| "Show us your Tuts!" (sign on the Egypt-themed water table at the Mardi Gras Marathon, New Orleans) |
THE mummy of King Tutankhamun will be examined by a team of experts to determine whether it needs to be moved from its tomb for restoration, Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities decided today. The mummy will also be X-rayed in an attempt to solve the mystery of the teenage Pharaoh's death. "If the mummy is in bad condition ... if we need to restore it, we will move it to Cairo," said Zahi Hawass, Egypt's chief archaeologist. "If it is in good condition we will do it in the tomb."
| Wasn't it in bad condition when it was discovered? |
| Tut was in perfect condition, till Howard Carter dismembered him to get all the gold and jewels off the mummy. |
Previous reports indicated the mummy would be moved to Cairo for X-rays, but Mr Hawass said the X-rays will be taken in the tomb. Mr Hawass said the examination will be completed by the end of the year. If the mummy is removed, it will be the first time in 82 years that Tutankhamun's remains leave the tomb. The mummy, which Mr Hawass said consists of scattered bones, has not left the tomb since the British archaeologist Howard Carter excavated the tomb in 1922.
Opposition to the mummy's possible removal spread this week in the southern city of Luxor, near where the tomb is located, and among some of the country's archaeologists. A Luxor city official, Mohammed Gameel, said moving the mummy would be a "big blow" to tourism in the city. An archaeologist and former Luxor city official also filed a lawsuit to prevent the removal of Tutankhamun's remains. "Religious rules prevent moving the dead bodies outside their tombs," stated the lawsuit, which also demanded that local officials stop "tampering with Egypt's historic sites and ruins". Ahmed Saleh Abdullah, director of the Abu Simbel temple site in southern Egypt, said he opposed the removal of the mummy due to its condition and insisted that more Egyptians be involved in all parts of the examination. "It's very dangerous to move the mummy at the moment," said Mr Abdullah. "We want the Egyptians to do this, we have specialities and machines in Cairo University."
King Tut ruled about 3300 years ago. He ascended to the throne at about age 8 and died around 1323 BC at 17. An X-ray in 1968 showed bone fragments inside the skull, suggesting the young pharoah was killed by a blow to the head. But Mr Hawass has said the X-ray machine "was not sophisticated enough to find out about the damage" to his skull. This year's X-ray will be done with a German CT scan machine donated by Siemens and National Geographic, Mr Hawass said earlier.
| Bone fragments inside the skull isn't a complicated diagnosis. |
| My guess would be that somebody conked him on the nut. Perhaps they should call in Dr. Quincy for a second opinion? |
|