Researchers Hope DNA Tests Will Answer Questions About King Tut
The Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities on Wednesday announced it would conduct DNA tests on two famed mummies to try to solve the centuries-old mystery of whether Egypt’s King Tut was truly the rightful blood heir of ruling pharaohs. Comparing Tut’s ancient DNA with that of Amenhotep IV, better known as Akhenaten, the pharaoh traditionally held to be his father, should answer the question of whether the boy king really was of royal stock, said the council head, Gaballah Ali Gaballah. Many Egyptologists question whether Akhenaten fathered Tut.
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--Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II
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