King Tut was likely killed in a chariot crash

Mike Krumboltz
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King Tut mask (Wiki Commons)

It's been a mystery for nearly a hundred years. Now, the question of how King Tutankhamun died may have finally have been answered.

Easily the most well-known of the Egyptian Pharaohs, King Tut died at the age of 18 or 19 more than 3,000 years ago. But was he killed? Did he die accidentally? Was there some medical issue?

Turns out, it was likely a case of a chariot race gone bad.

Researchers recently had the opportunity to study the body, which was discovered in 1922, and came to two intriguing conclusions.

First, Tut was likely killed in a chariot race when he fell from his ride. Experts, performing a "virtual autopsy" found that Tut's injuries were consistent with someone whose body was smashed by a chariot. His ribs and pelvis were shattered and his heart was crushed.

And second, his body was burned due to a botched mummification and embalming procedure that caused the flesh to spontaneously combust.

Via The Independent:

Researchers discovered that embalming oils combined with oxygen and linen caused a chemical reaction which "cooked" the king's body at temperatures of more than 200C. Dr. Chris Naunton said: "The charring and possibility that a botched mummification led the body spontaneously combusting shortly after burial was entirely unexpected, something of a revelation."

Turns out spontaneous combustion isn't just something that happens to Spinal Tap drummers.