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 The mummy of King Tut's mother is displayed during a news conference by the head of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities to announce DNA results meant to reveal the parentage of Egypt's famed King Tutankhamun at the Egyptian museum in Cairo February 17, 2010.(Agencies) |
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Ancient Egypt's teenage king Tutankhamun was born of an incestuous marriage, scientists said on Wednesday, helping to explain why he limped on a club foot and suffered other deformities and genetic defects. Research including tests on the pharaoh's mummy, discovered in 1922 in the Valley of Kings, showed that his parents had been siblings and he had only paternal grandparents. Incestuous alliances were common among Egypt's royalty, said renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass. "A king could marry his sister and his daughter because he is a god, like Iris and Osiris, and this was a habit only among kings and queens," Hawass told a news conference at Cairo's Egyptian Museum. There has long been speculation about the fate of the king, who died sometime around 1324 BC, probably aged 19. The scientists were presenting more details of DNA tests and CT scans conducted on Tutankhamun and 15 other mummies between 2007 and 2009. On Tuesday, they revealed that he had had malaria, a cleft palate and a genetic bone disease. "This 21st century medical science allows for a more exact reconstruction of history," Albert Zink, a German member of the research team, told the reporters. Scientists have identified Akhenaten, the "heretic" king who introduced monotheism to ancient Egypt, as Tutankhamun's father. Akhenaten first married Nefertiti, who was renowned for her great beauty, but had no sons so he then married his sister in an effort to have a son. Hawass said it would take several months to reveal more details about the identity of the Tutankhamun's mother. Scientists are also looking for the mummy of queen Nefertiti but they have identified Ankhsenamun as Tutankhamun's wife. Two fetuses found in Tutankhamun's tomb, which was full of treasure, were identified as his offspring. Depictions of Akhenaten with a bizarre feminine physique were due to the belief that god represented by the pharaoh was androgynous. "The artists used a poem Akhenaton wrote to god saying 'you are the man ... you are the woman' as a model for depicting fertility and the source of life," Hawass said. He ruled out speculation that Tutankhamun and his father suffered from "Marfan syndrome" and another condition that could have led to enlarged breasts. 點擊查看更多雙語新聞
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科學家于本周三稱，古埃及少年法老圖坦卡蒙的父母為直系血親聯姻，這有助于解釋為什么圖坦卡蒙患有畸形足，以及其它身體畸形和基因缺陷。 對圖坦卡蒙法老的木乃伊進行的檢測等研究表明，他的父母是同父同母的親兄妹。1922年，人們在金斯河谷發現了圖坦卡蒙的木乃伊。 著名埃及古物學者扎西?哈瓦斯稱，在埃及王室中，近親聯姻非常普遍。他在位于開羅的埃及博物館舉行的一次記者招待會上說：“就像伊里斯（古埃及神話中的生命女神）和歐西里斯（古埃及神話中的冥王）一樣，法老可以迎娶自己的姐妹和女兒，因為他被尊為神。這種習慣只存在于法老和王后之中。” 關于圖坦卡蒙法老的命運一直有很多猜測。他在大約公元前1324年去世，逝時大概只有19歲。 科學家在2007年至2009年間對圖坦卡蒙和另外15人的木乃伊進行了DNA檢測和CT掃描，并提供了更多研究細節。研究人員于本周二稱，圖坦卡蒙曾患有瘧疾、腭裂，以及遺傳性骨病。 研究小組成員、德國科研人員阿爾伯特?辛克告訴記者：“21世紀的醫學科學使人們可以更精確地追溯歷史。” 科學家認定，圖坦卡蒙的父親就是被稱為“異教徒”的埃赫那頓法老。埃赫那頓將一神論引入了古埃及。 埃赫那頓首先迎娶了以驚世美貌著稱的納芙蒂蒂，但兩人沒有子嗣。為傳宗接代，他又娶了自己的親姐妹。 哈瓦斯稱，還需要進行數月的研究才能揭開圖坦卡蒙母親身份的更多謎團。 科學家還在尋找納芙蒂蒂王后的木乃伊，但他們已經認定安卡珊娜曼是圖坦卡蒙的妻子。科學家在圖坦卡蒙遍布財寶的墓葬中還發現了兩個嬰兒的木乃伊，經認定是他的子女。 據描述，埃赫那頓具有奇異的女性特征，這源于法老代表的神兼具兩性特征這一信仰。哈瓦斯說：“藝術家引用埃赫那頓致神的一封信為例，來描繪繁衍和生命之源，信中說‘你既是一位男性，也是一位女性’。” 他排除了有關圖坦卡蒙和他的父親患有“馬凡氏綜合癥”，以及另外一種可使胸部更豐滿的病癥的猜想。 相關閱讀 （中國日報網英語點津 Julie） |
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Vocabulary: incestuous：of, involving, or suggestive of incest（血親的，亂倫的） deformity：an abnormally formed part of the body（身體的畸形） mummy：the dead body of a human being or animal preserved by the ancient Egyptian process or some similar method of embalming（木乃伊） heretic：anyone who does not conform to an established attitude, doctrine, or principle（異教徒，離經叛道者） androgynous：being both male and female; hermaphroditic（雌雄同體的，兼具兩性特征的） |
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