CAIRO – 23 October 2022: Howard Carter discovered around 100 pairs of the king’s shoes as he opened the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Shoes worn by Tutankhamun – Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities
Simple papyrus-made shoes are included in the collection, as well as more ornate styles created with beads and gold sheets.
The sandals were found in various places within the tomb; some were randomly dispersed, while others were precisely arranged in designated compartments.
One of the most thrilling discoveries ever was Howard Carter’s incredible discovery of Tutankhamun’s Tomb [KV62]. In the 1920s, this discovery generated headlines all around the world, and Tutankhamun’s gilded burial mask has since come to represent ancient Egypt.
The king’s sandals have recently been the subject of an extensive research by scholars.
The study reveals that the exact number of sandals is unclear.
In King Tut’s nearly complete tomb, at least 80 samples have been found that were intended to follow him into the afterlife. Some have been found in surprisingly good condition, most notably the golden sandals that were discovered on the feet of the mummy of King Tut, according to the ancient-origins website.
Author of “Tutankhamun’s Shoes: Studies of Ancient Egyptian Shoes,” André Feldmeier, a Dutch archaeologist, studied 81 artefacts kept in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and the Luxor Museum. The extensive collection of shoes that Tutankhamun was interred with had been reduced to just this. The sandals in this collection were both beaded and stitched. Made of gold, birch bark, plant fibres, valuable stones, and leather, these were a visual feast.
King Tutankhamun may have had congenital defects brought on by inbreeding, including club feet and deformities in his feet that would have forced him to walk with a limp and necessitate the use of a stick, according to DNA studies and CT scans of his bones. Three pairs of shoes that may have been designed to help with walking were discovered to have horizontal foot straps under the toes. No other shoe or sandal is known to have these properties.
In Tutankhamun’s tomb, there were over 100 unique shoes.
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