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Tutankhamun’s parents identified
DNA analysis sheds light on the lineage of the world-famous mummy from the Valley of the Kings in Egypt
Bolzano/Tübingen, February 17th 2010
For the best part of a century King Tutankhamun has been a source of fascination for experts and history lovers alike. His tomb was discovered, more-or-less intact, in 1922, since when he has become the most famous pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Until now, we have remained ignorant about the family of this king who died at the very young age of 19. Who exactly were his parents? A team of researchers from Germany, South Tyrol and Egypt have now found the answer to this question which has long puzzled Egyptologists.
Albert Zink, anthropologist at the European Academy of Bozen/ Bolzano (EURAC), together with Carsten Pusch, human geneticist at Tübingen University (Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen), headed a team of scientists who spent two years, using the most up-to-date methods and techniques, examining the genetic make-up of 16 mummies in a DNA laboratory in Cairo which had been specifically set up for the purpose. And now, at last, they have their answer: Tutankhamun’s father turns out to be the famous pharaoh Akhenaten whose mummified body was discovered in tomb KV55 in the Valley of the Kings. The mummy of the so-called “Younger Lady”, which was found in the company of a further, older female mummy in tomb KV35, appears to be his mother. The researchers are still examining whether the “Younger Lady” might indeed turn out to be the world famous Nefertiti.
A pioneering project, led by Zahi Hawass, Head of the “Supreme Council of Antiquities” in Cairo and financed by the Discovery Channel, has enabled scientists to make these unique discoveries. This was the very first time that scientists were able to carry out extensive genetic, forensic and radiological examinations on Tutankhamun and 15 further mummies from the New Kingdom. “With this project, we have opened up a completely new dimension in molecular and medical Egyptology”, explained Albert Zink, Head of the Institute for Mummies and the Iceman at the European Academy in Bolzano, the first of its kind in the world.
In September 2007, the team of ten researchers began work on eleven mummies from the family of Tutankhamun as well as five further unrelated ones, by extracting bone tissue samples. It took the scientists two years to obtain the DNA and to compile the genetic fingerprints of the sixteen mummies. “We repeated our analyses several times and replicated them independently in a second laboratory”, explained Carsten Pusch, who teaches at the Institute of Anthropology and Human Genetics at Tübingen University. “We did this in order to exclude any possible contamination, any mixing with modern DNA”. For this reason, the DNA profile of all team members was regularly compared with that of the pharaohs. The scientists were surprised by how well, comparatively speaking, the ancient DNA had been preserved, and the special embalming techniques reserved for kings may well have caused this phenomenon.
The results they obtained are groundbreaking. By examining the genetic fingerprints they were able to trace back Tutankhamun’s family tree over five generations. In addition, they made considerable progress towards establishing the cause of death of the famous pharaoh. They were able to diagnose several illnesses with the help of radiologist Paul Gostner from Bolzano. The young pharaoh suffered, amongst other things, from osteonecrosis in his left foot, which would have reduced the blood supply and ultimately led to bone resorption. This illness alone would certainly not have brought about his death. It would, however, have greatly reduced his mobility, according to Albert Zink, thus explaining the considerable number of walking sticks that were found in his tomb.
A second disease which the scientists were able to ascertain, proved more life-threatening. Carsten Pusch explains it like this: “Tutankhamun appears to have suffered from the most severe kind of malaria, malaria tropica. This affliction, combined with the bone necrosis, may well have brought about his demise.” Various plant samples found in his tomb support the malaria diagnosis. Some of these plants are still known today for their fever- and pain-reducing properties.
“It was our good fortune to be able to carry out these unique experiments which have enabled us to solve the hundred year old mystery surrounding the lineage of the world famous pharaoh Tutankhamen”, conclude the two researchers Albert Zink and Carsten Pusch, who specialise in the study of Egyptian mummies. “And we shall continue our research: Nefertiti will be our next project. We have moved our research onto a new and so far unexplored level!”
The two scientists have written up their discoveries and are making them available in one of the best known and most widely respected medical publications, the “Journal of the American Medical Association” (JAMA). The article is to appear on February 17th 2010.
Tutankhamun's parents identified
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