Alex Carson
The Chest
The tomb of Tutankhamun, aka King Tut, was discovered and photographed by Howard Carter in 1922. In King Tut’s tomb, they also found a chest that didn’t appear to belong to him. Researchers believed that it belonged to his wife, Ankhesenamun. The reason that they drew this conclusion was that there is a plaque on the chest that identifies it as belonging to King Tut’s queen. The two married when he took over the throne in 1332 B.C. when he was 9-years-old.
Outlived Her Husband
It is believed that the queen outlived King Tut, who died when he was 19 years old. Many wondered why a chest belonging to the queen would be located in King Tut’s tomb. It is believed that she put it there as a keepsake for her husband to cherish in the afterlife. King Tut and the chest weren’t the only things found in the tomb. There were two female mummies there also, and DNA evidence shows that they belonged to King tut’s mother and sister.
Queen Ankhesenpaaten
When the queen was born, she was given the name Ankhesenpaaten. The queen’s mother was Akhenaten, and her mother was Nefertiti. She shared the same father with her husband, but this was not uncommon in ancient Egypt. He married his half-sister, but nobody looked down on it. The couple was expected to produce heirs, and it seems that the queen had two unsuccessful pregnancies. When King Tut’s tomb was discovered, they discovered two mummified fetuses.
DNA Testing
When King Tut’s tomb was first discovered, and they found the fetuses, all they could do was speculate as to who they belonged to. Back in 1922, DNA testing didn’t exist. When DNA testing became available, experts were able to run a DNA test. It turned out that at least one of them was the queen’s child, which meant that King Tut was the father. Experts believe that the fetuses didn’t live because King Tut and his queen were half-siblings. The insect factor could also be the reason that King Tut suffered from poor health, disability, and a short life.
King Tut’s Problems
According to the modern analysis performed on King Tut’s mummy, he had a left club foot. It also suffered from necrosis, which caused the tissue to die. This would have caused him to have trouble walking, which is why they often found walking sticks in his tomb. Modern science also proved that he suffered from malaria and had a cleft palate. At some point, he also suffered a broken leg that never healed properly. He was around five feet, six-inches tall, and he was thin. He had large front teeth and a severe overbite. Today, he would have been considered very unattractive. Despite everything that we know about King Tut, we don’t know the actual cause of his death. The theory is that it was a combination of his fractured leg and malaria.
No Heirs
When King Tut passed, he had no heirs. The children that he did conceive didn’t make it to term. When Ramses I took over, he wanted to eradicate all memories of King Tut. According to Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass, this could be the reason that his tomb remained intact and hidden for so many years.
Howard Carter
As mentioned earlier, Howard Carter was the person who discovered King Tut’s tomb. He was born in London, England, in 1874. He wasn’t a healthy child, which meant that he spent most of his time at home in Swaffham in Norfolk. This gave him a chance to see the Egyptian antiques firsthand. Not far from his family’s house was a collection of Egyptian antiques, and Howard was able to see them often. This is what made him decide to dedicate his life to Egyptology. When he was 17-years-old, he had his first chance. An archaeologist named Percy Newberry was traveling to Egypt for an excavation project, and he needed someone to record his work. He hired Howard. This is what led him to his life’s work, and his discovery of King Tut’s tomb.
Opening the Chest
Fast forward to today, where a broadcasting historian named Bettany Huges opened the box belonging to King Tut’s queen, with Dr. Essa Zidan in attendance. Out of the blue, Bettany asked if she could open the box. She was doing this on camera for the whole world to see. The box had never been opened before, and not in front of cameras. When Bettany asked to open the box, Dr. Zidan stammered a bit and then agreed with reluctance.
Opening the Box
Bettany was shocked when the doctor agreed to let her open the box, but she didn’t hesitate. It was not hinged, so Dr. Zidan and an assistant lifted it carefully. When they looked inside, they were very disappointed. The box was empty. Everyone was disappointed.
Did Dr. Zidan Know?
Many people believe that Dr. Zidan knew that the box was empty and wanted to embarrass Bettany on British TV. Others think that the doctor had no idea. Either way, it was pretty embarrassing for Bettany. Experts opened a mysterious box from Tutankhamun’s tomb and made a startling discovery. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good one.
