Curse of the Pharaohs – the Tutankhamun tomb myth
The idea of a deadly “pharaoh’s curse” grew after Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. Media reports linked several subsequent deaths to the tomb, but most who entered lived long lives. Ancient curses are rare and usually aimed at priests, not thieves, and modern explanations cite cultural mythmaking rather than scientific cause.
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We remember those who died in the years following the tomb’s opening and honor their contributions to archaeology.
Timeline
- 1699 — Polish traveler buys two mummies in Alexandria; reports visions and storms until the mummies are thrown overboard.
- 1827 — Jane C. Loudon publishes "The Mummy!", an early work combining science‑fiction and horror, introducing the idea of a reviving mummy.
- 1862 — Anonymous story "The Mummy’s Soul" appears, featuring a mummy taking revenge on a desecrator.
- 1868 — Jane G. Austin releases "After Three Thousand Years", another early mummy‑revenge tale.
- 1869 — Louisa May Alcott’s "Lost in a Pyramid" is later identified as an early full‑blown mummy‑curse plot.
- 29 November 1922 — Howard Carter’s team opens the tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62) in the Valley of the Kings.
- 5 April 1923 — Lord Carnarvon, the excavation’s financier, dies from an infected mosquito bite.
- 16 May 1923 — Visitor George Jay Gould I dies of fever after touring the tomb.
- 15 January 1924 — Radiologist Sir Archibald Douglas‑Reid dies in Switzerland following abdominal surgery.
- April 1928 — Excavation member A. C. Mace dies after prolonged pleurisy and pneumonia.
- 26 May 1929 — The Hon. Mervyn Herbert, Carnarvon’s half‑brother, dies of malarial pneumonia.
- 15 November 1929 — Carter’s secretary, the Hon. Richard Bethell, dies in a Mayfair club.
- 2 March 1939 — Howard Carter dies of lymphoma at age 64.
- 27 June 1940 — Photographer Harry Burton dies, 17 years after the tomb’s opening.
- 1973 — A Polish tomb opening is later linked by some to toxic Aspergillus flavus spores, a hypothesis also applied to early Tutankhamun deaths.
- 1925 — Anthropologist Henry Field visits the tomb and notes a paperweight bearing a warning inscription; its owner’s house later burns and floods.
- May 1926 — Carter records in his diary a sighting of a jackal resembling Anubis, which he does not attribute to supernatural causes.
Frequently asked questions
Did Tutankhamun’s tomb contain an explicit curse inscription?
No. Scholars have found no curse inscribed in the tomb; the idea arose from later media reports.
Did everyone who entered the tomb die soon after?
No. Of the 58 people present at the opening, only eight died within a dozen years; many lived decades longer.
Is there scientific proof that the tomb’s environment caused the deaths?
No. Theories about fungi or radiation have been proposed, but studies (e.g., in The Lancet) found no causal link.
Were ancient Egyptian curses common in royal tombs?
Very rare. Only a few Old Kingdom tombs contain curses, usually aimed at priests protecting ritual purity, not at thieves.
Did Howard Carter believe in a curse?
Carter was skeptical, dismissing curses as superstition and emphasizing respect rather than fear.
What role did the media play in popularising the curse?
Newspaper reports after Carnarvon’s death and sensationalist writings spread the notion of a deadly curse, despite lack of evidence.
Are modern mummy‑curse stories based on earlier literature?
Yes. 19th‑century fiction such as Loudon’s 1827 work and Alcott’s 1869 story shaped the modern European concept of a mummy curse.
Myths and evidence
- There is a curse written inside Tutankhamun’s tomb FAIT
No inscription has been found; scholars call the claim "unadulterated claptrap". - All who entered the tomb died shortly after FAIT
Only eight of 58 present died within twelve years; many lived long lives.
Primary sources and references
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