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Egypt: the causes of the death of a pharaoh revealed thanks to his mummy

2021-02-18T10:31:37.112Z


A new study carried out on the mummy of Pharaoh Séqénenrê Taa II has made it possible to determine the causes of his death. He would have been killed in this way


Better late than never.

Egyptian scientists have established the causes of the death of a pharaoh by X-raying his mummy, more than 3,600 years old, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Frontiers of Medicine.

Relying in particular on three-dimensional images, the study carried out by archaeologist Zahi Hawass and the professor of radiology at the University of Cairo-Sahar-Salim, suggests that the pharaoh was killed in a violent manner by his adversaries. during an "execution ceremony", after being taken prisoner on the battlefield, said a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities.

Séqénenrê Taa II, nicknamed "the Courageous", reigned over Egypt almost 1600 years before our era, during the 17th dynasty (from -1625 to -1549).

He notably led the Egyptian troops against the Asian invaders Hyksos, the first foreigners to have conquered the Nile Delta.

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Analysis of weapons (ax, spear and daggers) that belonged to the Hyksos indicated their "compatibility with the wounds" of the mummy and new bruises, until then concealed by the work of the embalmers, have been discovered, added. the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities.

Thanks to the careful study of his bones, scientists estimated that he was "40 years old at the time of his death" and that he was approximately 1.67 m tall.

Several attackers involved?

For decades, researchers have tried to determine the circumstances of the death of this king, whose mummy - discovered at the end of the 19th century and kept in Cairo - bears visible marks of wounds on his face, using as early as the 1960s the medical imaging on his remains.

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According to the new findings, the injuries on the mummy may have been caused by several attackers.

It would seem that the attacker (s) were above the pharaoh, either because they were high up, on a horse for example, or because the victim was sitting or kneeling.

There are several theories about the circumstances of the death of Séqénenrê Taa II.

For some, the pharaoh was killed by the king of Hyksos himself or assassinated in his sleep by conspirators.

Others suggest that the mummy condition in which the mummy is found could indicate that it was hastily embalmed, far from the royal mummification workshop.

The authors of this new study believe that the theory of murder during Pharaoh's sleep is unlikely due to the disposition of the injuries.

Source: leparis

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