The fascinating story of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb 99 years ago

This November 4 marks the 99th anniversary of the discovery of the entrance to the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamun near Luxor, by the British archaeologist Howard Carter, culminating 8 years of search.

The discovery of the eternal resting place of the young pharaoh of the XVIII Dynasty reached world fame because it was safe from looting, being the best preserved tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

Renowned for his innovative archaeological methods, Carter had started in 1907 to work for Lord Carnarvon, a noble archeology enthusiast, as supervisor of the excavations at Deir el-Bahari, near Thebes.

In 1914 Lord Carnarvon received permits to excavate in the Valley of the Kings and Carter was hired again to lead the work. He was in charge of finding tombs than in previous expeditions, in particular that of the pharaoh Tutankhamun, although the work was temporarily paralyzed by the First World War.

In 1922, Lord Carnarvon grew impatient at the lack of results after several years of searching and the withdrawal of funds was considered. Following an argument with Carter, he agreed to fund 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 an earthen door on which hieroglyphic stamps were stamped. The archaeologist 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 in the access that indicated the name of Tutankhamun were excavated. Two days later, Carter conducted a “Small opening in the upper left corner” from the entrance. From there he was able to glimpse the interior thanks to the light of a candle and see gold and ivory treasures. Carnarvon asked him if he could see something and Carter replied with his famous phrase: “

Carter had discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, which would later be known as KV62. The grave was protected until the arrival of an officer from the Department of Egyptian Antiquities the following day, although that night, Carter, Carnarvon, their daughter and aide Callender apparently entered without permission, becoming the

The next morning, November 27, saw the inspection of the tomb by an Egyptian officer. Callender accessed with electric light, illuminating a vast collection of objects, including couches, chests, thrones and altars. They also found evidence of adjoining rooms, including a sealed door to the sarcophagus chamber, flanked by two statues of Tutankhamun. Despite the existence of signs of looting in ancient times, On November 29 the tomb was officially opened in the presence of several Egyptian invited dignitaries and officials.

Realizing the magnitude of the task, Carter enlisted the help of Albert Lythgoe of the excavation team at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, which 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. and his discovery reached the world press. Lord Carnarvon sold the exclusive to The Times, which angered the rest of the press.

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 in the tomb occupied Carter for almost ten years, being transferred to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Follow us on twitter: