The golden iconic image of King Tutankhamen suffered a blow recently thanks to science! Never happy to leave well enough alone, researchers conducted a virtual autopsy on the boy king. The result of the exhaustive study reveals that King Tutankhamen suffered a variety of health maladies because (drum-roll please) his parents were brother and sister! Like many royals who should have known better thousands of years later, ancient Egyptians believed incest kept bloodlines pure, while not understanding the serious genetic implications of intermarrying.
Those who prepared the pharaoh for the afterlife, didn’t foresee a time when nosy scientists, armed with technology would literally see through the facade they had painted of a handsome young king who lived fast, died young (reportedly while chariot racing) and left behind a splendid golden image. The virtual autopsy performed with genetic anualysis and computer scans,smashes the image of the dashing, handsome king to smithereens. In truth, Tutankhamen had a club foot, feminine, pear-shaped hips, and a pronounced overbite. That’s not all. The young king also developed a rare genetic disorder called Kohler’s disease that results in loss of blood to the bones in the foot, and is likely to be passed down if two first-degree relatives produce children.
Scientists have also shot down the image of the boy king as a devil-may-care, chariot racer who either died as a result of a crash or murderous intrigue. The king who lived with constant pain, had to sit down to shoot a bow and arrow, and owned 130 walking sticks was an enthusiastic fan of chariot racing, but it’s very unlikely that he could have participated in the sport, although he would have been a big fan of the Rascal Scooter, from all indications.
Tut’s life was tragic, but to see the ultimate end of single minded breeding, check out the Hapsburg Dynasty of Spain. Charles II is said to have been one of the most inbred people who ever lived. Remember, paintings of Charles are meant to be flattering, so the mind boggles at the reality of his visage. To top things off, he suffered from two inherited disorders which prevented him from fathering an heir. This resulted in the end of the Hapsburg dynasty