• King Tutankhamen's tomb was unsealed on February 12, 1923. His tomb was discovered by English Egyptologist, Howard Carter. Howard Carter worked with Lord Carnarvon and several servants. He searched for seven years in the Valley of the Kings. Carter and Carnarvon were digging when they happened upon something very peculiar.

    While Carter's dig proceeded, they discovered a series of mysterious steps near the former grave site of King Ramses VI. This set of steps led to a sealed doorway. Once the doorway was cleared of debris, Carter bored a hole through the other side and peered in. As he looked in through the hole, he was dumbfounded. So dumbfounded that when Carnarvon asked if he saw anything, all he could manage to say was, "Yes, wonderful things."

    Those "wonderful things" were the treasures of Tutankhamen. Since King Ramses' tomb was built overtop of Tutankhamen's tomb, the rubble sealed the tomb from view, never to be seen for over 3,000 years. The tomb's treasures remained in tact for such a time; the sight was made even more remarkable. Carter knew that every one of these precious, and not to mention priceless treasures, must be carefully documented and removed for study.

    The tomb was kept in tact for so long. It was safe from tomb robbers and flash floods alike. It was so concealed that, as mentioned before, it took Carter nearly a decade to find it. In addition, it took several months to document and remove it's miraculous treasures.

    When Carter peered into the tomb, he saw nothing but gold. There were golden chariots, gold statues, many golden dismantled boats and catamarans (believed to help the spirit, or ka over to the next life.) Of coarse, there was also the many sarcophgi. Only one was made of solid gold. The solid gold sarcophagus concealed the boy king.

    The many tantalizing treasures were kept well under the tomb of King Ramses VI's tomb. Since the Tomb was immersed in dirt, sand, and rubble, the flash floods that happened sometimes in the Valley of the Kings did not reach the treasures. While King Ramses' tomb was probably being washed away, King Tutankhamen's tomb stayed cozy, nestled in the dust of the Valley of the Kings.

    After the tomb was discovered, Lord Carnarvon recieved a mosquito bite on his cheek. He later died of pneumonia. The media erupted about "King Tut's Curse." They may not have been too far off. But many stories exist about the curse. Like the one where Carter found a tablet which read:
    "Death will slay with his wings whoever disturbs the peace of the pharaoh"
    They say the tablet was wiped from the recored. It was never sketched or documented.
    Another story is that they found a second golden archway. The archway read nearly the same thing:
    "They who enter this sacred tomb shall swift be visited by wings of death."
    Yet another was inscribed in stone which carter buries:
    "Let the hand raised against my form be withered! Let them be destroyed who attack my name, my foundation, my effigies, the images like unto Me!"
    The last that we know of is that the curse was inscribed at the mud base of a candle at the Anubis alter:
    "It is I who hinder the sand from choking the secret chamber. I am the protection for the deceased and I will kill all those who cross this threshhold into the sacred precincts of the Royal King who lives forever."


    Carter thought these curses were ridiculous. Maybe they were, for he never was harmed, and he was the one who opened the tomb. But, then again, maybe that was the curse, to watch his loved ones die, or workers flee. We may never know, but I believe there may be a curse.





    The tomb still stands (if you can call it standing) in the Valley of the Kings. The boy king was returned to his resting place. His sarcophagus was covered with a glass plate. Now thousands of people lay eyes on him. All those people wonder different things. "How did he die?" "Was he murdered?" "Is there really a curse?" We don't know. We may never find out. For all we know is, the young pharaoh lie safe, in the Valley of the Kings. Forever.