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Tutankhamen: The Life and Death of the Boy-king
 
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Tutankhamen: The Life and Death of the Boy-king (Paperback)

by Christine El Mahdy (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Headline Book Publishing; New edition edition (6 Jul 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0747260001
  • ISBN-13: 978-0747260004
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 407,765 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
What is left to be said about Tutankhamen? More known in death than life, a disproportionate amount has been written about the Boy King of Egypt who was crowned at seven or eight, dead nine years later and whose tomb was miraculously discovered by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon in 1922. Egyptologist Christine El Mahdy uses a lifetime's experience to sift the fragments of knowledge through a sieve and comes up with a determined and persuasive interpretation that sheds an intriguing new light on old facts. While acknowledging the glamour attached to archaeology, by her own admission she is no Indiana Jones or Lara Croft. When not being chased by a rolling ball down a narrow corridor she is discovering a dusty box at her museum which hasn't been opened for 50 years, mistakenly (and delightfully) sent to Bolton Museum rather than its grander counterpart in Boston. What she finds causes her to reappraise a whole history and add her own distinctive voice to the throng of chattering tongues. The usual temptation is to cram the holes around the scant facts with the delicious speculation they appear to invite (witness Bob Brier's 1998 racy thriller The Murder of Tutankhamen, and El Mahdy gives space to the many theories, but she does so while soberly guiding the artful narrative towards a well-concealed conclusion. What starts out as a middlebrow general reader of the subject gains in poise and polish as she hits her stride. Imperceptibly, the work transmutes into an exercise in applied logic written with a convincing rigour that wrings every drop from its subject and displays no qualms at trampling on received ideas. Whether she has assembled the pieces to make an important "truthful" image awaits the unromantic process of DNA testing, but in the meantime her engaging analysis--part academia, part potboiler--merits the attentions of the serious and the seriously curious, for a sliver of a tale that can still weave its ancient spell. --David Vincent --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
'The culmination of 40 years of work by the author, this is an authoritative biography of the seven-year-old who was crowned Pharaoh...Using archaeological data, El Mahdy tells the story of the Pharaoh's childhood and the passion, intrigue and power which lead up to his death' Middlesbrough Evening Gazette

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Meticulously Argued, 15 Nov 2007
By Gordon Eldridge (Southport, Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
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.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most fascinating books written about the Boy King, 5 Feb 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Tutankhamen: The Life and Death of the Boy-king (Hardcover)
Christine El Mahdy has produced one of the most fascinating books written about Tutankhamen. In this encapturing book, El Mahdy goes beyond the treasures surrounding Tutankhamen's discovery and into the personal life of the young King, questioning his ancestry and his death. The most intriguing moment of this book is when Christine talks of her own discovery of a fragment of evidence which could prove the identity of Tutankhmen's mother. Christine El Mahdy has produced a novel of which goes into the period of the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten and she puts forward a strong case to argue the so-called herecy of Akhenaten and provides the reader with a more sympathetic argument as to the allegations of heresy, homosexuality and incest. It is her study of these allegations which prove them otherwise and thus leads to the reason why this unknown boy Tutankhamen was crowned Pharaoh more than three and a half thousand years ago. Not only does Christine El Mahdy prove the ancestry of Tutankhamen but she also questions the theories surrounding his death. It is her strong evidence which sets the basis of being able to tell the full story of Tutankhamen's life and death. I congratulate Christine El Mahdy on producing such a wonderful book.

Review by Katie Ludlow

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10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Inside the minds of the "Armarna family"., 7 Jan 2002
By Mr. M. A. Bowles "Scientist" (Lincolnshire, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
Christine El Madhy has written a riveting book that keeps your attention from start to finish. This book will appeal to the Egyptologists and the person in the street because there is enough for the enthusiast but not too much for the casual reader. The author uses her experiences in the Bolton Museum to help recreate what may have happened in 18th dynasty Egypt and in particular Armarna. Christine traces the family history and holds you spellbound with snippets of information about the main players. The enigmatic Akhenaten is dissected and the reader is treated to glimpses inside the mind, an excursion that includes the Sphinx from Akhenaten's perspective. The boy kings short life is recreated pulling in the major influences, both human and material, that played a part in his development. An image of Tutankhamen you can almost touch rises up in your mind and speaks to you. However, for those who seek an alternative view on who was found in tomb KV55, who was Smenkare, and what happened to Tutankhamen's wife when he died this book is a must. The attempted erasure from history of Akhenaten, Smenkare and Tutankamen is analysed complete with the role of Howard Carter and others in piecing it back together again. And on the subject of Howard Carter, did he know more about Tutankhamen's tomb pre-1922 than is documented in his diary...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Pot Boiler
El-Mahdy has carved herself a distinctive niche (or, since this is Egypt, maybe false door is a better term?)in fringe studies of Egyptology. Read more
Published on 7 Feb 2003 by rufus

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellently thought out and presented treatment
This book presents, in a clear and comprehensible way, a theory surrounding one of the most interesting and enigmatic periods of Egyptian history. Read more
Published on 13 Dec 2000

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent work, let down by structure
The conclusions of this book are superb, and Mahdy is excellent at pointing out the flaws in the assumptions made by many people when talking about a civilization that has left us... Read more
Published on 13 Nov 2000 by The Sheep

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read if you think you know about Akhenaten
The title of this book is really misleading - because it appears to be just another book about Tutankhamen. IT'S NOT! Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2000 by eric.secker@ecng.co.uk

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading!
Everything the other customers have said and more. After reading this book, all makes perfect sense. Read it, you won't be disappointed.
Published on 26 Aug 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Must have' for budding Egyptologists
This is definately the best book available on the subject of the life and 'family' of Tutankamen. Christine draws the most original (and very probably accurate! Read more
Published on 11 Jul 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars A very in-depth look
This is a great book, a scholarly piece of investigation. But its principle premise, which is sometimes a premise and sometimes not, is that Akhenatan had a homosexual affair with... Read more
Published on 10 Mar 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars A tremendously exciting and informative book. Superb!
Books of this 'historical conspiracy theory' genre are often written by one of two types of authors. Read more
Published on 7 Nov 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Analyses the whole Armarna period with refreshing perspectiv
Christine el Mahdy has produced a new piece of research linked to her own experience in Bolton Museum. Read more
Published on 29 Sep 1999 by tony@hascott.freeserve.co.uk

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Well Written!!
A thoroughly enjoyable book that is written in a style that everyone would understand. The writer draws the reader into the story making it interesting while still being... Read more
Published on 31 Aug 1999

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