Ancient Egyptian Forum

[Ramsekh]

I don't really believe in it anymore...until someone dies after opening another pharaoh's tomb. I do find it quite rediculous how someone could die from a mosquito.
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[Google]

[Osiris II]

Mary500, I too believe that Carter took something from the tomb--probably on the evening he, Carnovon and Lady Evelyn went into the tomb before the offical opening. But whatever he took must have been small, unimportant items. A few years ago, Highclare was renovated. (Highclare is the home of Lord Carnovon) A "cache" of things, obviously taken from Tutankhamen's burial, was found--but again, it was very unimportant things---a bead necklace, a small bracelet, several other things. Thieft from the tomb was the obvious choice--nothing in the cache was offically recorded. If Lord Carnovon took things, why not asume that Carter and Lady Evelyn did the same?
One thing that has never been explained, though, is a head of Tutankhamen, showing him arising from a lotus. It was not recorded, and was found in a crate used to store wine. Carter claimed it to be a "mistake", that it was intended to be recorded. He never explained how it got in the crate or what was to become of it.
All in all though, Carter did a magnificant job in clearing the tomb. Brenson's photographs of every item--let of them "in situ" are a wonderful record of the tomb's contents.

[Osiris II]

[quote="Ramsekh"]I don't really believe in it anymore...until someone dies after opening another pharaoh's tomb. I do find it quite rediculous how someone could die from a mosquito.

It's more possible than it sounds, really. Especially in the '20's, when sterile conditions were not as well understood as they are now. And, actually, it wasn't the misquito bite that killed him. Rather, after he had the bite, he nicked it while shaving. Septisis (sp?) set in, and that caused him to die.
Concerning the curse--it was based on a supposedly found inscription that stated "all how enter the tomb will die" or something like that. There was no inscription; there was no papyrus saying anthing like that. It was just an effort of a reporter to drum up popular readership for his newpaper. After it was published, the rumour just grew and grew. Soon, every death of anyone even related to someone who had entered the tomb was blamed on the curse. The thing that disproved the curse the best, in my opinion, was Howard Carter himself. Who can possible doubt that he was in the tomb everyday; that he was the original opener of the sealed chambers. But he continued to live until 1939--17 years AFTER opening the tomb!

[Ramsekh]

That's right. I remember now. More easily for me to forget that sicne I'm not very interested in the 18th dynasty. But I think he was infected with sepsis. Don't remember quite well. Normally the diseases stick with me more than anything else.
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[tnrees]

Carnarvon originally came to Egypt for his health - he was badly injured in a motor accident so it is not too surprising that he died.
Some people involved in the clearing of the tomb were alive quite recently. Does anyone know of the date of the last one to die?