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King Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered in 1922, revealing over 5,000 artifacts made of gold and other precious materials. The cause of his death remains unknown, but recent X-rays show a probable fracture of the femur that may have led to an infection or compromised immune system. An exact replica of his tomb was opened in 2014 to protect the original from damage by tourists. Steve Martin’s novelty song “King Tut” was popular in the 1970s.
People of a certain age may remember hearing the novelty song “King Tut” by comedian Steve Martin. Martin was capitalizing on the sudden popularity of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, who ruled Egypt from about 1332 to 1323 BC. Tut’s tomb was discovered in 1922 by a team of archaeologists led by Howard Carter. Over 5,000 artifacts have been discovered, many made of gold and other jewels or precious metals. As the body was mishandled by Carter and his team, fragments of the skull were dislodged, leading to speculation that the 19-year-old King was murdered. The mummy’s most recent X-rays, however, show a probable fracture of the femur. The rupture occurred before Tut’s death and has shown no signs of healing, leading scientists to theorize that a resulting infection may have killed him. Another theory is that his immune system was compromised by the fracture and he caught another disease, such as pneumonia, and died from it. But because the body was mistreated when it was discovered, scientists will likely never know the definitive cause of King Tut’s death.
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In 2014, an exact replica of Tut’s tomb was opened in Luxor, Egypt to help protect the royal tomb in the Valley of the Kings from damage by tourists.
Tutankhamun’s tomb is one of the few to be discovered almost completely intact; most of Egypt’s royal tombs had been looted by grave robbers centuries earlier. The artifacts from King Tut’s tomb have been on display almost constantly since they were discovered in 1922.
Steve Martin’s song “King Tut” peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, but was number one for four weeks on WLS in Chicago while Tut’s show was in town. The record’s backing band is credited as Toot Uncommons (get it?), but they were actually members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
