exhilarating! And I loved it. My heart was pounding,
