Tutankhamen by Joyce Tyldesley

Author:Joyce Tyldesley
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 2012-02-07T16:00:00+00:00

Recent Examination

Hawass’s team confirmed that Tutankhamen’s chest had suffered serious damage prior to mummification (or, less likely, during Derry’s autopsy) and that his pelvic bones were almost entirely missing. They also noted that his left thigh had been broken at, or very close to, the time of death. Their work indicated that Tutankhamen may have suffered a whole host of health problems, including a left club-foot, diseased bones in his right foot, a cleft palate, scoliosis and malaria. Many of these conclusions have been challenged; in particular, the diagnosis of the congenital abnormality club-foot (Talipes equinovarus) is open to question, as it is not unknown for ‘club-foot’ to be the result of warping caused by over-tight bandages.37 Was Tutankhamen a sickly king with mobility problems? His tomb included 130 walking sticks and canes, but the stick could also be a symbol of authority, a weapon and a piece of sporting equipment. Alongside the sticks there were armour, six chariots and an arsenal of bows and arrows, throwing sticks, slings, clubs, swords, shields and daggers. Images and artefacts from his tomb show Tutankhamen sitting to perform tasks – shooting, for example – where we might reasonably have expected him to stand, but they also show him standing to perform heroic deeds: the brave (or foolhardy?) Tutankhamen balances on a fragile papyrus boat to harpoon a hippopotamus in the marshes, or drives his chariot at speed as he chases ostriches across the desert. On his Painted Box he again stands triumphant in his chariot as he defeats his Syrian enemies. These images are conventional images of kingship. They conform to the centuries-old tradition which dictated that kings, whatever their actual appearance and character, should always appear physically perfect and brave. We have no understanding of the king behind this propaganda: we cannot state whether Tutankhamen was either brave or physically whole. Nor can we be certain that he ever tested himself on the battlefield. New kings traditionally reinforced their claim to the throne by provoking a fight with Egypt’s traditional enemies, the Nubians to the south, and the Asiatics to the north-east. Fragmented references from the Karnak, Luxor and Medamud temples suggest that Tutankhamen’s troops did campaign against both enemies, while images from the Memphite tomb of General Horemheb show Asiatics and Libyans suing for peace. However, the simple fact that the early 19th Dynasty Ramesside kings would be forced to spend many years restoring Egypt’s northern border suggests that whatever their propaganda would have us believe, and whatever campaigns they actually undertook, Tutankhamen and his successors, Ay and Horemheb, were not great generals who enjoyed multiple victories.

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