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Tutankhamen: The Life and Death of the Boy-King

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I give very high marks to Christine El Mahdy's "Tutankhamen" for its vigorous, insightful examination of the reign of the so-called Boy-king. Actually, her book could be accurately titled "Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Smenkhare, Tutankhamen, and Ay" because her study extends to include all the "Amarna Period". El Mahdy contends, and rightly so I believe, that much of the conventional wisdom about this era of Egyptian history and its rulers is based not on a careful examination of the evidence, but upon outdated theories first published early in the Twentieth Century or even earlier, when the amount of information available was much smaller and our overall understanding of Egyptian culture far poorer. In this book El Mahdy goes back to basics, not blindly accepting the conclusions of other Egyptologists (many of whom appear to somewhat blindly repeat what others had written before them) but examining the original inscriptions for herself. Not infrequently they have previously been mistranslated or particular interpretations placed upon them without good justification. Inscriptions, art, tombs, and mummies are all re-examined with a rigorous application of common sense and logic. What emerges is a story strongly at variance with popular understanding of the period. El Mahdy rejects the notion that Akhenaten's "new" religion was really something radically different than the Egyptian mainstream, and she finds flaws in the notion that the so-called "heretic king" was widely hated by the Egyptian people. She also argues strongly and effectively against the idea that Smenkhare and Tutankhamen were interlopers from outside of the 18th Dynasty royal family (she supports the theory that Smenkhare was Nefertiti's identity upon ascending to a co-regency with her husband and she contends that Tutankhamen was Akhenaten's son by another wife). I have read a good many books about this era of Egyptian history, and I can think of no other which has been so thought provoking. Whether or not all of El Mahdy's conclusions will stand the test of time is something we will have to wait and see, but anyone who feels that they already "know" Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and Tutankhamen would be well advised to read this book.

There are many good points about El Mahdy's book. It demonstrates clearly, for the non-specialist, the importance of going back to primary sources when examining historical/archaeological issues, and the need always to employ a sceptical eye and a hefty dose of common sense. It also explains matters in a way that makes them very accessible to the non-specialist. Though I can't speak for the accuracy of the evidence she presents and her conclusions, being a non-specialist myself, in the first three quarters of the book which deal with the "Armarna Period" her material was presented clearly and understandably, and seemed reasonable for the most part. However, I found her examination of Tutankhamen's life in the final part of the book much harder to swallow. It was very rushed and seemed to jump to an awful lot of conclusions.
One final quibble: I am sick to death of authors telling us about their childhood in what so often appears to be an attempt to claim some extra authority in their particular field. El Mahdy has always loved Egypt, taught herself to read hieroglyphs as a child, and decided at the age of ten she was going to be an Egyptologist? So what? What counts is her academic achievements, not her childhood quirks.

Christine el Mahdy obviously has a fascinating take on the life of Tutankhamen, with what are apparently new and very interesting theories about his parentage, his life and death, the cultural and political life of his time, and his entombment.

However, while she criticises other archeologists, past and present, for jumping to conclusions, making unwarranted assumptions, and cutting data to fit the shape of their expectations, her writing invites her readers to conclude that she's done the same thing herself. It's one thing to say that evidence "suggests" a conclusion, and it's something else again to present such a conclusion as a fact, as El Mahdy often does in writing of her own findings. The problem, as el Mahdy repeatedly says, is that we don't KNOW--we can only infer based on evidence, and I could wish she's taken this precept to heart in presenting her own conclusions, which would appear to be more serious if she had presented them more judiciously.

I also found this book an irritating read, because it is full of repetition as well as typographical (1959 for 1859) and editorial (it's for its, everyone...their) errors. Can't help but feel that a month or so under the pencil of a good editor would have given the book a much cleaner shape and a good deal more pace and excitement.

El Mahdy's not to blame for the failings of her publishers, though, and it is a good story, once you get to it.

When twenty years ago the unprecedented exhibit of artifacts from King Tutankhamen's tomb was shown around America, they caused a sensation wherever they went. When it came to the importance of Tutankhamen, however, the exhibit sparked another round of dismissiveness about the boy king (who just happened to leave a terrific tomb) compared to his predecessor Akhenaten, who was regarded by western Egyptologists as a bit of a hero. It was Akhenaten who struck a blow for monotheism, banishing the strange gods with insect and crocodilian bodies in favor of the one sun god Aten. He was a figure compared to Moses or Jesus, but it was said that his heresy terrified the people and threatened the powerful priesthood, which forced him out of Luxor into a new city he could devote to his peculiar ideas. Upon his death, the boy king Tutankhamen came to power (or his handlers did), and caused a reversion to the old ways.

Christine El Mahdi has another tale to tell in _Tutankhamen: The Life and Death of the Boy King_ (St. Martin's Press), a revision of the lives of the pharaohs that shows how fashions, even in such arcane studies as Egyptology, change over time. Akhenaten, in her view, was not the monotheistic hero pictured by the Egyptologists of the last century. The old view was sparked by Tutankhamen's successor Horemheb, a conservative military man who hated Akhenaten, but not Aten. The attestations of Akhenaten's monotheistic "heresy" were most vividly not from his successors, but from the nineteenth century "gentlemen archeologists" who were in Egypt as part of their Grand Tours, perhaps as preparation for entering the church. Ancient Egyptians were seen as those who had enslaved the Jews, and who had the worst sort of animal-worshipping polytheism. Their interpretation of Horemheb's denigration of Akhenaten (which seems to have been political) was that there was a revulsion against monotheism just as there had been reviling of the true religion by those other pagans, the Romans.

El Mahdi's title is simply too limited. This is not just the story of Tutankhamen, but of the pharaohs who came before and after him. It is a survey of the religious beliefs of their societies. It is the story of Carter, Carnarvon, and of Egyptology in general, and how subjectivity influences even academic research. It is a wonderful book for readers who want to find out more about the reality of a time that has always inspired enormous curiosity. El Mahdi's enthusiastic and clear writing and broad view of history ensure that even those addicted to the wilder ideas of Egyptology should enjoy this guided tour of evidence and common sense.

The author, Christine El Mahdy's wonderful biography finally presents to people of the world what King Tutankhamen was really about. She presents to readers all the evidence so far uncovered by archeologists and then makes inferences based on their findings. By doing so, she allows the reader to examine the evidence along with her, and in the end she presents a clear chain of events based on that evidence that makes perfect and complete sense. The book also covers what happened before King Tut came to power, mainly the interesting lives of the monarchs of the infamous Eighteenth Dynasty. All these events that El Mahdy describe come together in the end. By doing so, El Mahdy sets the stage and political environment under which Tut came to power. After completing this book, you will feel satisfied knowing what archeologists think must have happened to the young king that has captured the world's facination ever since his tomb was discovered in 1922. In fact, you'll be surprised to learn that his tomb was pretty mediocre according Ancient Egypt standards, but is the most famous since it is the only Egyptian tomb to remain virtually intact through the modern age. This book is a must read for anyone interested in the great mystery behind the Boy-King; Tutankhamen.

I am by no means an "Egyptologist" but I have been to Egypt on two occasions and have a general fascination with Ancient Civilizations. I heard Christine on a radio interview and was impressed with her passion, enthusiasm, knowledge and open mindedness. Her book followed suit. This is a research scholar that can tell a story i.e. make the subject interesting and bring the mummies alive. Great read, unfortunately much of the story is still hidden in the sands.

The writer of this book is a Christine Mahdy who taught herself to read Egyptian inscriptions at an early age and has worked cataloguing material found in at archeological sights. Part of the book is to explain how we have come to know Egyptian history. It would seem that our histories of Egypt are very much based not on narratives of the past as with Roman or Greek history but rather with reconstruction based on inscriptions placed on public monuments.

With major historical figures it is possible to work out a chronology of their reigns and their achievements and failures. This process is a bit hit and miss as it depends on what are in reality a series of propaganda statements by government figures to establish what has happened. There are a number of instances that show the danger of the method. The Pharaoh Ramasses the second fought a large battle against the Hittites at Kadesh. His records show that this was an enormous victory. The fact that after the victory he immediately retreated has raised some questions about what happened and in fact it would seem that the battle was a Hittite victory.

The subject of this book is the reign of Tutankahamen a Pharaoh in respects insignificant except for one thing. That thing being that his tomb was discovered almost complete. The fact that Tutankahamen was a non-entity being one of the main reasons that his tomb remained undiscovered till 1922.

The reason for Tutankahamen's obscurity was that one of his successors Horemheb tried to remove him from history. Horemheb removed all references to Tutankahmen from temples and public buildings and also tried to destroy the memory of his predecessors Akenaten and Smenkhkare.

In the past it has been thought the reason for this related to a religious conflict. Akenaten introduced a new religion to Egypt based on the worship of the Sun. He called his new got "Aten" and he founded a city in central Egypt dedicated to the service of that god. It was believed that religious conservatives reacted against this new cult after Akenaten's death by reintoducing the worship of Amen and by removing all reference to the royal family who had introduced the new god.

This book is fascinating as it shows in some detail how we have come to understand Egyptian history. What is shows is that generally stories have been made up based on almost no evidence at all. Previous historians developed a theory of the reign of Arkenaten which suggested that not only did he set up a monotheistic religion but in later life he sent his wife away and lived in an open homosexual relationship with his successor Smenkhkare. The reason for this theory would seem to be some ambiguous wall paintings and nothing else. There would appear to be no real evidence that Arkenaten attempted to suppress or to close down the temples of other gods.

Mahdy suggests that the reason for the hatred of Arkenaten was that he was not a competent ruler and that he did not respond to a foreign threat from the Hittites. In fact it is normal in situations in which "legitimate" rulers are overthrown to blacken their name to justify what has happened. In English history one only has to think of the attacks on the reputation of such kinds as Richard the second, Henry the sixth and Richard the third. Mahdy suggests that the theories Arkenaten trying to introduce a system of monotheistic belief arose not from any real evidence but from the desires of early archeologists who were Christian to see a system of religious belief which would appeal to their prejudices.

All this is rather interesting and it shows how shaky is our understanding of a period of history which is ancient and in which we have limited sources. Mahdy then goes on to speculate another theory of the reign which unfortunately like the theories she attacks is just as shaky.". Her theories seem to have created some interest as there is an investigation being carried out of the DNA of Tutakanhamen's body.

The book is readable and an insight into how sketchy is some of our knowledge of the past. The fault with the book is that the theories of the author seem to be not very much more substantial from those she seeks to replace.

In this case, for years, what we knew, or thought we knew about Akhenaten, and, by extension Ay, Nefertiti, Smenkhkare and Tutankhamen was more based on the fury of Horemheb than a close look at all the admittedly well dispersed sculptures and documents of the Armana period.

It's not that I don't believe people, especially absolute rulers, can't do weird things, there is evidence enough of that. But when Akhenaten, admittedly reclusive, has over a decade of loving public relationship with his wife, Nefertiti, I never understood the archeologists' insistence that all of a sudden Nefertiti was banished and Akhhenaten dressed his son, Smenkhkare up as a woman and started calling him beloved in his public monuments, and we're talking carvings on pillars at Karnak. Say what? (And the ONLY reason they say she was banished is because her name no longer appears - they didn't find some hieroglyphs saying, "Today Nefertiti was banished".)

The daughters of Akhenaten and Nefertiti are shown in sculpture all the time, up to Akhenaten's death, but an all-important son is never shown, anywhere, until he's suddenly made co-pharoah and "married" to Akhenaten? Say what again?

Step by step, Christine Mahdy shows how bringing together information without prejudice puts a more sensible interpretation on the facts. Before the name Smenkkare appears anywhere, Nefertiti, known to be beloved by the people as well as her husband, starts appearing in public in the crowns reserved for pharaohs. Instead of wondering why this woman is playing dress up, why not accept that perhaps she took part in kingly duties.

And if that is so, and we know Akhenaten did not want to leave his new city, it is not a leap of faith to posit that if Smenkhkare journeyed to Luxor for official pharoah business, and as the carvings of Smenkhkare look exactly like the carvings of Nefertiti, they could be the same person. What we have is a king who didn't really like the duties of a king, so he elevated his wife so she could take care of some of them for him.

I really enjoyed this book. What archeologists don't always tell you is that they are frequently putting together history with very few actual facts. There's a lot of filling in. I think Christine El Mahdy does a painstaking and much less sensationalist covering of the facts available.

I do wonder, however, if the title of the book was her publisher's idea rather than hers. She does cover Tutankhamen, because where he came from is also a mystery (though I think she also makes a sensible argument on that topic) and he's the last of the house of Armana. But the focus of the book is really on the Akhenaten/Nefertiti/Smenkhkare "queston".

El Mahdy's last chapter is on Tutankhamen's death, which she covers equally sensibly. This is published in 1999, and she writes that Tutankhamen died a natural death from the result of an accident, that is, he wasn't murdered. This has been born out by subsequent studies.

I am no expert on Egypt or archaeology, but this book is enlightening on both fronts, and, while a tad dry, most engaging. El Mahdy has been an Egyptologist since she learned to read her first hieroglyphs at age 7, and has spent a long lifetime as a serious scholar. In this volume she explains first how many archaelogists got the Tut story wrong, and finally tells the best version available from very recently unearthed evidence and re-interpreted bits of the old. The overriding lesson is the one laid out brilliantly in Thomas Kuhn's breakthrough work The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (University of Chicago Press, 1970). Scientists, like everyone else, are subject to their own preconceptions. Assumptions yield faulty observations until a paradigm shift allows broader understanding. TUTANKHAMEN is a trudge, but worth it.

El Mahdy's argumentation is detailed and meticulous. She presents the reader with an overview of the evidence in the form of the artifacts found in the tomb of Tutankhamen. She also outlines the `traditional' view of the Amarna period and proceeds to refute many of the traditional arguments using the evidence she has laid out. Her presentation of the so-called traditional view (Akhenaten as radical heretic, forced out of Thebes by the priests of Amun) is somewhat exaggerated and melodramatic, but it does provide a useful background for the presentation of her own views.

Many of the arguments she puts forward are cogent and persuasive. Evidence is carefully analyzed to suggest that Akhenaten's beliefs were in some respects not as radical as they appear, that the reign of Tutankhamen saw a co-existence between Atenism and more traditional religion. The possible events surrounding the succession on Tutankhamen's death are also methodically reconstructed from the evidence available.

Some of the major arguments in the book remain unconvincing, however. Akhenaten is supposed to have shifted the capital of Egypt to Akhetaten because he `wanted a place of his own'. After claiming that the priesthood of Amun could not have forced Akhenaten out of Thebes, whatever role they did play is left unexplored. El Mahdy rails against others who have speculated on the events of the Amarna period on the basis of mere shreds of evidence or have used modern concepts to interpret events in the past, but occasionally falls into the same trap herself. Her claims that Nefertiti was intent on establishing a female dynasty to succeed Akhenaten, that Akhenaten `lived for peace and brotherhood', that Ay and Horemheb made a power-sharing agreement on Tutankhamen's accession to the throne are largely speculation, but are presented as fact. This is unfortunate, as it tends to undermine the painstakingly thorough argumentation she presents in other areas.

All in all, the book is a fascinating engagement with the evidence available for the period. I thoroughly recommend it.