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Malaria - a King’s Disease Thirty-four centuries ago, when preparing the body of the 20-year old Egyptian king for the afterlife, the embalmers probably could not imagine the later worldwide interest and curiosity in this young royal - a life after death that has been in the spotlight since 1922. Much speculation and research has centered King Tutankhamun’s death. Archaeology Magazine reports that, “new evidence of Tutankhamun’s reign has emerged that shows he was much more active than was thought, and may have led military campaigns against the Syrians and Nubians before he died,” as exemplified to the left where Archaeology Magazine shows Tutankhamun as a sphinx, trampling Egypt’s traditional foes, a Syrian or Asiatic and a Nubian (picture by Araldo De Luca). “The recent reexamination of Tutankhamun’s body suggests that his death was the result of an accident that injured his leg, leading to a fatal infection.” Coinciding with this report is publication of medical evidence that King Tut’s death may have been more complicated. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that for the past two years “royal mummies underwent detailed anthropological, radiological, and genetic studies as part of the King Tutankhamun Family Project.” Hawass and colleagues found that … These results suggest avascular bone necrosis in conjunction with the malarial infection as the most likely cause of death in Tutankhamun. Walking impairment and malarial disease sustained by Tutankhamun is supported by the discovery of canes and an afterlife pharmacy in his tomb.