100 years later – examining the curse of Tutankhamun

As we are coming up on the 100^th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, which was discovered in November 1922 by British Egyptologist and archaeologist, Howard Carter, we thought we would investigate the claims of a curse and find out more about the expedition.

Howard Carter began working on the excavations of tombs in Egypt with his benefactor, Lord Carnarvon in 1907. Seven years later, Carnarvon got the necessary permissions to dig in the Valley of the Kings, an expedition that was halted due to the breakout of WWI – it wouldn’t be until 1922, that the pair returned to the Valley of the Kings and began investigating areas that had not yielded much to previous searchers. The initial discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb was on 4^th November 1922, when the team’s water boy stumbled across what appeared to be a flight of stairs. The steps were dug out and a doorway found, by the 24^th November, they had uncovered the outer doorway, the corridor and the door to the tomb itself. The Egyptian Department of Antiquities were notified and the tomb secured, but Carter, along with Lord Carnarvon, Lady Evelyn Herbert and Arthur Callender, another member of the team, made an unauthorised visit making them the first people in modern times to enter. The following day, the tomb was opened in the presence of officials from Egypt and it was discovered that the tomb had been virtually untouched for over 3000 years and had over 5000 items inside. It was then officially opened to invited dignitaries on 29^th November. However, what most people seem to remember about the whole expedition is the supposed curse that Carter unwittingly unleashed – so, was there a curse? Let’s find out.

Firstly, let’s find out who Tutankhamun was.

Tutankhamun (aka King Tut) was the last of his royal family to rule during the end of the 18^th dynasty. His parents were believed to be siblings, his father was Akhenaten, the husband of Nefertiti, but it was discovered that Tutankhamun’s mother was his father’s younger sister who is known to historians as the Younger Lady. Perhaps because of this, his remains showed that he had a deformity in his foot that required the use of a cane and other issues including scoliosis. He took the throne at nine and would go on to marry his own half sister, the two lost both their daughters at a young age.

Tutankhamun died in around 1323 BC at about 18 years of age, in the Valley of the Kings, where pharaohs have been buried there from the 16^th – 11^th centuries BC. Most of these tombs had been broken into and damaged, but Tutankhamun’s was the first to be found that had been almost undisturbed – the pharaoh’s tomb contained his mummified body, religious objects, paintings and everything else you would think a king would need in the afterlife.

King Tut died at 18, possibly because of his array of health conditions, Egyptian art from the time also depicts him has having unusual features and build, leading many researchers to theorise which conditions may have led to his untimely demise. It is thought that he may have died unexpectedly as his tomb is considered to be small by royal standards, perhaps he was placed there while his actual tomb was still under construction but ended up being left where he was… That is, until Howard Carter and his team turned up.

So, about this curse. It is true that there have been several strange deaths and incidents that befell those involved with the discovery of the tomb. It’s believed that overall, the curse, if there is one, has claimed around 25 lives. Here are some of the victims of the so-called curse.

The canary

Yes, those who went underground frequently took canaries with them, so you could argue that canaries are expected to die on these expeditions, but not necessarily in the horrific way that Carter’s lost its life. The bird was discovered being strangled by a cobra – a creature symbolic with the Egyptian monarchy – on the very day that the staircase was discovered. Carter’s staff warned him that this was a bad omen, but he brushed off their fears and just made sure that the snake had been removed from the site.

Lord Carnarvon

The man that financed the trip and much of Carter’s discoveries was Lord Carnarvon who died just a few months after the excavation. It started off normally enough, he was bitten by a mosquito – not unusual in Egypt. The bite however became infected, and he died not long after. According to reports from the time, at the same time that Carnarvon succumbed to his illness, all the lights in Cairo were affected by a huge powercut and back in England, his dog, Susy, awoke suddenly in the night and then dropped dead herself. Other reports indicated that on examination, the mummified body of Tutankhamun had a healing wound on his cheek, in a similar place to where Lord Carnarvon was bitten – coincidence? Exaggeration?

Richard Bethell

While the first two can be explained, it is of course common to see snakes and get infections from insect bites, this one is a mystery. Richard Bethell worked as a secretary to Lord Carnarvon and travelled with him to the excavation. It is said that he was the second person to ever go into the tomb (Carter was the first) and was present during the clandestine visit. He was found dead seven years later in his private rooms at an elite gentleman’s club in London. Police reports reveal that he was murdered, likely by smothering, but who did the deed and how they got to him remains unsolved. Another murder has also been attributed to the curse, that of Prince Ali Kamel Fahmy Bey. The Egyptian prince was shot by his wife in 1923.

Sir Archibald Reid

Unlike the others, Reid wasn’t even in Egypt – he worked as a radiologist and was given the job of x-raying Tutankhamun’s remains before it went to the museum. Strangely, he fell seriously ill the day after the xray and died three days later following emergency surgery.

Sir Bruce Ingram

Ingram received a paperweight from Carter following the excavation which was said to be made of a mummified hand with a scarab bracelet. Soon after bringing the gift into his home, the house burned down and when it was rebuilt, then flooded.

Howard Carter

Carter himself would live much longer than Canarvon – he died aged 64 at home from Hodgkin’s disease – a type of cancer that develops in the lymph nodes, something that many believe was caused by the curse.

So, was there a curse?
The stories of a curse protecting the pharaohs and their final resting places have been around for centuries, so it is no wonder that when Tutankhamun’s remains were discovered, people were wary. However, rational minds have been explaining the incidents – for instance, exhuming gravesites that have been buried for thousands of years likely releases moulds and other bacteria, so those getting too close would likely be exposed to these things which could cause health issues later on. It should be noted though that there was no evidence of a curse written anywhere in the tomb and of the 26 people who were actually on the team, only 6 died within a short period of time after the excavation. Many people put the whole thing down to superstition but it’s fun to think otherwise.