Excellent and this is coming from someone who once pondered taking up the study of archeology. Well, until I realized how tedious and boring the parts that didn't involve finding riches beyond the imagination really was. Seriously, I've always found Tutankhamun fascinating, both from the standpoint of history and the wonder of what it really must have been like for him, as a quite young boy, to suddenly be turned into what might as well have been a god. 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of Howard Carter's discovery of his long hidden tomb and more modern connected events. This book, which is an easy read, takes a fascinating look at both, not to mention offers up an extensive selections of endnotes, bibliography, index, and photos, some of which were genuinely new to me despite my long-held fascination with the find.
In other words, even if you think you know everything there is about King Tut, as he's usually called, you're likely to find something new. I know I did. I most liked the author's weaving of a non-fictional story in what I'll dub a fictional manner, bringing the story to life. It gives it the "you are there" feel. You can almost feel the heat, noise, smells, and intense activity about Tut. While the author does not attempt to project feelings of awe, fear, or wonder on the boy king, he uses existing evidence to make some educated assumptions about what his life must have been like both before and after he became king. Even after his death, you're left feeling pangs of sympathy for his young wife as she strives to hold things together, being ultimately forced to wed a much older man who had been a trusted advisor to Tut. In other words, this is both a historical and very human story.
One image that stayed with me involved the humble laborers who slaved away in a rush to create Tutankhamun's tomb, then the more modern laborers as they cleared and worked to move discovered treasures to safer confines. Unlike the burial workers, however, they did have a railroad of sorts, a trolley, perhaps we'd call it. Given the shortage of rails, however, workers had to built, disassemble, then repeat many times to move things from the tomb area to the museum or work spaces. Nor were they all in good condition. Did you know they had to, well, take Tut's mummified remains apart to get it out of the coffin that had been treated with an over-abundance of resin? As the author details, the funeral was a rushed job, despite the fact we'd consider it a long period in modern times to prepare a body for burial. Heck, the tomb used seems to even been borrowed, perhaps from Nefertiti. Evidence supporting this assumption/educated guess is within. Since I read something regarding Tut just recently, I believe on the belief that he had a clubbed foot, it's intriguing to know the background of the burial and how the rush and accidents may impact even modern findings.
Seriously, give this one a read. Heck, even the infamous curse gets a nod, not to mention comedian Steve Martin's 1973 novelty song "King Tut". Yep, something for everyone. Thanks #NetGalley and #YaleUniversityPress for giving me the chance to renew my interest in all things King "Tut".
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