The king might have been riding in a chariot during a hunt or a battle—activities that ancient Egyptian rulers routinely performed as part of their kingly duties.

The damage to Tut’s chest might also be explained by a swift kick from a horse —entirely possible, since horses pulled the pharaoh’s chariot.

Or was it a hippopotamus that killed Tut ? Perhaps the pharaoh was in the wrong place at the wrong time—hunting on foot in a marsh when a hippo charged.

Today hippos are extinct in Egypt, but farther to the south in Africa these aggressive 3,000-pound (1,360-kilogram) creatures with powerful jaws and sharp incisors are legendary for their attacks. Victims may suffer massive tearing, deep puncture wounds, and crushed bones, any combination of which could be fatal.

Other experts have wondered if modern thieves—likely operating during World War II when Tut’s tomb was unguarded—sawed through the pharaoh’s ribs to remove the last beads stuck to the goop that coated his chest.