The Egyptian boy king's penis may have been swiped because the 19-year-old royal was less-than-endowed, raising the concept of a possible anatomical conspiracy, according to Time Magazine.



This much is certain though: that particular body part has disappeared, and it appears that the clandestine castration took place relatively recently.



What happened to a particular part of Tut's anatomy isn't the only mystery enshrouding the king. Scientists have debated the cause of the famed king's death as recently as this year, when some were guessing it might be due to a bone disorder or malaria. Earlier this month German researchers overruled that theory and said the boy royal had sickle cell anemia, which can lead to organ failure.



But when journalist Jo Marchant started researching this newest diagnosis for The New Scientist, evidence surfaced to suggest that Tut may have had a genetic mutation that causes weird physical effects like elongated skulls and under developed genitals.



While Zahi Hawass, Egypt's chief archaeologist, says that the 19-year-old king was actually well-developed, the fact remains that the king's member is no longer attached to the mummy. Marchant confirmed that the mummy was intact at its first unwrapping in 1922. The penis was said to be missing in 1968 but a CT scan later revealed that it was hidden by sand surrounding the mummy. Now some scientists think the penis was taken at some point after the body was enbalmed, raising the possibility that it might have been a conspiracy to spare Tut, in the afterlife, the "locker room" variety of embarrassment