Ramses III was murdered. His throat was cut during a palace coup in roughly 1155 BCE, ending a 32-year reign over ancient Egypt. For centuries, the exact cause of death remained uncertain because thick linen wrappings around the mummy’s neck hid the wound. It wasn’t until 2012 that CT scanning finally confirmed what ancient court documents had long suggested: the pharaoh was assassinated by conspirators within his own household.
The Throat Wound That Killed Him
A CT scan published in The BMJ in 2012 revealed a deep knife wound across Ramses III’s throat. The cut was severe enough to have been fatal, likely severing major blood vessels in the neck. Ancient embalmers had placed a Horus eye amulet directly inside the wound before wrapping the neck in heavy linen bandages. In Egyptian belief, the Eye of Horus promoted healing in the afterlife, and its placement inside the gash itself shows the embalmers were fully aware of the injury and tried to magically restore the pharaoh’s body for the next world.
A later study in 2016 found a second injury: Ramses III’s left big toe had been partially amputated. CT images showed sharp, clean bony edges with no signs of healing, meaning the wound happened at or very near the time of death. Researchers concluded the toe was likely chopped by a heavy, sharp weapon like an axe. The embalmers replaced the missing toe with a linen prosthesis and surrounded the feet with six more Horus eye amulets. Together, these injuries paint a picture of a violent, close-quarters attack by multiple assailants.
The Harem Conspiracy
The plot to kill Ramses III is one of the best-documented crimes in ancient history. A woman named Tiye, one of the king’s secondary wives, organized the conspiracy. Her goal was to kill the pharaoh and place her son, Pentawere, on the throne instead of the designated heir, the crown prince who would become Ramses IV. She recruited Pebekkamen, the Chief of the Chamber (a senior palace official with direct access to the king), and a royal butler named Mesedesure. The plan called for a coordinated military uprising to seize the capital in the chaos following the assassination.
The conspiracy reached deep into the palace. Court records describe multiple layers of participants, from high-ranking officials who actively planned the murder to others who simply knew about it and failed to report it. The plot partially succeeded in that Ramses III was killed, but the broader goal of placing Pentawere on the throne failed. The legitimate heir, Ramses IV, took power and ordered a sweeping criminal trial.
The Trial That Followed
The proceedings are recorded in what scholars call the Judicial Papyrus of Turin, and they represent one of the earliest detailed criminal trials on record. The prosecutions were organized in waves, with the most important defendants tried first. Pebekkamen and Mesedesure, identified as the two chief conspirators, headed the first group. Pentawere, Tiye’s son, was charged with collusion in the plot. Others faced lesser charges for knowing about the conspiracy and failing to alert the king.
The papyrus describes the sentences but uses euphemistic language typical of Egyptian court documents, making exact punishments difficult to pin down. What is clear is that the primary conspirators were executed, and the trial was thorough enough to sweep up even peripheral figures who had simply stayed silent.
The Screaming Mummy and a Son’s Fate
One of the strangest pieces of evidence came from a mummy known for decades only as “Unknown Man E,” sometimes called the “Screaming Mummy” because of its open-mouthed expression. This body had been found in a plain, unmarked coffin with no name inscribed, a striking dishonor in a culture that considered proper burial essential for the afterlife. Forensic examination revealed compressed skin folds around the neck and an inflated chest, both consistent with death by hanging or strangulation.
Genetic analysis compared DNA from Unknown Man E with DNA from Ramses III’s mummy. The two shared identical Y-chromosome markers, confirming a direct father-son relationship. Researchers concluded that Unknown Man E is very likely Pentawere, the prince at the center of the conspiracy. If so, his burial tells its own story: he may have been allowed to die (or forced to take his own life) but was denied the elaborate mummification and inscribed tomb that royalty expected. His body was wrapped in sheepskin, considered ritually impure, rather than fine linen.
Why It Took So Long to Confirm
Ancient Egyptian records, including the Judicial Papyrus, had described a conspiracy against Ramses III for over a century before modern science could verify whether the plot actually killed him. The papyrus itself is ambiguous about whether the pharaoh survived the attempt or died from it. Some earlier scholars argued that Ramses III may have lived long enough to authorize the trial himself before dying of natural causes. The 2012 CT scan settled the question. The depth and placement of the throat wound left no reasonable doubt that the attack was fatal, and the perimortem toe injury confirmed the violence of the assault.
Ramses III died at Thebes around 1155 BCE after reigning for 32 years. He had spent much of that reign defending Egypt against foreign invasions in three major wars, but in the end, the threat that killed him came from inside his own palace.