Tutankhamun, the 18th pharaoh of the Egyptian Dynasty, was not actually one of the most important rulers in Egyptian history and died suddenly at the age of 19. What made him so famous was the discovery of his tomb in the Valley of the Kings in 1922.
When Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered, it had never been robbed and his treasure was intact. This was one of the important features that distinguished Tutankhamun from other pharaohs, but not the most important one. Because the most important feature was the curse rumors that emerged with the opening of his tomb.
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Discovery of the Tomb
On November 1, 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered an unexcavated area in the Valley of the Kings and surprisingly realized that it was an entrance. On November 26, Carter, who managed to enter with his daughter Lady Evelyn, could not believe what he saw. The tomb belonged to the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, and next to the golden sarcophagus containing the pharaoh’s mummy lay priceless treasures.
Curse Symptoms
With this discovery, mysterious events began to follow one another.
1) Carter’s beloved, lucky canary was eaten by a cobra snake of unknown origin. The cobra snake is considered a symbol of Egyptian rulers.
2) A few weeks after the discovery of the cemetery, the health of the British Lord Carnavron, who had financed the excavations, began to deteriorate. He was diagnosed with blood poisoning and died shortly afterwards. Simultaneously, the Lord’s dog Susie was said to have started howling and died. With Lord’s death, rumors of a curse intensified.
The main basis of these rumors was the hieroglyphic inscription on the Pharaoh’s tomb. The inscription reads:
“Whoever touches the Pharaoh’s tomb will be enveloped by the wings of death.
3) American billionaire George Jay Gould visited the tomb and died suddenly of a fever the same day.
4) A. C. Mace was one of Archaeologist Carter’s assistants. Suffering from fever attacks, he quit his job and died in 1928.
5) Richard Bethell was another of Archaeologist Carter’s assistants and died of circulatory failure at the age of 45.
6) Radiologist Archibald Reid was examining the mummy with X-rays to find out how old Tutankhamun was. He died shortly after returning to England.
7) Lord Carnavron’s friend also went to see the pharaoh’s tomb in Egypt, where he had come to attend the funeral, and died of high fever 12 hours later.
After these deaths, it was claimed that the tombs might contain some kind of bacteria that produces poison, but this has never been proven.
The Curse Continues
Rumors of a curse heightened interest in Tutankhamun’s tomb.
Tutankhamun’s tomb remains were exhibited in London in 1972 and later in the United States, during which time mysterious deaths occurred.
Dr. Gamaleddin Mehrez, Director of the Egyptian Antiquities Department, said that all these mysterious deaths might make people uneasy, but that a curse should never be believed. Four weeks after Mehrez’s words, he died at the age of 52.
Years have passed since these events, but the fame of Tutankhamun, one of the youngest pharaohs of Egypt, is still on the agenda. This mysterious tomb still holds many questions.
