On November 22, 1922 in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, sixteen cream colored steps were discovered. They lead to a tomb with the Royal seals still intact and the tomb unplundered. This was the Royal Tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamen. This is considered the greatest Archaeological find in history. The Tomb was discovered by a man named Howard Carter who was an archeologist and his benefactor the fifth earl of Carnarvon, also known as Lord Carnarvon
.
Lord Carnarvon had been a in serious automobile accident and had sustained severe damage to his lungs. Carnarvon's doctors recommended spending the winters in Egypt. He met Howard Carter while wintering in the desert. Carter was making his living painting historic sites for travelers at the time but was also considered an expert on Egyptology.
The tomb was located in The Valley of the Kings. The valley had been explored for centuries and was considered devoid of any more artifacts. But Carter felt there was still one area that had not been excavated.
Carnarvon after years of searching had decided to call off the endeavor. Carter was persistent and Carnarvon agreed to one more season.
On his trip back to Egypt on a ship from England, Carter brought with him a yellow canary in a cage. This bird would play a large part in the rumors to follow.
November 22, 1922 - Carter arrived at the dig to find it quiet. The workers had found something. Sixteen steps. At the end of them were the Royal Seals of Tutankhamen. The Seals were unbroken but showed signs of tampering. Carter wired Carnarvon and waited for his arrival.
When Carter opened the tomb, the lighting was dark at first, but as his eyes adjusted he couldn't believe what he saw. When Carnarvon ask what was in the tomb the only thing Carter could say was " Wonder Things". The tomb was filled with artifacts and everywhere gold. The amount gold removed from this tomb was beyond belief.
Tutankhamen was a relatively insignificant Pharaoh. He ascended the throne at about nine years of age and died at nineteen. The only reason he is known of at all was due to the archaeological find. Tutankhamen also died under mysterious circumstances.
Tutankhamen was a relatively insignificant Pharaoh. He ascended the throne at about nine years of age and died at nineteen. The only reason he is known of at all was due to the archaeological find. Tutankhamen also died under mysterious circumstances.
The find was international news and the workers at the dig named the site "The Shrine of the Golden Bird" in honor of the canary which they felt brought them good luck.
However, several days after the discovery the bird was attacked and eaten by a Cobra. The Cobra and the Vulture are the symbols for upper and lower Egypt. The Pharaoh wore these on his crown.
Now the workers said this was due to
The team assembled the artifacts for removal from the site until.......Six months after the discovery, Carnarvon was bitten by a mosquito and then cut himself while shaving and developed blood poisoning. He died shortly after. At the moment of his death all the lights in Cairo when out. This is strange because Cairo is on a four grid system. If one grid fails the other three should stay online.
Also at the exact time of his death in Egypt, Carnarvon's dog, still in England stood up, howled and fell over dead.
Also at the exact time of his death in Egypt, Carnarvon's dog, still in England stood up, howled and fell over dead.
After this several others who enter the tomb also died, the workers were sure it was from the curse. Lord Westbury's son died after entering the site and Westbury jumped from the seventh floor window of his apartment weeks later. On the way to the cemetery the hearse ran over a young boy killing him.
Most of the deaths were due to pneumonia. Some scientists feel this was due to a bacteria called Aspergilis. The Bacteria lives in area's such as tombs. It is an extremely lethal agent. Could this have been left here by the Egyptians in case of tomb plundering.
One of the more interesting facts of the case was, the amount of treasure found was unbelievable, especially for a minor Pharaoh. The tomb of Ram es the second is a huge cavern. One can only imagine how many artifacts and gold were buried here.
With all the deaths on this find, one would think something was there.
Carter however suffered no ill effect and became quite wealthy giving lecture tours.
By
Kenneth Lafler
No comments:
Post a Comment