King Tut news

If you haven't seen it elsewhere already, there is a new forensic reconstruction of how Tutankhamun looked in life. Interesting anecdote in the NY Times:

. . . three independent teams of artists and scholars, one French, one American and one Egyptian, have used the CT images to reconstruct Tut's face, which Dr. Hawass said was the best preserved part of the mummy. The French and Egyptian teams were told the subject was Tutankhamen; the American team was working blind.

The teams essentially agreed on the proportions of the skull, the basic shape of the face and the size and setting of the eyes. They differed on the shape of the nose and ears, which have not held up well. The American and French versions showed a weak chin, while the Egyptians gave Tut a stronger one.

Dr. Hawass said the Egyptian team's version "looks the most Egyptian."

Meanwhile, Discovery News makes it sound as if Tut died (at least in part) from plastic surgery gone wrong:

Egyptian scientists have finally lifted the veil of mystery surrounding famed pharaoh Tutankhamun's death, saying he died of a swift attack of gangrene after breaking his leg, and reconstructing his face.

Posted by David on May 12, 2005 6:04 PM