Is The Curse Of King Tutankhamen Real?
Egypt is a land of mysteries, magics, and mummies. It is a known fact that ancient Egyptians performed magical rituals during funerals. Most of the Egyptian paintings on tombs, temples, and pyramids suggest that mummies could return to life and seek revenge. This concept was intensified among people when the Hollywood movie, "The Mummy" was released. We can argue that this movie was based on fiction but even today the curse of Tutankhamen is a mystery for archaeologists all over he world. He is the most popular Egyptian pharaoh known to the modern people. More than 90 years had passed since the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb but still today the curse of Tutankhamen is haunting archaeologists.
Who Was Tutankhamen
Tutankhamen was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled between 1333 BC to 1324 BC. He was born with the name Tutankhaten given by his father because he worshipped the sun god "Aten" but later in his life Tutankhaten changed his name to Tutankhamen to signify the importance of "Amun", a god of air, and fertility. He became the ruler of Egypt at the young age of eight and he was popularly known as King Tut. As he was very young to rule, he was helped by Nefertiti's father. Tutankhamen was married to Nefertiti's daughter, Ankhesenpaaten but she did not gave any child to him. Archaeological facts prove that Ankhesenpaaten miscarried twice and even today two mummified bodies of still born baby girls can be found near Tutankhamen's tomb in small coffins. He ruled as the king of Egypt for nearly ten years before he died in his late teens.
Cause Of Tutankhamen's Death
Many scientific tests were carried out to find the cause of Tutankhamen's death. With the use of latest technologies, scientists have reached at two conclusions. The first theory is that Tutankhamen might have suffered a fatal blow to the back of his head, either accidentally or deliberately. If the second part of this theory is taken into consideration, then he was murdered. The second theory states that he might have broken or fractured his leg which got infected and he died as a result of infection. In the year 2005, a CAT scan was performed on Tutankhamen's body which revealed that his height was about 5 foot, 8 inches and he was well nourished.
Tutankhamen's Remains Are Made Public
Tutankhamen's remains are still contained in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings at Luxor, Egypt. If you are a fan of mysteries and mummies then you don't want to miss the chance of seeing Tutankhamen's popular burial mask which is preserved in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Curse Of The Pharaohs
The Curse of the Pharaohs or "Mummy's curse" emerged during the 7th century. The most important aspect of this curse is that ancient Egyptians used different kinds of magic to protect the tomb of pharaohs from intruders and a person is cursed when he tries to enter or disturb the tomb of a pharaoh. It is also believed that death comes on wings to whoever tries to enter the tomb of a pharaoh. There is also a popular belief that the curse of pharaohs can also make mummies alive so that they can see their revenge. The most famous and historical event related to the curse of pharaohs occurred in the year 1923.
The Curse Of King Tut
On February 17, 1923, British archaeologist Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon, who funded the search for King Tut's tomb, entered the long obscured burial chamber of King Tut in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. At that time, more than 20 archaeologists and dignitaries were present to watch the unsealing of King Tutankhamen's burial chamber. Carter found that the burial chamber was filled with ancient treasures, while most of the treasures from other pharaohs tombs were long since looted by thieves but no thief had dared to enter the burial chamber of King Tut. Carnarvon dreamt of excavating the most famous Egyptian treasure ever found in modern history but he never realized that by stepping into this burial chamber he had not only sold his dreams but also his life. The events that occurred after this fateful day shows the power of pharaohs curse.
The Cursed Events
1.Warning On Clay Tablet
When Carter and Carnarvon entered the outer chamber of King Tut's tomb, they found a clay tablet in which it was written that, "Death shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the peace of the king." They never took this warning seriously and died swiftly.
2. Carter's Pet Canary Dies
Carter had a pet canary and on the day of burial chamber opening, the canary was eaten by a Cobra. According to the ancient Egyptian symbols, a cobra is a symbol of Pharaohs.
3. Carnarvon's Death
The first human victim of King Tut's curse was Lord Carnarvon. On March 6, 1923, he was bitten by a mosquito on his cheek. This bite got infected and this led to pneumonia, from which he died on April 5, 1923.
4. Complete Blackout
When Carnarvon died at Cairo Hospital, at that exact moment, all the lights across Cairo went off for five minutes.
5. Carnarvon's Dog Susie Dies
When Carnarvon died at Cairo Hospital, his dog Susie was in far-off England. Carnarvon died at 2 o'clock in the morning and exactly at that time his dog in England started howling and died.
6. The Crew Members Died
Most of the people who were present during the opening ceremony of King Tut's burial chamber met untimely deaths. The current calculations shows that out of 26 people who were present at that time, 6 of them had died. The reports that came out during the opening of King Tut's tomb tells a different story. If that reports are to be believed then out of 20 people, 13 people died within a few years, who were present when the tomb was opened. It is also believed that this curse did not affected the native Egyptians who were present at that time.
Scientific Explanation
So is there really any truth behind this curse? Some theorists wanted to prove that this curse was just mere superstition and they explained the death of Carnarvon on the basis of scientific methodology stating that he might have died because of inhaling fatal toxins while he entered the burial chamber of King Tut's tomb. Some scientists also believe that he died because his respiratory system was severely damaged due to inhalation of anthrax spores. This hypothesis has no strong base to support its cause because even if Carnarvon came in contact with harmful toxins he should have died within a week after his first exposure but he died only after two months from the day of opening the burial chamber.
The mystery continues. Even today we don't know whether the people who died were actually victims of some supernatural force who killed them for invading their secret chambers or they died due to some scientific phenomenon.
Image Source: Wikimedia
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