Why Did an Ancient Egyptian Boy King's Tomb Hold Over 130 Walking Sticks?
TL;DR — Tutankhamun’s tomb held over 130 walking sticks, and many showed the wear of real, daily use. A 2010 DNA and CT study suggests the boy king had a clubbed foot and a bone disease that made walking on his own difficult. On that reading, the staves were not royal luxuries but supports the young pharaoh actually leaned on to move.
When Howard Carter cleared Tutankhamun’s tomb, he found golden thrones, chariots, and treasure — and, oddly, a great many walking sticks. More than 130 of them. For a king who could be carried anywhere, that number is a puzzle. A modern study of his remains offers a poignant possible answer.
Why did Tutankhamun's tomb hold over 130 walking sticks?
The tomb contained over 130 staves and walking sticks among its roughly 5,000 objects. On the surface this is strange: a pharaoh would normally be carried in a litter and would hardly need dozens of walking aids.
A 2010 DNA and CT study of the mummy offers an explanation: the boy king may have had a physical impairment that made walking unaided difficult, in which case the sticks were practical supports rather than ceremonial ornaments. The study frames this as a proposal, not a certainty.
Who was Tutankhamun, the boy king?
Tutankhamun was a pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, part of the New Kingdom, who ruled around 3,300 years ago. He came to the throne very young — at roughly 8 or 9 years old — and died at about 18 or 19, after a reign of only about a decade.
He was not an especially important ruler in his own time. What made him world-famous was the survival of his nearly intact tomb, discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, filled with thousands of preserved objects.
What did the 2010 DNA and CT study find?
The 2010 study, led by a team including Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass, combined DNA analysis with CT imaging of the mummy. It reported evidence of a clubbed foot — one foot turned inward — along with bone disease (avascular necrosis, a form of bone tissue death). Together these conditions would have made it hard for him to walk unaided.
The researchers presented these as findings and interpretations, not absolute certainties. Precise conclusions about the health of a 3,300-year-old mummy remain open to debate.
Were the walking sticks a sign of luxury or of disability?
The evidence leans toward need rather than display. Many of the sticks show genuine wear consistent with regular, everyday use — not the pristine condition you would expect from purely ceremonial or decorative objects.
Read alongside the 2010 study, the wear suggests these were tools the young king relied on to get around. In that light, the staves become one of the most human traces in a tomb otherwise full of gold.
Why would a king need to walk at all if he could be carried?
Even a pharaoh does not spend every moment in a litter. Moving within palace rooms, temples, and private spaces would still require walking, and if the king struggled to do so unaided, a supply of well-used walking sticks makes practical sense.
This is part of why the sheer number — and the wear — is so striking. It hints at a daily reality behind the royal image: a boy who needed help to stand and move.
How certain is any of this?
It should be treated as a well-supported interpretation, not settled fact. The 2010 DNA and CT study is the main basis for the clubbed-foot and bone-disease reading, and careful sources phrase its conclusions as “the study suggests” or “may have.” Other explanations for Tutankhamun’s health and early death have also been proposed.
What is not in doubt is the tomb inventory itself: the many staves, and the visible wear on a good number of them. The interpretation gives those objects a moving possible meaning while keeping honest about uncertainty.
Key facts
- Tutankhamun was an 18th-Dynasty (New Kingdom) pharaoh who ruled around 3,300 years ago.
- He took the throne at roughly age 8–9 and died at about 18–19.
- His nearly intact tomb, found by Howard Carter in 1922, held about 5,000 objects.
- Over 130 walking sticks and staves were among them, many showing real wear.
- A 2010 DNA and CT study suggested a clubbed foot and bone disease that hampered walking.
- On that reading, the sticks were practical supports, not mere royal ornaments.
- The health conclusions are presented as research findings and interpretations, not certainties.
FAQ
Why were there so many walking sticks in Tutankhamun's tomb?
The tomb held over 130 staves, many worn from use. A 2010 DNA and CT study suggests the boy king had a clubbed foot and bone disease that made walking difficult, so the sticks may have been real supports rather than decorations.
Did Tutankhamun have a disability?
A 2010 study reported evidence of a clubbed foot and bone disease that could have made unaided walking hard. Researchers present this as a supported interpretation, and precise conclusions remain debated.
How old was Tutankhamun when he died?
He is thought to have died at about 18 or 19 years old, after coming to the throne around age 8 or 9 and reigning for roughly a decade.
Who discovered Tutankhamun's tomb?
The British Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb in 1922, with the backing of his patron Lord Carnarvon. It was found nearly intact, unlike most royal tombs.
Were the walking sticks valuable objects?
Some were finely made, but many show the wear of everyday use. Combined with the 2010 study, this suggests they were used as genuine walking aids rather than kept purely as luxury or ceremonial items.
Sources
- Zahi Hawass et al. (2010), "Ancestry and Pathology in King Tutankhamun's Family," JAMA
- Wikipedia — "Tutankhamun," "KV62," "Valley of the Kings."
- National Geographic — coverage of the 2010 DNA and CT study of Tutankhamun
- NPR (2010) — "Frail And Sickly, King Tut Suffered Through Life."
- World History Encyclopedia — "Tutankhamun."
Cite this article
- APA
- Our Earth's History. (2026, July 21). Why Did an Ancient Egyptian Boy King's Tomb Hold Over 130 Walking Sticks? Our Earth's History. https://ourearthshistory.com/africa/ancient/tutankhamun-130-walking-sticks/
- Chicago
- Our Earth's History. “Why Did an Ancient Egyptian Boy King's Tomb Hold Over 130 Walking Sticks?” Our Earth's History, July 21, 2026. https://ourearthshistory.com/africa/ancient/tutankhamun-130-walking-sticks/.
- MLA
- “Why Did an Ancient Egyptian Boy King's Tomb Hold Over 130 Walking Sticks?” Our Earth's History, 21 Jul. 2026, https://ourearthshistory.com/africa/ancient/tutankhamun-130-walking-sticks/.
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