Debate: Curse of Tutankhamen's Tomb

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Was there really a curse on the tomb of Tutankhamen?

Background and context

It has always been an ancient Egyptian myth that if you disturb a Pharoah's tomb, a curse will be put upon you. The idea was to stop grave robbers because in all the tombs there was always expensive and rich jewellery and other products. It didn't deter some non-superstitious people from thousands of years ago, because most graves did get robbed.

Most people would think that myth is absurd. However, there is some evidence from 1922 when Lord Carnarvon entered Tutankhman's tomb that a curse may have been put upon him for disturbing the tomb. He died about a month later mysteriously at the same time as his dog. There is also more evidence to prove that there may have been a curse on this tomb.

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Lord Carnarvon: Was his suspicious death caused by an Egyptian curse?

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Yes

• Lord Carnarvon died about a month after visiting the tomb.

• Before Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter entered the tomb, they were warned about the rumor of an ancient Egyptian curse that was set upon the tomb. In ancient times it was supposed to stop grave robbers from entering the tomb and stealing the valuables.

• Lord Carnarvon died after getting very sick. Doctors think this may have been from a mosquito bite. After unwrapping the muummy, experts discovered that Tutankhamen had a wound on his right cheek, in exactly the same place as Carnarvon was fatally bitten by the mosquito.

• When Carnarvon died in Egypt, his dog in England howled and dropped dead at exactly the same time.

• All of these things can't have been a coincidence, it surely might have been the tomb's curse.

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No

• Lord Carnarvon's death was a coincidence and Howard Carter lived a long time afterwards.

• Lord Carnarvon's death was inevitable, and simply a coincidence. Howard Carter also entered the tomb with Carnarvon and he died peacefully over 17 years later. If there was a curse, he should have been affected too.

• And thousands of tourists have also been in the tomb. None of them have mysteriously died.

• Lord Carnarvon may have been killed by poisonous mold spores in the tomb.

• Some rumors state that it wasn't a curse that killed Lord Carnarvon. He was the first person to enter the tomb and the sudden gust of fresh air might have triggered a mold spore that poisoned Carnarvon through inhalation and eventually killed him. This is a very likely scientific explanation.

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Other Evidence: What other evidence do we have to support each side?

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Yes

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No

Lord Carnarvon's death was a coincidence.

Just because Lord Carvnarvon died about a month after visiting the tomb from an illness, doesn't mean it was from a curse. Curses do not exist.

The media has exaggerated the point about a "curse".

The one coincidence about Carnarvon's death has got the media over-exited because the rumor of a curse got them thinking. They came up with some more ridiculous stories but really, the whole "curse" myth is nonsense. If there really was a curse, Howard Carter would have been affected too. He died peacefully 17 years later, however.

Millions of people visit Tut's tomb every year.

Every year, millions of people go to visit one of the most important discoveries from Ancient Egypt - Tut's tomb. If there really was a curse, all of these people should be dead. Not one tourist has died mysteriously after visiting the tomb so it must be curse-free and perfectly safe.

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Grave Robber: Was the person that robbed Tutankhamen's tomb prior to the 1922 opening Howard Carter?

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Yes

The tomb had been undiscovered before Howard Carter for thousands of years.

As we know from Howard Carter (the archaeologist who found Tutankhamen's tomb), it was buried under a lot of desert and sand and he had to dig for several days to get to the entrance. The tomb must have been like that for thousands of years before and grave robbers would have been able to find it. After the time Howard Carter found the tomb, he had to wait 17 days before he could open it (he was waiting for Lord Carnarvon to arrive because he had funded the dig). He would have been the only person able to access the tomb for thousands of years and therefore it surely had to have been him. He must have got impatient, unsealed the tomb, took a few things and then resealed it again.

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No

It is absurd to blame someone like Howard Carter for that.

Howard Carter is an archaeologist and if he stole the goods inside the tomb, they wouldn't have any value because he wouldn't tell anyone that he stole them - it would be bad for his reputation. To blame Howard Carter for robbing a grave is absolutely ridiculous. He wouldn't have done something like that. It would have been someone from 4000-5000 years ago when the items inside the tomb had value, grave robberies were common and the tomb wasn't buried under the Valley of the Kings.

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Did Howard Carter know about the tomb before he told Lord Carnarvon?

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Yes

Some theories state that Howard Carter did know several years before he told anyone.

This is one theory: Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamen's tomb several years before he told Lord Carnarvon about. He was trying to make the discovery known at a more worthwhile time.

After many seasons, Carter was called to England by Carnarvon and was told that because in the many seasons he had been digging, he had not discovered anything worthwhile. Thus, he decided to stop funding Carter's archaeological digs. However, Carter managed to convince him to fund one more season.

About a month later, Howard Carter sent a telegram to Lord Carnarvon telling him of the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb. Carnarvon was most pleased he had funded an extra year, although Carter may just have found it a few years before, and saved it for a more worthwhile time.

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No

That kind of thing wouldn't happen in reality. Just think about it in reality - nobody would keep that kind of secret for that long in real life. For example, if you found an ancient tomb and mummy in your backyard, would you wait to be financially insecure before you told anyone? No; I don't think Carter would just wait to be financially insecure to tell anyone about the greatest discovery of that decade.

See also

External links

• "Howard Carter and the "Curse of the Mummy""