14 DAY TRIAL // Experts argue for decades about Tutankhamun's cause of death. The pharaoh died at only 19 years and he was a minor leader. His fame was due to the fact that his tomb is the only royal tomb that has survived for millennia without being looted.
The first real clues about the cause of his death were found last year when Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass revealed the results of a CT scan performed on the pharaoh's mummy. A CT scan (computed tomography scan), originally known as computed axial tomography (CAT), is a medical imaging method that reconstructs a three-dimensional image of the internals of an object from a large series of two-dimensional X-ray images taken around a single axis of rotation. A CT scan is a nondestructive method of imaging.
The CT scan on Tutankhamun showed that the most likely cause of death was a swift attack of gangrene after breaking his left leg. The fracture in Tutankhamun's leg probably occurred only few days before his death. The Egyptian scientists had not found any evidence that he had been struck in the head, as had been previously speculated. Basically, their conclusion was that has died as a result of an accident.
However, researchers from Italy's Bolzano University now say they believe the infection was not caused by an accident but by a sword cut. An Italian newspaper said Egypt's archaeological chief Zahi Hawass was awaiting a final report before making an announcement. Zahi Hawass made his initial assessment of Tutankhamun's death after consultations with Italian and Swiss experts.