Tutankhamun’s Tomb Discovered
The intact tomb of the young pharaoh, who died in the 14th century BCE, was discovered on 4 November 1922.
The entrance to Tutankhamun’s tomb had been buried by spoil thrown up during the construction of another royal tomb nearby. Its discoverer was archaeologist Howard Carter, who had first arrived in Egypt in 1891 as a 17-year-old artist.
Once he had found it, Carter covered up the tomb entrance and sent a telegram to his patron, Lord Carnarvon, to come immediately. Carnarvon had funded annual explorations in the Valley of the Kings for five years; he was on the verge of stopping funding when the discovery was made.
After Carnarvon arrived, the sealed outer door was opened; 25 steps down were cleared and Carter chiselled at a final wall. He created a hole large enough to put in a hand holding a candle, and looked in. When his patron asked what he could see, Carter replied, “Wonderful things.”
The find was of almost inexhaustible riches related to the life and the afterlife of Tutankhamun, from chariots to an ostrich-feathered fly whisk; indeed, a newspaper proclaimed it “the most sensational Egyptological discovery of the century”. There were more than 5,000 objects invoking majesty such as a golden throne and solid gold funerary mask. Daily life from over 3,000 years ago was represented by linen clothing and jars of wine.
It took 10 years to clear the tomb.
As a result of the find, Egyptomania gripped the world with jewellery, tableware and architecture being influenced by the ancient designs.
The mummy had long been a feature of horror tales, so it was unsurprising that a curse should be associated with Tutankhamun’s body, which was meant to be visited on the raiders of his tomb. This was given credence by the death of Lord Carnarvon on 5 April 1923 just five months after the tomb was discovered, from pneumonia following infection from a mosquito bite. In fact he was already in poor health after a motor accident, and the discoverers of the tomb fared no worse than others of their age and class. Carter died at 64 from Hodgkin’s disease.
‘ The find was of almost inexhaustible riches, from chariots to a fly whisk’