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In the story found here, scientists now believe that King Tutankhamun may have died from a sporting injury.

But precision scans of the king's left thigh revealed extensive details of a high-impact fracture above the left knee. The kneecap was badly twisted to the outside of the leg, and the wound was open to the outside world, where it was vulnerable to infection. What is believed to be the remnants of embalming fluid had deeply penetrated the fracture, suggesting the injury was sustained in the king's lifetime and not inflicted during the original excavation.

Paleoanthropologist Frank Ruhli believes that the fracture of a major bone may have led to a rupture of a major blood vessel. That, along with the fact that the boy king became infected due to his open-air wound, the possibility of a riding accident becoming plausible.

posted by Mitch  # 3:03 PM