Tut’s Death and Burial

After a brief, nine-year reign, the boy king passed away unexpectedly before reaching his twentieth birthday. The cause of Tutankhamun’s death remains uncertain. A 1968 x-ray seemed to show damage to the base of the skull, perhaps due to a blow to the head, but CT scans have disproved that theory.

Recent examination showed a compound fracture of the left thigh. If Tutankhamun sustained such an injury, he could have quickly died of infection, but the soft tissue is too damaged to provide conclusive proof. Whatever the cause of death, Tut’s advisors quickly saw to his funeral arrangements.

To learn more about recent medical studies of Tutankhamun, skip to Tut’s Mummy.

Beliefs about Death
The Egyptians believed that at the moment of death, the ba and ka—two parts of the person’s total identity—separated from the body:

The ka was the life force, perhaps the most crucial part of a person’s identity. In order to function in the afterlife, the ka needed food, drink, incense, clothing and perpetual ritual care.

The ba can be understood as the soul or personality. Represented as a bird with a human head, it could leave the tomb and affect the lives of loved ones left behind on earth.

It was only through the properly mummified body and well-executed funerary rites that the ba, ka, and body could be reunited, allowing the deceased to become an akh, an effective and blessed spirit that could dwell in peace for eternity.

Continue to Tut’s Mummification. >>