The Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses III, whose death has puzzled historians for centuries, had his throat slit in a succession plot concocted by his wife and son, a new analysis suggests.
New CT scans have revealed a deep and wide cut that was hidden by the bandages of the mummified king
New CT scans have revealed a deep and wide cut that was hidden by the bandages covering the throat of the mummified king, which could not be removed in the interests of preservation, researchers said on Tuesday.
“Finally, with this study, we have solved an important mystery in the history of ancient Egypt,” said Albert Zink, a paleopathologist at the Institute for Mummies and the Iceman in Italy, which led the investigations.
During the study at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, researchers also discovered a small amulet that was inserted into the king’s wound – which Zink said was probably placed there by embalmers hoping it would heal the cut in the afterlife.
Ramses III, often referred to as the last great pharaoh, reigned over Egypt from roughly 1186 to 1155 BC. The exact cause of his death has been fiercely debated by historians.
Papyrus documents at the Egyptian Museum in Turin describe a conspiracy by Tiye, one of his wives, to kill the pharaoh so that her son Pentawere could succeed to the throne.
They suggest the conspiracy failed and all the people involved were punished.
During the latest investigations, a genetic study of a previously unidentified mummy that was found in the same burial chamber as Ramses III revealed it to be a relative, possibly Pentawere. The study showed he was probably hanged.
“Furthermore, he was not embalmed in a normal way. They had not removed his organs and he was wrapped in a goat skin, something considered impure in ancient Egypt,” Zink said.
Pentawere may have been forced to kill himself as a punishment for the conspiracy, Zink said.
Egypt’s last hero
Ramses III was the second ruler of the 20th dynasty and was certainly the last native Egyptian to sit on the throne of Egypt.
He worked hard at establishing more law and order than other pharaohs. Despite his efforts, his reign was marked by strife in several forms. Egypt was attacked twice during the first five years of his reign. Both times, however, he was able to mobilise enough forces to push the invaders back. Following his death, several other rules were also called Ramses.
Historians and biblical experts have been unable to determine exactly which one of the Ramses and the plagues are associated with one another. Some historians contend that infamous pharaoh mentioned in the plagues of the Bible was Ramses II, while others believe it must have been Ramses III and still others think it might have been the son of Ramses II, Menataph.
The assassination attempt of Ramses III seemed to mark the beginning of a period of unrest in Egypt that would not end until the Roman Empire took control of the once mighty nation.