Episode #210 – Who Killed King Tut? (Part I)

King Tutankhamun may be the best known Egyptian Pharaoh. The discovery of his tomb in 1922 created a wave of “Tut-mania” that has made him a fixture of pop-culture ever since. But even though his treasures are among the most visited museum objects in history, the details of his life remain obscure. This may be because King Tut’s successors actively tried to erase him from history. Why was this young monarch’s name omitted from the official Kings List and carved out of monuments? Is this all just the fallout of an elaborate murder plot and a coup for the Egyptian throne? Tutankhamun lived through one of the most tumultuous periods in Egyptian history, so why was he written out of the official story? Tune-in and find out how Britain’s most dangerous driver, a mummy’s curse, and Steve Martin all play a role in the story.

A Small Selection of Art from the Amarna Period

The famous bust of Nefertiti

Works Cited

Brier, Bob. Tutankhamun and the Tomb That Changed the World. 1st ed., Oxford University Press, 2022

Brier, Bob. “The History of Ancient Egypt.” The Great Courses. The Learning Company, Audible, 2013.  

Carter, Howard. The Tomb of Tutankhamen. Barrie & Jenkins, 1972.

Eaton-Krauss, Marianne. The Unknown Tutankhamun. Bloomsbury Academic, 2016.

Hawass, Zahi A. Discovering Tutankhamun : From Howard Carter to DNA. The American University in Cairo Press, 2013.

Luckhurst, Roger. The Mummy’s Curse : The True History of a Dark Fantasy. Oxford University Press, 2012.


Tyldesley, Joyce A. Tutankhamen’s Curse : The Developing History of an Egyptian King. Profile, 2012.