Study: Inbred King Tut had malaria

Egypt's most famous pharaoh, King Tutankhamun, was a frail boy who suffered from a cleft palate and club foot. He died of complications from a broken leg exacerbated by malaria and his parents were most likely brother and sister. Two years of DNA testing and CT scans on Tutankhamun's 3,300-year-old mummy and 15 others are helping to end many of the myths surrounding the boy king. While a comparatively minor ruler, he has captivated the public since the 1922 discovery of his tomb, which was filled with a stunning array of jewels and artefacts, including a golden funeral mask. The study - carried out by the team at the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Cairo, and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) - provides the firmest family tree yet for Tutankhamun. The tests pointed to Pharaoh Akhenaten, who tried to revolutionise ancient Egyptian religion to worship one god, as Tutankhamun's father. His mother was one of Akhenaten's sisters, it said. The Independent: Tutankhamun: now we know who the mummy's mummy was. Secrets of Egyptian boy king's lineage and cause of death unearthed. Daily Mail: Unmasked: The real faces of the crippled King Tutankhamun (who walked with a cane) and his incestuous parents.