Tutankhamun's Tomb and the Curse of the Mummies: History Short Reads, #2

By Benjamín Collado Hinarejos

An almost unknown pharaoh, a hidden tomb beneath the sands of the desert, a treasure like no one had seen before.
     The discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb supposed undoubtedly the most spectacular achievement of archeology of the twentieth century, and despite what many think was not a chance finding, but the result of years of hard work of a tireless man in search of a dream, an impossible; the eternal resting place of a dark king who had left just few traces of his passage through this world.
His tomb, almost intact and full of undreamed riches, stimulated the imagination of the astonished viewers of the whole world, who soon trembled at the supposed curse that annihilated everyone who had anything to do with the tomb of the Pharaoh Child. Today we know that the only curse was the one that suffered the body of the poor king, humiliated and dismembered unceremoniously for wrest the fantastic jewelry we see today in the Cairo museum.
     In this work I provide an overview of everything that surrounded this fabulous discovery, focusing on the lesser known aspects and questions we have always done: who was really Tutankhamun?, did he die naturally or was killed?, why was his mummy dismembered?, Did Carter and Carnarvon steal objects from the grave? and, is Queen Nefertiti buried in the same tomb?
     These and many other questions are answered in the pages of this book that I'm sure will delight all fans of ancient Egypt and History in general.
 

This book is included in my "History Short Readings" series, in which I present episodes or specific aspects of history with a special appeal to the general public. I intend to do this without neglecting the depth and quality at any time, and always in an entertaining tone which I hope will delight all history lovers.
     Although the covered topics could fill more voluminous works, I made an effort of synthesis, avoiding the more technical aspects, and always looking for concise narratives that would allow us to read them at a stretch.
 

I hope you enjoy it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Benjamín Collado Hinarejos
• Release date: Jul 24, 2016
• ISBN: 9781533704733

Benjamín Collado Hinarejos

El amor por la historia y la arqueología me ha acompañado desde niño, y he tenido la suerte de crecer en una zona rica en restos procedentes de diversas culturas pasadas; algo que me ha dado la oportunidad de participar en numerosas excavaciones arqueológicas en yacimientos de época ibérica y romana en la Comunidad Valenciana (España). Soy licenciado en Historia, especializado en Historia Antigua y Protohistoria, y hasta ahora he publicado en papel los libros “Los íberos” (Akal, 2013), y “Los íberos y su mundo” (Akal, 2014). Además de este libro también he autopublicados los e-books “La tumba de Tutankamon y la maldición de las momias” (2014), y “Los íberos y la guerra” (2014).

Book preview

About the Author

My love for history and archeology have accompanied me since childhood, and I’ve been fortunate to grow up in an area rich in remains from various past cultures; something that has given me the opportunity to participate in numerous archaeological excavations in ruins of the Iberian and Roman period in Spain. I graduated in History, specializing in Ancient History and Protohistory, and so far I have published the books The Iberians -Spanish- (Akal, 2013), The Iberians and their World -Spanish- (Akal, 2014), The Iberians and the War -Spanish- (Amazon, 2014), The Royal Mummies' Hideout -English- (Amazon, 2015), Tutankhamun’s Tomb and the Curse of the Mummies -English- (Amazon, 2015), The Silver Pharaohs -English- (Amazon, 2016), and Sex and Erotism in Ancient Egypt - English- (Amazon, 2016).

© Benjamin Collado Hinarejos, 2016. All rights reserved. The total or partial reproduction of text and images owned by the author without express authorization is prohibited. If you need any of these images, please contact the author.

Tutankhamun’s Tomb and the Curse of the Mummies

Table of Contents

About the Author

Table of Contents

First Part: Tutankhamun's Tomb

Introduction. The start of an amazing adventure

The First Excavations

But, who was Tutankhamun?

The Discovery of the Tomb

A Colossal Work

Growing Pains

The First Mummy Study, the Carnage.

What was the Cause of Death of the Pharaoh Child?

Is Nefertiti in KV-62?

Second Part: the Curse of the Mummies

The Beginning of Madness

Psychosis Spreads

Possible Explanations of the Deaths

Conclusion

Bibliography:

Photo Credits:

First Part: Tutankhamun's Tomb

Introduction. The start of an amazing adventure

—Can you see anything?

—Yes, wonderful things.

This brief dialogue between Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter, at the moment the latter looked for the first time inside Tutankhamun's tomb after three thousand years of darkness, packages into those few words many years of work and quest. Hard work digging under the merciless Egyptian sun, and intense quest for the remains that this ancient civilization, daughter of the Nile, left scattered all over the country. A search that was soon redirected to a more specific task, the location of an elusive and almost unknown pharaoh, a king insignificant for many, but which became overnight the best known of the rulers of Egypt; and the discovery of his tomb in one of the biggest moments of world archaeology of all time, and certainly the most recognized by the public.

But to get to this great discovery, there was a need to walk a long road plagued by uncertainties, setbacks and moments of discouragement, surpassed only by the strong will to move forward and a combative character that distinguished Carter.

We can start our story well before that of November 26th, 1922, specifically in 1891. That year the young Carter, who had partly learned and partly inherited from his father a remarkable ability for drawing and painting, left his England homeland and traveled to Egypt at only 17 years-old, employed by the Egypt Exploration Fund through Egyptologist Percy Newberry to copy the reliefs and inscriptions of various monuments from Beni Hasan and El-Bersha. In fact, his first contact with Egyptian antiquities was somewhat earlier, as he had the opportunity to sketch the collection of a wealthy Norfolk landowner: Lord Amherst. Once in Egypt he was also able to work for a few years with eminent Egyptologists such as Flinders Petrie, who was excavating in El Amarna, or Edouard Neville, who did the same in Deir el Bahari. From them he learned the techniques of excavation, since Carter lacked any academic training related to archaeology or history, but also learned firsthand the management of human and material resources, which often caused more headaches than the excavations themselves.

Carter soon acquired prestige with his drawings, far superior in quality to those other colleagues were doing, since he was not limited to the tracing of the reliefs and paintings, but rather he copied them with impeccable technique.

His good work and the recommendation of Neville lead to Gaston Maspero, chief back then of the Egyptian Antiquities Service, to appoint him Inspector General of Monuments of Upper Egypt in 1899; a charge he exchanged in 1904 to the one of Inspector of Lower Egypt.

During his time in Deir el Bahari an episode that decisively influenced Carter's way of working took place. Once the area suffered a heavy storm, when he headed to the temple the next day to check the damage, his horse caught one of its legs within a hole in the sand. After inspecting Carter believed it to be a possible tomb, but it was outside his concession area, so he couldn't excavate it. When shortly after he got his position as inspector, he decided to excavate the site and, indeed, he found a tomb (which has since become known as the Tomb of the Horse) which had a sarcophagus, a statue wrapped in fabric and several containers. But, what really intrigued him was a closed shaft he considered would lead to an intact burial chamber. He organized an official opening attended by various authorities, but when they opened the shaft they only found some vases and votive boats. This gaffe made Carter become more cautious, as