A new theory emerges about the mysterious death of Tutankhamen

Tutankhamen’s mysterious death as a teenager may finally have been explained. The condition that cut short the Egyptian ruler’s life may also have triggered the earliest monotheistic religion, suggests a new review of his family history.

Since his lavishly furnished, nearly intact tomb was discovered in 1922, the cause of Tutankhamen’s death more than 3,000 years ago has been at the center of intense debate. There have been theories of murder, leprosy, tuberculosis, malaria, sickle-cell anemia, a snake bite — even the suggestion that the young king died after a fall from his chariot.

But all of these theories have missed one vital point, says Hutan Ashrafian, a surgeon with an interest in medical history at Imperial College London. Tutankhamen died young with a feminized physique, and so did his immediate predecessors.

Paintings and sculptures show that Smenkhkare, a pharaoh who may have been Tutankhamun’s uncle or older brother, and Akhenaten, thought to have been the boy king’s father, both had feminized figures, with unusually large breasts and wide hips. Two pharaohs who came before Akhenaten — Amenhotep III and Tuthmosis IV — seem to have had similar physiques. All of these kings died young and mysteriously, says Ashrafian. “There are so many theories, but they’ve focused on each pharaoh individually.”

Ashrafian found that each pharaoh died at a slightly younger age than his predecessor, which suggests an inherited disorder, he says. Historical accounts associated with the individuals hint at what that disorder may have been.

“It’s significant that two [of the five related pharaohs] had stories of religious visions associated with them,” says Ashrafian. People with a form of epilepsy in which seizures begin in the brain’s temporal lobe are known to experience hallucinations and religious visions, particularly after exposure to sunlight. It’s likely that the family of pharaohs had a heritable form of temporal lobe epilepsy, he says.

This diagnosis would also account for the feminine features. The temporal lobe is connected to parts of the brain involved in the release of hormones, and epileptic seizures are known to alter the levels of hormones involved in sexual development. This might explain the development of the pharaohs’ large breasts. A seizure might also be to blame for Tutankhamen’s fractured leg, says Ashrafian.

Tuthmosis IV had a religious experience in the middle of a sunny day, recorded in the Dream Stele, an inscription near the Great Sphinx in Giza. But his visions were nothing compared with those experienced by Akhenaten. They encouraged Akhenaten to raise the status of a minor deity called the “sun-disk,” or Aten, into a supreme god — abandoning the ancient Egyptian polytheistic traditions to start what is thought to be the earliest recorded monotheistic religion. If Ashrafian’s theory is correct, Akhenaten’s religious experiment and Tutankhamen’s premature death may both have been a consequence of a medical condition.

“People with temporal lobe epilepsy who are exposed to sunlight get the same sort of stimulation to the mind and religious zeal,” says Ashrafian.
“It’s a fascinating and plausible explanation,” says Howard Markel, a medical historian at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. However, the theory is almost impossible to prove, he adds, given that there is no definitive genetic test for epilepsy.
Orrin Devinsky, a neurologist at New York University’s Langone Medical Center, says the theory must remain speculative.

“The exact timing of Akhenaten’s religious conviction is not so clearly documented, and most cases of sudden religious conversion are not due to epilepsy,” he says. “Monotheism could be related to epilepsy, or bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia, or drug intoxication from a fungus — but this paper does not sway me to any of these options.”

Markel agrees: “Do we know that a seizure led to monotheism? It’s a nice idea, but we don’t know,” he says. “It’s a very interesting hypothesis, but it’s just that — there’s no definite proof.”

The Re-Opening of the Nile

The Re-Opening of the Nile

After 15 years of wasting most of our Nile banks scenery away, the government apparently realized at last that there is more to the Nile than Luxor and Aswan. So they finally reintroduced longer Nile cruises which had been stopped since 1997 to allow only for cruises between Luxor and Aswan.
Better late than never, but still, 15 years? I am sure someone, at some point, told people in the Ministry of Tourism that the Nile went a little beyond Luxor and Aswan lines.
So, in response to the groundbreaking discovery of the unchartered Nile banks’ potential in tourism, Fayza Abou El Naga, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, has announced the new initiative. Abou El Naga, along with Prime Minister Kamal El Ganzoury and Minister of Tourism Mounir Fakhry Abd El Nour, have told the press yesterday that in response to the importance of Nile river activities, Nile cruises to Upper Egypt will be re-introduced by May.

Abd El Nour told the press that this initiative aims to promote local and international tourism. It would also revive the economy of Upper Egyptian cities where handmade traditional goods are abundant and would be attractive for tourists.
The docks at Beni Suef, Minya, Souhag and Assiut had already been prepared for the expected cruises beginning next month.

It’s all well and good, you know, provided we can actually guarantee tourists won’t be held up at Essna in their boats for three days waiting for a strike to end. it would also do our economy wonders if the security situation is finally resolved and we can guarantee that the Nile cruise will not involve a friendly kidnapping here and there. et

Travel Loving Luxor

 Travel Loving Luxor

As a promising future dawns, take a break to stroll through the nation’s past By Glen Johnson

 As Egypt enters a new phase of its history, there may be no better time to catch up with the past. Luxor, surely one of the world’s greatest travel destinations, is the perfect place to refresh your knowledge of Ancient Egypt.

Sitting along the Nile and featuring numerous temples, tombs, obelisks and statues, Luxor provides the perfect historical getaway, packing enough jaw-dropping sights to make the trip — either a quick weekend trip or longer full-week exploration — perfect for any itinerary.
The ancient ruins of Karnak and Luxor — built in worship of a variety of gods, including the vulture-headed goddess Mut — are must-sees. The largest ancient temple in the world, the religious complex known as Karnak was built over a period of 1,300 years from the sixteenth century BC and is truly awe-inspiring. Similarly, Luxor Temple features the ruins of a former church as well as a mosque associated with a Sufi sheikh.

 Luxor Museum, overlooking the west bank of the Nile, is an excellent building: uncluttered, well-ordered and with clearly labeled artifacts including the statue of Hathor, an Ancient Egyptian goddess of love, beauty, music, motherhood and joy. A separate wing houses two royal mummies, which you can view without buying a separate ticket — unlike the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. 

Just down the Corniche, the Mummification Museum houses the preserved remains of many animals and offers an easy-to-follow explanation of Ancient Egyptian funerary practices. 

The warren of Pharaonic tombs and temples on Luxor’s West Bank are always worth exploring for their monumental sculpture and brilliant wall paintings. One of the newer attractions on the West Bank is Howard Carter’s house, which has been turned into a museum showcasing the life of the archeologist who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun and unleashed the age of Egyptomania.
If you want a workout with your sightseeing, bicycles can be rented on the West Bank. 

Early risers can get a bird’s eye view of the West Bank with a hot air balloon ride, which starts around sunrise. Magic Horizons and SindBad Hot Air Balloons offer hot air balloon trips over Luxor’s historic sites, including the Valley of the Kings. Both companies provide transport and flights depart early morning, when light is most favorable. Flights last between 30 and 50 minutes, depending on the weather. Taking in the sites of Luxor from the aerial perspective comes highly recommended while presenting an excellent photo-op. For Magic Horizons call +2 095 227 4060 and for SindBad call +2 095 227 2960.

An evening stroll along the Corniche or a felucca ride is a great way to unwind at the end of a day.
Tourism is Luxor’s bread and butter, but the real workhorse of the city is, well, the workhorse. From the horses that draw the caleches along the Corniche to the donkeys used by local farmers and informal vendors, work animals are a key part of the local economy. Show your support with a visit and a donation to the Animal Care Centre, a non-profit organization working to improve the health of the city’s many donkeys and other animals, by tending to the animals’ sores and providing food, water and a much-needed wash. Find out more about how you can help at www.ace-egypt.org.uk. Et
 

Upper Egypt at a Glance

 
 When to go? Upper Egypt is warm throughout the year, but it is best enjoyed in the fall, spring and winter as summers are particularly hot. 
 Must see: Great Temple of Ramses II in Abu Simbel is carved out of a mountain and dedicated to Ramses II and gods Ra, Amun and Ptah.
 Must eat: Wika, a stewed okra dish made with extra-long okra pods with a side of shamsi (sun) bread, which the locals let rise in the sun and bake in ovens made of Nile clay. 
  Must buy: Luxor is famous for alabaster crafts such as pots and vases, while Aswan is noted for beads and spices