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Are fatal events
linked to the opening
of an Egyptian tomb?
Curse or coincidence?

Many tales are told of the measures that the past rulers of Ancient Egypt took to protecttheir tombs from vandals and looters. These tombs used to contain not only the body of the dead king or queen but also many beautifully made objects and treasures which the Pharaohs believed would accompany them tothe afterlife.

When building their final resting place the Pharaohs made sure that warnings or curseswere engraved at the entrances to their tombs to deter those who wished to disturb them and steal theirtreasures. Interestingly, such warnings are not only found in tombs in Ancient Egypt but also found in tombs across the world in such places as Mexico, Norway and China.

What many scientists dismissas just unexplained occurrences holds a fascination for others - is there such a thing as the curse of the Pharaohs? One of the most mysterious tales of the curse of the Pharaohs is the true story ofthe discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in November 1922 by a British archaeologist called Howard Carter.

Tutankhamun was a young man and he ruled Ancient Egypt for only a short time before he died butsignificantly, his tomb was one of the very few tombs which was not disturbed by vandals and was found, still intact, by the archaeologists in the 1920s. On the outside of the tomb the now famouscurse was written in hieroglyphics: “Death shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the peace of the King”. This message was viewed with amused scepticism during the excitement of the discovery ofthe tomb.

As soon as he made his discovery and realised that the tomb was still intact, Howard Carter contacted his wealthy patron, Lord Carnarvon and together the two men became the first men toenter the tomb for thousands of years. Neither of the menrealised that by breaking the seal of the tomb and ignoring the warning inscribed on the outside of the tomb, they were to start a series...