February 16:

1923 : Archaeologist opens tomb of King Tut

On this day in 1923, in Thebes, Egypt, English archaeologist Howard
Carter enters the sealed burial chamber of the ancient Egyptian ruler
King Tutankhamen.

Because the ancient Egyptians saw their pharaohs as gods, they
carefully preserved their bodies after death, burying them in
elaborate tombs containing rich treasures to accompany the rulers into
the afterlife. In the 19th century, archeologists from all over the
world flocked to Egypt, where they uncovered a number of these tombs.
Many had long ago been broken into by robbers and stripped of their
riches.

When Carter arrived in Egypt in 1891, he became convinced there was at
least one undiscovered tomb--that of the little known Tutankhamen, or
King Tut, who lived around 1400 B.C. and died when he was still a
teenager. Backed by a rich Brit, Lord Carnarvon, Carter searched for
five years without success. In early 1922, Lord Carnarvon wanted to
call off the search, but Carter convinced him to hold on one more
year.

In November 1922, the wait paid off, when Carter's team found steps
hidden in the debris near the entrance of another tomb. The steps led
to an ancient sealed doorway bearing the name Tutankhamen. When Carter
and Lord Carnarvon entered the tomb's interior chambers on November
26, they were thrilled to find it virtually intact, with its treasures
untouched after more than 3,000 years. The men began exploring the
four rooms of the tomb, and on February 16, 1923, under the watchful
eyes of a number of important officials, Carter opened the door to the
last chamber.

Inside lay a sarcophagus with three coffins nested inside one another.
The last coffin, made of solid gold, contained the mummified body of
King Tut. Among the riches found in the tomb--golden shrines, jewelry,
statues, a chariot, weapons, clothing--the perfectly preserved mummy
was the most valuable, as it was the first one ever to be discovered.
Despite rumors that a curse would befall anyone who disturbed the
tomb, its treasures were carefully catalogued, removed and included in
a famous traveling exhibition called the "Treasures of Tutankhamen."
The exhibition's permanent home is the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

history.com/tdih.do



General Interest
1923 : Archaeologist opens tomb of King Tut
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