King Tutankhamun Not Disabled, Sickly But More Warrior-Like, Experts Say

King Tutankhamun was healthy and well when he was alive. A new report debunked the claims that the famous Egyptian pharaoh had deformities and was sick and frail.

King Tutankhamun's Health Discussed

It has become historical folklore that Egypt's most illustrious monarch, King Tutankhamun, had a club foot and was weak and disfigured. Around 130 complete and broken sticks in various sizes, forms, and patterns were found in his coffin; it has been hypothesized that these were walking sticks to aid his mobility.

However, according to analysts, the late Egyptian leader was a battle-tested warrior rather than the malnourished boy-king of folklore. This week's Cheltenham Science Festival heard from three specialists on ancient Egypt who said that such an assumption might not be accurate, Daily Mail reported.

According to Sofia Aziz, a biological Egyptologist, she doesn't think there is evidence showing that King Tutankhamun was disabled. She added that when she studied the famous pharaoh, there was no clear evidence he had a "club foot," as she had seen mummies with the said condition. According to her, the changes in his body were what they called "pseudo-pathological alterations," and the walking sticks or canes were a sign of his royalty.

The specialist contends that the "club foot" might have resulted from the mummification procedure, as applying glue and tight bandaging can deform the foot's structure.

She claims that a much-noticed missing middle bone in the second toe of his left foot may have vanished after his remains were placed in a sandbox or stolen by someone as a memento.

Aziz noted that the king's legs were well-aligned, noting that if he had a club foot, he would have had difficulty with his mobility. The expert who had examined over 50 mummies said his long bones showed no signs of deformity.

Dr. Campbell Price, curator of Egypt at Manchester Museum, also spoke on the ancient Egyptian pharaoh at the scientific festival. He concurs that the idea of a sickly boy-king is most likely a hoax.

King Tutankhamun is not what you would anticipate from the man wearing the golden mask. He wholeheartedly believed that since it depicts the world of the gods, nothing in pharaonic art represents how humans looked. However, it has gone the other way, and people see him as this pitiful creature.

He noted that Tutankhamun was discovered after the First World War ended, and people had lost young men in the trenches. As a result, there was a sense of collective grief for young men who died in battle, probably prompting the myth that the young king was a feeble boy.

He also agreed with Aziz that the canes discovered in his tom were symbols of prestige and pointed out that they bore images of his adversaries, particularly the Nubians who lived nearby.

The debunking of a sickly Tutankhamun was amazing, according to Raksha Dave, honorary president of the Council for British Archaeology, who presided over the science festival talk on the boy-king. She noted that it's a more rigorous, scientific, and refreshingly modern viewpoint on a story that is 100 years old and how you can actually approach it differently.

King Tutankhamun's Facial Reconstruction

MailOnline shared snaps of the results of the facial reconstruction. Brazilian graphics specialist Cicero Moraes contributed to the work on the new study. He adds that King Tutankhamun's restoration, in his opinion, made him appear to be a youthful lad with a delicate appearance. According to Mr. Moraes, facial reconstruction made King Tutankhamun, someone with many duties, look more like a young student, making the famous pharaoh more fascinating and intriguing.

Check out more news and information on Ancient Egypt in Science Times.