The Curse of Tutankhamun

By Derek Olson

It’s 1922 in Thebes, Egypt, and the esteemed archaeologist, Howard Carter, alongside his financial backer, Lord Carnarvon, holds a flickering match up to the darkness. They’re underneath the Egyptian sand, at the mouth of the tomb of the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Hot air, trapped for 1000s of years, escapes the ancient doorway…

“…As my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues, and gold – everywhere the glint of gold. For the moment – an eternity it must have seemed to the others standing by – I was struck dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon, unable to stand the suspense any longer, inquired anxiously, ‘Can you see anything?’ it was all I could do to get out the words, ‘Yes, wonderful things.”’ – Howard Carter

British archaeologist Howard Carter had just discovered the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, who died in 1323 BC aged about 18, in the Valley of the Kings, across the Nile from Luxor in Egypt. Pharaohs had been buried there from the 16th to the 11th centuries BC. Most of the tombs had been plundered from early times and Tutankhamun’s was the first to be found almost entirely undisturbed.

After years and years of searching, the pair had found the final resting place of the famous child king, uncovering the most well-preserved tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings.

Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon became instant celebrities, but all was not well for long… Soon afterward a string of mysterious deaths would strike many involved in the archaeological excavation of King Tut’s tomb – including Lord Carnarvon…

As legend has it, there is an ancient curse associated with the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs. Disturbing these embalmed remains has been said to bring bad luck, illness and death…

Were these strange deaths the result of an ancient curse or were they just due to circumstantial coincidence?

Watch the full video episode below