Although the exact nature of sandals remains unclear, at least 80 samples were discovered in the virtually intact tomb of King Tut, included to accompany him into the afterlife. While some were found in surprisingly good condition, others had deteriorated into mere fragments of foot straps. The best-preserved were the gold sandals discovered on the feet of King Tut’s mummy.
André Veldmeijer, a Dutch archaeologist and author of “Tutankhamun’s Footwear: Studies of Ancient Egyptian Footwear,” unearthed the study of 81 samples at Luxor Museum and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. These represented the remainder of a vast collection associated with Tutankhamun, comprising sewn sandals and bead sandals. At the time, these would have been a feast for the eyes, made with gold, bark, vegetal fibers, gemstones, leather, and gold.
DNA tests and analyses of CT scans of his remains revealed that King Tutankhamun probably suffered from debilitating conditions in his feet caused by inbreeding, including a club foot and malformations in his feet which would have caused him to walk with a limp and necessitated the use of a cane. Amongst the shoe collection discovered in his tomb, the soles of shoes were found to predict an African primate on one sandal and an Asiatic primate on the other, representing the enemies of King Tut’s kingdom. Taking into account that artistic representations were used to manifest reality in ancient Egypt, the message was quite clear. Every time the pharaoh took a step, he would have literally been stepping on the faces of his enemies.
