Nov. 4 () –
This November 4 marks 102 years since the discovery, in 1922, of the entrance to the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun near Luxor, by the British archaeologist Howard Carter, after 8 years of searching.
The discovery of the eternal resting place of the young pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty achieved worldwide fame because it was intact after more than three millennia, safe from looting, being the best preserved tomb in the Valley of the Kings.
Renowned for his innovative archaeological methods, Carter had begun working in 1907 for Lord Carnarvon, an enthusiastic nobleman fond of archaeology, as supervisor of the excavations at Deir el-Bahari, near Thebes.
In 1914, Lord Carnarvon received permission to excavate in the Valley of the Kings and Carter was hired again to lead the work. He was in charge of finding tombs that went unnoticed in previous expeditions, in particular that of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, although the work was temporarily paralyzed by the First World War.
In 1922, Lord Carnarvon became impatient with the lack of results after several years of searching and considered withdrawing funds. After a discussion with Carter, he agreed to finance a final season in the Valley of the Kings, Wikipedia reports.
On November 4, 1922, the team’s water carrier tripped over a stone that turned out to be the beginning of a staircase. Carter partially excavated the steps until he found a clay door on which several Egyptian cartouches, seals with hieroglyphic writing, were observed. The archaeologist He ordered the staircase to be filled in again and sent a telegram to Carnarvon, who traveled to Egypt from England.
YES, I CAN SEE WONDERFUL THINGS!
On November 24, 1922, the entire staircase and the Egyptian cartouche at the entrance indicating the name of Tutankhamun were excavated. Two days later, Carter made a “small opening in the upper left corner” of the entrance. From there he was able to glimpse the interior thanks to the light of a candle and see golden and ivory treasures. Carnarvon asked him if he could see anything and Carter famously responded: Yes, I can see wonderful things!
Carter had discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb, which would later be known as KV62. The tomb was protected until the arrival of an officer from the Department of Egyptian Antiquities the next day, although that night, Carter, Carnarvon, his daughter, and Deputy Callender apparently entered without permission, becoming the first people in three millennia to access the burial.
The next morning, November 27, saw the inspection of the tomb by an Egyptian officer. Callender accessed it with electric light, illuminating a vast collection of objects, including couches, chests, thrones and altars. Likewise, they found evidence of annexed rooms, including a sealed door into the sarcophagus chamberflanked by two statues of Tutankhamun. Despite the existence of signs of looting in ancient times, the tomb was intact and it was estimated that it housed more than 5,000 objects. On November 29, the tomb was officially opened in the presence of several invited dignitaries and Egyptian officials.
Realizing the magnitude of the task, Carter asked for help from Albert Lythgoe of the excavation team at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, who was working nearby, while the Egyptian government sent analytical chemist Alfred Lucas. On February 16, 1923, Carter opened the sealed door and confirmed that it led to Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus. The tomb was considered the best preserved and intact in the Valley of the Kings and its discovery reached the world press. Lord Carnarvon sold the exclusive to The Times, which infuriated the rest of the press.
TEN YEARS TO CLASSIFY THE FINDINGS
In late February 1923, an argument between Carnarvon and Carter, probably caused by how to deal with the Egyptian authorities, temporarily halted the excavation. Work resumed in March following an apology from Carnarvon to Carter.
At the end of that month Carnarvon contracted bacteremia from an insect bite while staying in Luxor, near the tomb, and died on April 5 of that year, fueling the legend of Tutankhamun’s curse. The meticulous methods of cataloging the thousands of objects from the tomb occupied Carter for almost ten years, before they were transferred to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
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