As a long-time fan of Dr. Brier, I looked forward to reading his latest work celebrating the centennial of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb. Indeed, there is much to enjoy in the very informative Tutankhamun and the Tomb that Changed the World. Divided into three sections, the book explores various aspects of the pharaoh’s life and afterlife and delves into the many controversies surrounding the boy king and the excavation of his tomb.
The first part, entitled “History of the Tomb,” retells the tale of its discovery by British Egyptologist Howard Carter. While acknowledging Carter’s meticulous work on preserving and documenting the tomb and its artifacts, Brier also notes lesser-known controversial aspects. At the time of the discovery, Egypt was just breaking free from British colonial rule, and colonialism colored the attitudes of those involved, leading to some eyebrow-raising events. Among those covered in the book are the exclusive deal Carter’s patron, Lord Carnarvon made with the London Times, shutting out all other news outlets—including native Egyptian ones—from covering the excavation; the callous treatment of Tut’s mummy; Carter’s clash with the Egyptian government over access to the tomb; and artifacts smuggled out of the country.
Part II, “Tutankhamun Revealed” explores various scientific studies of the tomb’s contents from the translation of the hieroglyphic inscriptions on Tut’s golden shrine to modern examinations of Tut’s remains. From X-rays of the mummy in the 1960s to the DNA analysis of 2010, Brier explores what each subsequent study has revealed about Tut’s family relations, health, and demise.
Chief among these is the current theory championed by Egyptologist Zahi Hawass that Tut had a physical disability, specifically a clubfoot. Brier challenges this argument with many valid points and plenty of evidence, but here is where the discussion became disturbing for this physically disabled reader.
While Part I superbly calls out the colonialism and racism in Egyptology’s past, Part II raises another –ism still very much alive in the field: ableism. This comes through in the author’s word choices when discussing Tut’s possible disability. In the introduction, Dr. Brier asks, “Was he a frail pharaoh with a club foot …? Or was he an athlete who enjoyed hunting in the desert with his hounds and … led the Egyptian army in battle?” (2)
Juxtapositioning frail with disabled and setting up athlete as a contrast implies 1) physical disability makes one weak and sickly and 2) disabled people can’t be athletes. The problematic wording perpetuates a view of disability that is both negative and misleading. In recent documentaries on PBS and Discovery Channel, prominent Egyptologists, including Dr. Hawass, Aiden Dodson, and Salima Ikram noted that disability does not prevent someone from being active. The Discovery Channel show offered Paralympians as an example.
Elsewhere in the book, similar terminology—infirmity (153), frail (191), and frailty continue to equate disability with weakness and sickliness. But according to the Mayo Clinic’s website, Tut’s disability, clubfoot, “is a fairly common birth defect and is usually an isolated problem for an otherwise healthy newborn” (emphasis mine). In other words, a clubfoot, defined as an abnormality where, per the Mayo Clinic, the “foot is twisted out of shape or position,” does not cause someone to be frail or infirm. It is a physical disability and should simply be called such. (For a discussion of proper disability terminology, please see the blog “A Brief Guide to Disability Terminology and Theory in Ancient World Studies” by Egyptologist Dr. Alexandra Morris.)
Also, problematic is the omission of a piece of evidence that supports Tut having a foot deformity. In 2011, several news articles reported a pair of Tut’s sandals were orthopedic in nature, with extra horizontal straps close to the toes and extra cushioning to the midsoles of the shoes to make walking more comfortable. But Brier states researchers did not find anything unusual about Tut’s shoes. Since he devotes an entire chapter to Tut’s footwear, it seems odd that the orthopedic sandals receive no mention.
The final section, “Tutankhamun’s Legacy” addresses the impact the tomb’s discovery has had on the modern world. In addition to reigniting the public’s interest in ancient Egypt, the discovery sparked other changes as well. Tut has become a symbol of Egyptian nationalism, led to the creation of the museum blockbuster exhibit, and ended the colonial-era tradition of splitting finds between Egypt and the West.
All-in-all, Tutankhamun and the Tomb that Changed the World offers a comprehensive view of all things Tut, from the discovery, to the young pharaoh himself, and the impact he has had on the modern world. Written in a conversational style, the book makes even the complex DNA studies of the mummy easy to understand. Hopefully, future editions of this book will address and edit out the ableist language.
FURTHER READING/VIEWING
Aboul-Magd, Hossam, and Sandy Petrykowski. Tutankhamun: Allies & Enemies, performance by Yasmin El Shazly, and Mahmoud Rashad, season 1, PBS, 23 Nov. 2022.
Brier, Bob. Tutankhamun and the Tomb That Changed the World. Oxford University Press, 2023.
“Clubfoot.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 28 June 2019, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/clubfoot/symptoms-causes/syc-20350860.
Hayes, Shane. “King Tutankhamun Sported Orthopedic Sandals.” Current Pedorthics, Jan./Feb. 2011, pp. 12-15.
Ibeji, Mike, and Andrew Lessner. King Tut: A Century of Secrets, performance by Josh Gates, season 1, Warner Bros. Discovery, 19 Oct. 2022.
Morris, Alexandra. “Blog: A Brief Guide to Disability Terminology and Theory in Ancient World Studies.” Society for Classical Studies, Debby Sneed, 30 Aug. 2021, https://classicalstudies.org/scs-blog/alexandra-morris/blog-brief-guide-disability-terminology-and-theory-ancient-world-studies. Accessed 30 Dec. 2022.
Karen L. Kobylarz 