Mysteries of Tutankhamun's Tomb

Was there a curse?

Howard Carter wasn't expecting to deal with an ancient curse when he discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. Joining Carter was amateur Egyptologist Lord Carnarvon, who was funding the project. The pair were the first to enter the burial chamber hidden away at the end of the 18th dynasty of ancient Egypt. What they discovered was ancient wealth beyond any archaeological discovery to date.

The ancient Egyptians buried their dead with everything the deceased needed in the afterlife, from gilded furniture to jewels and even food. Did they also include a curse with this famous burial? Speculation abounded as people involved with the excavation started mysteriously dying. First, Lord Carnarvon died in Cairo, and the entire city went dark. Carnarvon’s death and the blackout created even more rumors. Next, six additional people died in connection with the tomb.

Were they somehow doomed due to an ancient curse? There is significant evidence to the contrary. For example, all six people involved with the discovery died of individual circumstances separate from the excavation. Also, most people who worked on the tomb, including Carter himself, lived an average of 20+ years after and died of natural causes.

There is another theory that thousand-year-old gasses escaping the burial chambers contributed to the deaths. Carter and Carnarvon entered the tomb before anyone else and encountered the ancient gasses firsthand. Carter's long life debunked this theory, and Carnarvon's death was due to blood poisoning.

There is one rational explanation for the idea of an ancient curse: protection. While rumors of a curse circulated, fewer people tried to visit or disturb the site. It's true when they say that all publicity, even bad (or ancient) publicity, can be a good thing. In this case, the rumor of a mummy's curse kept the curious public at bay.

Who was the first person to discover Tutankhamun's tomb?

The answer isn't who you would think. Carter and Lord Carnarvon had help with their famous discovery of Tutankhamun. A boy named Hussein Abdel Rasoul was the first person to discover the steps of the tomb.

"At the site, the boy would take the jars off the donkey and set them in the sands. However, because the jars were pointed on the bottom, he would have to dig out some of the sand to set the jars in so they would remain upright. While swishing the sand away that miraculous day, he uncovered a flat stone that looked as if it was sculpted. He rushed to tell the workers of his find, and basically, the rest is history." (source)

One of the men placed an elaborate necklace from the tomb around Hussein's neck, and a photographer captured the moment. That photograph became a memorable part of the boy's family heritage and continued with his son, who has a picture of himself holding the photo. Thus, a new family tradition was born!

Why did Tutankhamun change his name?

Tutankhamun grew up in a very chaotic time during the 18th dynasty of ancient Egypt. His father, Akhenaton, is heralded as the world's first monotheist--meaning he worshipped one god. The ancient Egyptian religion had a complex belief system with thousands of gods and goddesses. Akhenaton was determined to change the religion to worship the sun god, Aton only. He moved the capital city to the middle of the desert and named it Amarna.

This overhaul of religion caused distress throughout the country, but because Pharaoh was considered a god himself, no one revolted. That is until Akhenaton died. After his death, the capital city returned to Thebes, and the people were allowed to worship all the other gods as they did before. That meant a new Pharaoh, born with a name that exalted his father's sun god Tutankhaton was crowned Tutankhamun in honor of the old god Amun--the primary deity of Thebes.

Was Tutankhamun murdered?

It all comes down to the glue. When the ancient embalmers mummified Tutankhamun, they poured a fragranced adhesive over the inner sarcophagus, gluing the boy's body into his coffin. When Howard Carter removed Tut's body from the coffin, he had to cut it apart damaging the body.

A team of scientists in the late 1960s found bone fragments in the skull of the boy king. From this research came speculation of a murderous blow to the head from one of Tutankhamun's enemies. Further research conducted in 2006 revealed that the bone fragments found in the skull were free from embalming glue. Thus, the fragments must have occurred after the burial process, during Carter’s removal of the body, which disproves the murder theory.

So what killed the famous boy king? Recent CT scans reveal a terrible break on Tutankhamun's left leg with no signs of healing. An infection in this leg is what scientists theorize was the cause of death. Egyptians often died from infections. Perhaps he was out hunting hippos in the marshes and fell from his chariot? Little did this young Pharaoh know that the activity he loved would be the very thing that killed him.

Was the golden funeral mask made for Nefertiti?

Could the face on the famous gold mask be a woman? There are several distinctly female features on the mask, most notably the cobra uraeus and the vulture. The vulture, in particular, was worn primarily by a female ruler, most notably, a queen. However, both the cobra and vulture could represent upper and lower Egypt and the unification of the two lands. However, most kings of Egypt used only the cobra uraeus in sculpture and on reliefs. The next interesting female feature on the mask are the earring holes, typically reserved for women. However, children also had pierced ears along the ancient Nile and Tutankhamun was known as the "boy-king."

In her book, "When Women Ruled the World, " Egyptologist Kara Cooney speculates that Nefertiti ruled Egypt under the name Smenkhare after her co-rule with Akhenaton and just before Tutankhamun took the throne. Cooney also references Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves, who believes Nefertiti's tomb is located behind Tutankhamun's. Did artisans quickly repurposed her kingly collection after Tutankhamun’s untimely death and place it in his tomb instead?

Only after the gold mask was damaged and taken down for repair did scientists notice that there were erased cartouches bearing Nefertiti's royal name etched on the inside. Scientists also found these modified inscriptions on Tutankhamun's golden throne, his inner coffins, and many other items cataloged with the miraculous find. Egyptologists argue over the reason behind the editing of the names on these artifacts. Could they be family heirlooms? Even though his death was sudden, he would need them in his next life, after all.

Are the items in Tutankhamun's tombs merely family heirlooms passed down to the boy king so he could use them in the afterlife? Or could it be Nefertiti staring back at us from the gilded mask? Perhaps it's one of the mysteries that will forever stay in Tutankhamun's tomb.

Resources:

Tutankhamun's Curse

King Tut's Curse

The Boy Who Found Treasure and the Tomb of Tutankhamun

King Tut Died From Broken Leg Not Murder

"When Women Ruled The World: Six Queens of Egypt" By Kara Cooney

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