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The Curse of King Tutanhkhamun
Problems with the Press
Likely the birth of “The Curse” stemmed from Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon’s troubled relationship with the press. To avoid constant interruptions from nosy reporters and the curious public, Carter had limited access to the dig site to a few select individuals. In addition, Lord Carnarvon had signed an exclusive contract with the London Times to help finance the expensive expedition.
Frustrated with the lack of forthcoming information, the other reporters likely decided to concoct some headlines of their own. The “Curse of King Tut” soon captured the imagination of a world still recovering from World War I and in need of an entertaining diversion.
Public Reaction
Like any great urban legend, the Curse quickly acquired a life of its own. People reported that the lights in Cairo went out at the precise moment of Carnarvon’s death (never mind that the electrical system in Egypt was extremely unreliable at this time and regularly failed.)
Carnarvon’s son even got in on the publicity action, reporting that his father’s dog, still at home at the family’s English castle, let out a pitiful cry at the moment of its master’s death, and then died also. Soon, the death or accident of anyone even remotely connected to the tomb was attributed to the Curse.
Victims of the Curse?
In reality, the mortality rate of those associated with King Tutankhamun’s tomb was relatively low. Within ten years after the opening of the tomb, only a few people directly connected to the expedition had died—not unusual considering the ruggedness of life on an archaeological excavation in the harsh Egyptian climate.
And consider the “survivors” of the curse. Lady Evelyn Carnarvon, who had entered the tomb with her father, lived until the ripe old age of 79. Most importantly, the tomb’s discoverer and head archaeologist, Howard Carter, lived another 17 years after the tomb’s opening and passed away of entirely natural causes.
Despite the lack of actual victims, the legend of the curse continues to live on today.
Continue to Examining Tut's Mummy. >>
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