Tutankhamen was the boy-king of Ancient Egypt. Arguably the most well-known of all of the Pharaohs, his funerary death mask of gold is immediately recognizable. He is most well-known to modern society due to the discovery of his mortal remains, mummified and entombed, by English Egyptologist Howard Carter in 1922.

Born in 1341 B.C., Tutankhamen’s reign was short; his death date is thought to be when he was aged around 18 years. Archaeologists and historians alike have debated the cause of the young king’s death since the discovery of his tomb. Given that he died thousands of years ago, no-one can ever truly know. Yet, a few strong theories have been put forward over the years.

The most probable theory is that Tutankhamen died after falling from a moving chariot; this was surmised when in 1968 radiographs of the mummified remains revealed that the boy had a fractured skull and a broken leg. Further to this theory, it has been asserted that the boy may have developed septicaemia as a result of these injuries, and died of blood poisoning.

Another theory put forward by historians is that he was murdered – poisoned by his half-sister (to whom he was married but had no heirs with) and a general in the Egyptian army, to seize power for themselves. This theory is more speculative than the theory of the boy pharaoh succumbing to his injuries from a chariot accident.

We will never truly know how Tutankhamen died. All we can do it take an educated guess. The most plausible theory as to why ‘King Tut’ died at such a young age is because of head trauma sustained in an accident, and possible blood poisoning that arose in the aftermath.