You won't believe what new evidence reveals about famed Pharaoh's gruesome murder

Assassination plot discovered on anciant papyrus texts indicate more than one person wanted him dead.

With the help of modern technology, details surrounding Ramesses III's assassination have been revealed.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - In Egyptologist, Zahi Hawass and Cairo University radiologist, Sahar Saleem's new book, titled "Scanning the Pharaohs: CT Imaging of the New Kingdom Royal Mummies," recent findings have been reported alongside several images.

Several royal mummies between 1543 B.C. to 1064 B.C. are studied for the book, including famous rulers Hatshepsut, Seti I and Ramesses III, who was previously reported to have had his throat slit, which immediately killed him.

Computed tomography (CT) scans revealed new evidence of a foot and neck injury believed to have been caused by two different weapons and, possibly, two different assailants.

The scan revealed King Ramesses III did have this throat slit, but an extra discovery was that he had his toe cut off, likely by an ax.

"The site of [the] foot injury is anatomically far from the neck-cut wound; also the shape of the fractured toe bones indicate that it was induced by a different weapon than that used to induce the neck cut," Saleem wrote in an email sent to Live Science.

"So there must have been an assailant with an ax/sword attacking the king from the front, and another one with a knife or a dagger attacking the king from his back, both attacking at the same time," Saleem added.

The missing toe was not discovered until the CT scans could be performed because his embalmers used resin-covered bandages around Ramesses' feet and had used linen to create the image of a complete foot.

The resin "hid the big secret beneath the wrappings," Saleem explained. "It seems to me that this was the intention of the ancient Egyptian embalmers, to deliberately pour large amounts of resin to glue the layers of linen wrappings to the body and feet."

In another act of respect, Ramesses' had packing materials placed beneath his skin to "plump out" his body as a means of making him appear more attractive in the afterlife.

Despite the care that went into his embalming and burial, ancient papyrus revealed plots to assassinate Ramesses III by one of his wives, Tiye.

Tiye's son was second in line for the throne so she plotted with servants, administrators and even other royal family members to have her husband killed.

Though the people who actually killed Ramesses III will likely never be confirmed, Tiye and her accomplices are currently believed to have been responsible. 

Tiye and her accomplices were convicted of his murder and executed under Remesses IV's rule.

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