King Tut's curse: fact or fiction in historical research

¶ … King Tut's "curse," and research whether it is fact or fiction. For centuries, there has been a legend swirling around the discovery and pillaging of King Tut's tomb in Egypt. The legend involves the people who first found the tomb, and then subsequently went back to uncover more of the riches found buried with the once famous king. Is the "curse" of King Tut real or just a gigantic myth, created because of the enormous wealth and notoriety of King Tut's tomb? Ultimately, that decision is up to the reader, but new research provides some surprising theories about the curse of King Tut's tomb.

King Tut's Life

King Tut, the boy ruler of Egypt, is a legend largely because of the riches discovered in his tomb in the 1920s. Tutankamun, known as King Tut, only lived to be eighteen. He took the throne at a very young age, and little is known about his life. Records do show that he took the throne at the age of about eight or nine, and that Egypt was in religious turmoil at the time. He did not accomplish much during his short time on the throne, and some scientists believe he died so young because he was sickly or frail. A reporter notes, "His reign, in which all decisions are believed to be made by his advisor Ay, was only moderately significant and many historians believe he was quickly forgotten (Hayes). He was obviously a much beloved king to the people, since his tomb was filled with so many treasures and riches.

For many years, scientists have believed King Tut may have been murdered, but it seems now that is not the case. However, recent discoveries indicate that in fact, King Tut died from a broken leg that became infected. A reporter continues, "It's official: King Tutankhamun's death was caused by a badly broken and infected leg, refuting murderous theories about the famous Pharaoh's demise 3,300 years ago, according to Egyptian radiologists" (Hayes). In 1968, scientists x-rayed the remains of the king and found what they believed was a fractured skull, leading to the rumors about a murder. Tut's life was short, but the legend of his "curse" on those who opened his tomb has lived on for thousands of years.

Finding the Tomb

Scientists and archeologists knew that kings and queens of Egypt were entombed beneath the pyramids and in other locations in Egypt. Throughout history, grave robbers opened many of these tombs and pillaged them. The legend of King Tut's tomb and the riches inside had been circulating for decades too, and many archeologists and adventurers had attempted to find it, without any results. In 1922, Howard Carter, an English archeologist working in Egypt, uncovered the tomb in the Valley of the Kings. He was on his last day of an archeological permit, and uncovered the steps leading down to the tomb at the very last minute, allowing him to continue his explorations. Another journalist notes, "Well, shrugged my visitor, that step was the first leading down to the tomb, and had he not taken the 'snap' and shown it to Carter, the deadline for the expiration of the dig license would have passed, and Carter would have departed -- after years searching -- empty-handed" (Fertado). Thus, the tomb was uncovered in exceptional circumstances, and it makes sense that it would generate rumors, legends, and myths for centuries.

What Carter and his fellow explorers found after they opened the tomb is the stuff of legends. The tomb was so full of gold it had a yellow cast, and the overall collection was mind-boggling. Carter continues, "There were three large couches in the form of animals. It was uncanny. All around, in a state of haphazard confusion, were chests, vases, shrines, chariots and thrones... everywhere the glint of gold" (Fertado). The treasure was so amazing and so vast that it took years to catalogue and remove all of it, and items from the collection have traveled the world and are still drawing large crowds to exhibiting museums, including the Atlanta Art Museum where the collection is currently on display.

Fact or Fiction?

For decades, people just accepted the curse as true, and little was done to debunk it. However, in recent years scientists have completed many studies that point to some very rational explanations for the curse of King Tut. First, much of the legend is based on newspaper accounts of the 1920s, which are speculative at best. Many of these stories were sensationalized accounts of events that might not have occurred, and they are certainly open to speculation. In addition, many "facts" about the legend seem to be missing, such as the stone tablet in the tomb that warned of death. Scientists and the original discoverers never found or documented it, so most experts believe it does not exist.

What scientists do believe about the Lord's death is that he was bitten by a mosquito, it became infected, and he died from that. There is also speculation about "tomb toxins," deadly molds that grew unchecked for thousands of years and then blossomed when the tomb was opened. Reporter Handwerk continues, "Recent laboratory studies have revealed that some ancient mummies do indeed carry mold, including at least two potentially dangerous species -- Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus. These molds can cause allergic reactions ranging from congestion to bleeding in the lungs" (Handwerk). The tombs also contained food and meat for the mummy to enjoy in the afterlife, and molds, toxins, and bacterias could have grown on them too, affecting anyone who spent time in the tomb (Handwerk). In addition, the reporter notes, "Scientists have also detected ammonia gas, formaldehyde, and hydrogen sulfide inside sealed sarcophagi. In strong concentrations they could cause burning in the eyes and nose, pneumonia-like symptoms, and in very extreme cases, death" (Handwerk). While the case for tomb toxins is strong, it is clear that these substances have not harmed other archaeologists even working in the same tomb, and Carter himself was not affected.

Even today, scientists working in tombs do not take precautions, such as wearing dust masks, and there have been no cases of tourists or other visitors to tombs showing symptoms from tomb toxins, so some speculate they were not the answer to Carnarvon's death, especially since he died over six months after his visit to the tomb. These toxins usually act quickly, so they seem unrelated to the Lord's death (Handwerk). Most experts do not dispute there are toxins in tombs, but they do dispel the notion that they have caused deaths in many people, and are the cause of the curse legend that still persists today.

Just as continuing research has proven how King Tut really died, continuing research indicates that the idea of the curse is a romantic myth that grew up to sell newspapers and keep people interested in the discovery. Following the life of Richard Adamson, a man who claims to have helped in the discovery of the tomb, proves this point. Adamson claimed he lived right inside the tomb for seven years while Howard Carter cataloged all the items in the tomb, and he even slept inside the tomb to guard its contents. He remembered, "There really wasn't a need to take the army bed down into the tomb, there were already 12 or 15 similar beds down below. They might have been 3,000y years old, but they were in excellent condition. Their design was no more crude than tile bed I was using" (Fertado). He even slept on the beds that had been entombed over 3,000 years before, showing no ill effects! In fact, Adamson lived to be 82 years old and died in 1982, sixty years after the discovery and with no ill effects from his experience.

Even today, rumors about the curse continue to swirl around King Tut and his tomb. For example, the researchers who discovered that King Tut died from an infected broken bone used a CT scan to evaluate his mummy. Reporter Hayes notes, "While performing the CT scan of King Tut, we had several strange occurrences,' Selim said. 'The electricity suddenly went out, the CT scanner could not be started and a team member became ill. If we weren't scientists, we might have become believers in the Curse of the Pharaohs'" (Hayes). Certainly, the scientist was speaking with his tongue in his cheek, but this clearly indicates how myths and legends develop and continue. Strange occurrences cannot just be "chance," they must be tied to something, and so, myths and legends grow up. That does not mean they are true, but only that they are believable, or at least credible so some individuals. These people were scientists, and they were perplexed by the occurrences, so it is easy to see how laypeople can get caught up in the madness of myth and legend, and perpetuate them, as well.

Finally, in a study released in 2002 by an Australian researcher, the curse myth is officially debunked. The researcher, Mark Nelson, looked at records of all the people known to have worked at or in the tomb. A reporter notes, "But Mr. Nelson said, 'I found there was no evidence that being present at the opening of the tomb, sarcophagus, coffin or the unwrapping of the mummy shortened a person's life'" (Editors). The records indicate that most of the people associated with the work at the tomb lived to old age, and the tomb had no effect on their general health.

In conclusion, the curse of King Tut may have seemed very real at the time, and it certainly drew a huge following. It exists even today, indicating just how pervasive a rumor like this can be. However, most studies indicate the curse is a myth - something that is believed to be true and so it persists. In fact, it seems the curse is just that, a myth that has no substance in real fact. True, Lord Carnarvon died, but it has been established that he died of an insect bite, rather than a trip to the tomb. In addition, there have been other rational explanations for any deaths associated with the tomb, and modern studies show that the curse is a myth that is not substantiated by actual facts and figures. King Tut was a legendary figure, and his tomb was one of the most spectacular ever unearthed in Egypt. It is easy to see how myths like this one could grow to massive proportions, simply because of the enormous nature of the discovery. However, King Tut's curse may be good box office for the King Tut exhibit and to lure visitors to the tomb itself, but research indicates it just is not true, it is a fiction that exists in the minds of people, but without any credibility or substantiation.

Literature Review

Editors. "King Tut's Curse a Myth, Study Says." New York Times. 2002. 12 Feb. 2009. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9803E1DE123CF937A15751C1A9649C8B63.

This short article discusses the study by Mark Nelson, which helped dispel the myth hovering over King Tut's tomb. It discusses how Nelson came to his conclusion that the curse is a myth - he used very real data to come up with the determination that the curse did not exist, because most of the people associated with the discovery lived to old age.

The article is extremely useful in dispelling the myth because it shows how Nelson came to his conclusions, how valid they were, and how they were much more reliable than the newspaper accounts of the day, which were outlandish at best. Nelson's study used real people and real facts, while the myth was built on speculation and legend, and this article was extremely useful in illustrating the curse is in fact fiction.

Fertado, Peter. "Tutankhamun's Last Guardian?" History Today Nov. 2007: 22.

This journal article, written by British reporter Peter Fertado, discusses the role of Richard Adamson in the location of the tomb. Adamson claimed he took a photo that helped lead discoverer Howard Carter to the entrance of the tomb, and then lived in the tomb for seven years, guarding its contents while Carter catalogued every item in the tomb. Adamson participated in documentaries, traveled back to Egypt to reminisce about his experiences, and claimed his photos had never been returned to him. Some speculate that he overplayed his importance in finding the tomb, and he died without substantiating all his claims.

This article is important to the overall research because it helps explain some of the riches found in the tomb that could have led to the development of the curse myth. In addition, it indicates how important the find was to the world, and most of all, it helps dispel the myth because it shows that someone actually lived in the tomb for many years, suffering no ill effects from the experience.

Handwerk, Brian. "Egypt's 'King Tut Curse' Caused by Tomb Toxins?" National Geographic.com. 2005. 12 Feb. 2009. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/05/0506_050506_mummycurse.html.

This article discusses the discovery of "tomb toxins" and what they are, in relationship to the curse and its truth. The author interviews archeologists who have worked in tombs, along with the scientists who discovered tomb toxins to show that they could have been the cause of Lord Carnarvon's death, but that it is unlikely. Research shows there are numerous toxins in tombs, but the researchers never found any evidence that they harmed anyone, and since Adamson claims to have slept in the tomb for seven years, their work seems to bear this out. There are certainly toxins in tombs, but most scientists do not worry about them, and they do not seem to be the cause of any lingering health problems.

This article is important because it shows there can be other explanations for Carnarvon's death, and that tomb toxins certainly exist. They also call the myth into question, noting that Carnarvon died six months after being in the tomb, and that most of the toxins they have found in tombs act much quicker than that. Therefore, the article helps with evidence that the myth is just that - a myth.

Hayes, Jacqui. "King Tut's Death Official: Broken Leg." Cosmos Online. 2006. 12 Feb. 2009. http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/882.

This article discusses the findings that King Tut was not murdered, but instead died of an infected broken leg. It also shows how research, including research on tomb toxins, above, has become more advanced in recent years and can uncover elements of items that have gone undiscovered for centuries, or even thousands of years in this case. It also indicates that the scientists had some unusual experiences during their study of King Tut, experiences that led them to say the might believe in the reality curse if they did not know better.

This article was extremely helpful because it helped indicate how research can grow over time, but it also illustrates how myths get started over pretty mundane things, and how they can perpetuate for decades, too. It also helped prove that continuing research can unearth new facts, and it helped dispel the curse because it supported other continuing research that notes that we really do not know everything about King Tut and his tomb, and we probably never will.

Pendelbury, Richard. "Revealed 3,000 Years on, the Toothy Truth about the Face of Young King Tut." The Daily Mail (London, England) 5 Nov. 2007: 12.

This article explained how the King Tub exhibit has taken the world by storm, and how interest in the King continues to grow. It also shows that additional studies continue into King Tut, his life, and the discovery of his tomb, which is another reason that they idea of the curse continues.

This article was helpful because it talks about the curse, the deaths, and how the speculation about the curse grew. It also points to current and continuing research on Tut and his life, which helps explain why there were so many riches in his tomb that helped lead to the creation of the curse myth.