Tutankhamen by Christine Hobson el-Mahdy

Traditional histories, founded on incomplete investigation and academic dogma, shed almost no light on the details of a life as complicated and as fascinating as it was short. Despite the young monarch's almost universal recognition in death, Egyptologists know very little about his life. Thirty-five hundred years ago, the mightiest empire on Earth crowned a boy as its king, then worshipped him as a god. Lost in a frenzy of speculation-anthropological, scientific, and commercial-was Tutankhamen himself. What kind of society could produce such spectacular treasures only to bury them forever? (Aug.When Tutankhamen's tomb was discovered in 1922, even the most experienced archaeologists joined the international community in marveling at the incredible wealth-and seemingly bizarre rituals-of ancient Egypt. Although at times she overextends herself-as when she posits that homosexuality did not exist in ancient Egypt-El Mahdy has, generally speaking, produced a concise and lively account of life in ancient Egypt and a balanced historical discussion of Carter's discovery.

Accessible and informative and full of the author's enthusiasm for her subject, El Mahdy's book provides some long-absent historical context to the life of the famous king. Instead, it led to a cover-up: Tutankhamen was secretly buried by his successor, the author argues, in order to ensure order in Egypt. This is significant because his sudden death could easily have led to a power struggle and political crises in Egypt. Examining Tut's mummy, El Mahdy argues that he was not murdered, but died suddenly of natural causes, probably a tumor. By scrutinizing the evidence from his tomb (which was full of intriguing anomalies), she reconstructs a spate of long-hidden details about his life and death. In fact, El Mahdy maintains, the accepted story of Tutankhamen is marred by inaccuracies and misperceptions. Despite immense interest in his tomb, our knowledge of Tutankhamen's life, including who his parents were and how he died, is sparse.

El Mahdy seeks to shift attention away from the headline-grabbing elements of the tomb and toward the historical figure of Tutankhamen himself. In one of the great moments in archeological history, Carter, dumbstruck, could only utter, ''Yes, wonderful things.'' Briskly written by Egyptologist El Mahdy, this book is also a wonderful thing. When British archeologist Howard Carter first opened King Tutankhamen's tomb in November 1922, his patron, Lord Carnarvon, standing behind him, impatiently asked if he saw anything.

Tutankhamen by Christine Hobson el-Mahdy