Howard Carter Opens King Tut's Tomb
On November 26, 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter made a groundbreaking discovery by opening the tomb of Tutankhamen, famously known as King Tut. This ancient Egyptian ruler, who reigned during the 18th Dynasty, ascended to the throne at approximately nine years old and is notable for restoring traditional religious practices after the reign of his predecessor, Akhenaton. King Tut's tomb, located in the Valley of the Kings, was remarkably intact and contained a wealth of treasures, making it one of the most significant archaeological finds of the 20th century. Carter's excavation was sparked by a partnership with the fifth Earl of Carnarvon, who financed the search. After initial setbacks, the team uncovered the tomb, and by February 1923, they had accessed the burial chamber, which contained numerous artifacts that took ten years to catalog. The discovery sparked public interest, but it was also accompanied by sensational claims of a "curse" following the death of Carnarvon shortly after the tomb's opening. Despite the controversies, Carter's work greatly contributed to the understanding of ancient Egyptian culture, and he eventually retired to focus on collecting artifacts. He passed away in 1939, leaving behind a legacy defined by his monumental discovery.
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Howard Carter Opens King Tut's Tomb
Howard Carter Opens King Tut's Tomb
British archaeologist Howard Carter opened the tomb of Egyptian ruler Tutankhamen (alternate spellings include Tutankhamum and Tutankhaten) on November 26, 1922. Although the proper title for ancient Egyptian rulers was pharaoh and Tut is actually just a nickname, King Tut became the term coined in the popular culture for Tutankhamen. The tomb, which was largely intact, held a substantial number of treasures. It is considered one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century.
Tut was probably the brother of Smenkhkare and the son-in-law of King Akhenaton, who ruled with Smenkhkare. Evidence suggests that Tut became Pharaoh of Egypt following the death of the coregents when he was about nine years old and began his reign in 1333 b.c. Due to his youth, he was dependent on his advisors: Av, his vizier and regent, and Horemheb, the general of the armies. Tut took their advice to move his residence to Memphis, near modern Cairo, and also restored the temples, images, priests, and privileges of the traditional Egyptian gods that his mentally erratic predecessor had tried to do away with. His return to the old religions seemed to help his kingdom remain peaceful. King Tut died at about the age of 18 in 1323 b.c. The cause of his death is a mystery. He had married Akhenaton's third daughter to strengthen his claim to the throne, but because he had sired no sons, his vizier Ay became the pharaoh and may well have married Tut's widow to strengthen his own claim to power.
Carter, born on May 9, 1873, in Swaffham, Norfolk, England, was the youngest son of an artist who taught him drawing and painting. Carter developed a fascination with Egypt at an early age, and when he was 17 he joined a British-sponsored archaeological survey of Egypt known as the Egyptian Exploration Fund. Carter worked as a tracer, a person who copied drawings and inscriptions on paper so that they could be studied later. In 1892 he joined the archaeologist Flinders Petrie at El-Amarna and became a skilled excavator and archaeologist under Petrie's tutelage. Later, Carter was appointed Artist for the Egyptian Exploration Fund at the burial place of Queen Hatshepsut, where he perfected his skills in drawing, excavation, and restoration. From 1899 to 1905 Carter was first inspector general of monuments for Upper Egypt with the Egyptian Antiquities Service, where he supervised and controlled archaeology along the Nile Valley.
In 1908 Gaston Maspero, the man who had first hired Carter at the Egyptian Antiquities Service, introduced him to the fifth Earl of Carnarvon, and the two men began a partnership that would last for many years. Carter became the supervisor of the excavations that Carnarvon was funding in Thebes, and by 1914 Carter possessed one of the most valuable collections of Egyptian artifacts owned by any private citizen at that time. He also began to examine clues to determine the location of King Tut's tomb, but although he searched the Valley of the Kings for years the site eluded him. Carnarvon grew unhappy with the lack of return from his investment, and in 1922 he informed Carter that this was his last season to search for the tomb.
Work began in earnest on November 4, 1922, and within three days the team had uncovered the top of a staircase. After three weeks the staircase was excavated and a plaster block was revealed. The following day, around 4:00 p.m., Carter broke through a second plaster block and discovered the tomb of King Tut. The sepulchral chamber of the tomb was opened on February 16–17, 1923, though King Tut's actual sarcophagus would not be found until January 3, 1924. Soon after the burial chamber was opened, Carnarvon became ill and was taken to a hospital in Cairo, where he died on April 5, 1923. This caused a stir amongst the media, which began to talk about a mummy's curse. Carter himself never believed in any curse and was always annoyed at the number of letters sent to him by spiritualists from around the world.
The tomb, which had remained virtually untouched before Carter discovered it, fascinated the public. Its considerable artifacts, which took 10 years to catalog, were sent afterward to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. As for Carter, he retired from archaeology after finishing his work with King Tut and became a full-time collector of Egyptian antiquities. He died in Kensington, England, on March 2, 1939.