Ramses III Throat Slit: New Evidence Suggests The Egyptian Pharaoh Was Killed By Wife and Son

New research has revealed that Ramses III, the pharaoh who ruled Egypt in the 12^th century B.C. may have died by the hands of someone else slitting his throat. The circumstances around Ramses' death have always been unclear, however, it was documented on ancient papyrus that he had a wife who intended to kill him so their son could take the throne, reported The New York Times.

Researchers used CT scans of Ramses' mummy to identify that his throat was slit. "The big cut is in his throat and it was very deep and large," said Albert Zink, an anthropologist at the European Academy to The NY Times. "It would have killed him immediately."

There was also an amulet in his cut throat called the Eye of Horus which was used to restore strength and guard against accidents. "This was most probably done by the ancient embalmers," Zink said to The NY Times. "They tried to heal his wound for his afterlife."

"Further evidence of an assassination comes from the presence of a Horus eye amulet in the wound," the study says. "The presence of the amulet deep in the soft tissue of the wound together with the homogeneous material that penetrated the wound up to the bone substantiate the supposition that the wound was already present at the time of embalming," the study added according to CNN.

The new findings are being published in the British medical journal BMJ and researches include Zink as well as colleagues from Germany, Italy and Egypt.

"Damage to the throat after death appears to be unlikely, because the collar around the mummy's neck was intact and undamaged at the unwrapping in 1886, where a thick layer of bitumen was removed with a hammer from the mummy," the study says according to CNN.

The study accuses his wife and son as conspiring and killing Ramses. CNN reported that his son Pentawere was in trial and found guilty which lead him to kill himself.

Researchers also studied a mummy of an unknown man who they believe could be Pentawere, shows that he had a nonroyal burial and his body was covered with goat skin. These procedures could be a punishment for the killing of Ramses, CNN reported the study suggests.