BOOK REVIEW

 A True Story

GP Putman's Sons, Penguin Putnam Inc., 1998

Bob Brier Ph.D. (Long Island Univ.,USA)

 Rating * * * * *

Dr. Bob Brier, a distinguished academic paleopathologist, the author of three books (Ancient Egyptian Magic, Egyptian mummies, and Encyclopedia of Mummies) and host of the popular six-part series shown on TLC (The Learning Channel), The Great Egyptians, has once again released another one of his elegant books, entitled Murder of Tutankhamen: A True Story. This beautifully written book analyzes in 264 pages, 9 chapters, 26 figures the three possible causes of the Ancient Egyptian King's death before the end of his teenage years: the natural theory, accidental theory, and the rising murder theory.

However, the idea of King Tut's murder is in fact more than two decades old. In 1978, William MacQuitty, an honorary MA from Queen University Belfast, fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Photographic Society and producer of the film A Night To Remember about the sinking of the Titanic, published his third book about Pharaonic Egypt. His book, published by The Crown Publishers (NY) was entitled Tutankhamen: The Last Journey. MacQuitty proposed for the first time the possibility of the boy-king's assassination. He discussed in his book the speculated causes for the early death of young king.

Twenty years later, in his many expeditions of academic paleopathologists, Brier visited Egypt, climbed the pyramids, looked into the underground galleries of the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, and all the museums containing relevant data. During his stays in Egypt, he visited the late Prof. Douglas Derry's Cache in the Kaser Al-Aini department of anatomy and reexamined with Prof. Fawzy Gaballah, Head of the department in Cairo University the two fetuses found 75 years ago in King Tut's tomb. As part of his research for his book on Tutankhamen, he also visited museums in Egypt, UK, USA, Germany, and Turkey in search of any evidence supporting his much-argued murder theory. Brier also reassessed King Tut's skull X-ray done by Prof. Harrison (Liverpool Univ.) for any data in conjunction with the murder theory.

Brier's book not only tackles the initial interpretation of the assassination theory, his forensic investigative technique is extremely intriguing, lending itself to further discussion on this fascinating story. Brier, once again, as he had done in his previous books and television documentaries has brought ancient history closer to our everyday lives, creating an appreciation for a civilization we owe much of our knowledge to. Brier's empirical style of research concludes that the King's death could have been natural, yet emphasizing the possibility of the murder theory. Nonetheless it may have simply been an accident, it is doubtful if the truth will ever be known.

Nonetheless, Brier succeeds in bringing together investigative curiosity, historical research, a scientific methodology of analysis and a fluidity in written style. The Murder of Tutankhamen: A True Story bestsellers status is definitely well-deserved and is undoubtedly on The Ambassadors' must-read list for interested readers.

The Ambassadors encourages you to read Murder of Tutankhamen: A True Story which proves to be a challenging read for historians, theologists, anthropologists, medico-Egyptologists, paleopathologists, radiologists, investigators, prosecutors, and lawyers. We would also encourage you to send in your comments.

The Ambassadors features 2 questions on each reviewed book in its monthly issues. All readers are invited to answer these questions. The best responses will be published in following issues.

QUESTIONS on MURDER OF TUTANKHAMEN: A TRUE STORY

1: Was King Tut's death natural, accidental or murder? (If murder, answer the next question too)

2: Who killed the Golden Monarch?

All desiring to be challenged to think creatively about the potential for coping with a

growing array of global problems will find this volume to be stimulating reading.

Penetrating analyses of past and present experience in a broad array of "laboratories"

in the UN system are pointed toward illuminating future potential.

Twenty-two scholars from all continents contribute twelve chapters that encompass prevention of violence, creating economic and social structures that sustain human fulfillment, sharing and protecting the commons, and peace education. The search for future potential, based on experience in these twelve "laboratories," leads to sixty-six recommendations for new institutions and programs on issues that include controlling weapons, humanitarian intervention, collaboration between UN peacekeepers and NGOs, human rights, economic policies, advancement of women, refugees, ecological security, communications, and peace education. These recommendations are brought together in a concluding chapter and summarized in an appendix.

The recommendations include proposals for the Bretton Woods Institutions, the IAEA, ILO, ITU, the Trusteeship Council, the UN Centre for Human Rights, UNCTAD, the UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, the UNU, and WIPO. Suggested new institutions include a UN Institute for Mediation and Depute Resolution, NGO Rapid Response Teams, an Early Warning Information Service, a UN Peace Education Fund, a World Court for the Environment, enhancement of UN capacity for institutional memory, continuing education for UN staff, and wider participation for local governments and organizations.

Most of these recommendations do not require amendments to the UN Charter or to the Treaties establishing the UN specialized agencies. Instead, their implementation would require creative efforts of Member States, secretariats, NGOs, and dedicated individuals that are pointed towards attainment of multilateral capacity for coping with an array of problems that increasingly threaten the quality of human life throughout the globe.

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