A British journalist who was frustrated that he was not allowed to cover the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt a century ago is the one who invented the myth surrounding the curse that strikes anyone who enters the young Pharaonic king’s tomb complex – a new documentary claims.
The English Archaeologist, Howard CarterDiscovered the tomb of Tut Anach Amun in the Valley of the Kings in early November 1922. After four months of clearing the stones and rubble, Carter entered the hall, and inside were discovered many gold treasures, four statues of gods and a sarcophagus inside which were three coffins. The embalming of Tut Anach Amun, the 11th interference in the 18th dynasty that ruled ancient Egypt which led Egypt from the age of nine until his death at the age of 18.
Media outlets around the world sent reporters to cover the opening of the tomb on February 16, 1923, but Carter, fearing that nothing would be discovered and that it would become a joke, decided to control the message and granted coverage to the London Times. Along with Carter, the chief financier of the search, Lord Carnerbon, also entered the tomb hall, who did not hide his satisfaction with the discovery.
Granting exclusivity to the Times would frustrate journalists, especially Arthur Vigal, an ancient Egyptian scholar who became a journalist in the Daily Mail, the Times’ rival newspaper. According to a new documentary to be aired tomorrow on British Channel 4 and examined, Vigal saw the happy and defiant Lord Carnerbon: “If he goes down in that mood, I’ll give him six months to live.”
Six weeks later, on April 5, Carnerbon did die at a hotel in Cairo after suffering from pneumonia and blood poisoning due to a mosquito bite. After another six weeks, American businessman George Gay Gold also died of pneumonia after visiting the grave. In the following years there were more deaths of personalities associated with the historical discovery.
For Vigal, the deaths, especially of Lord Carnerbon, were proof of the existence of the curse around the tomb and he published articles designed to strengthen his claims about the “evil spirit”. The mysterious deaths also provided much material to the other tabloids that helped spread the curse myth. The documentary links some of the deaths to bacteria that were released from the grave and affected people with chronic breathing problems.
The program’s presenter, palaeoanthropologist Alaa al-Shimhani, noted that one of the surprising details is why only white men died, while there were more Egyptian workers on the ground. “There was a lot of hysteria at the time,” she said. “The press went crazy, but no one asked the obvious questions, like why no Egyptian worker died from the curse.”