The Discovery of King Tut’s Tomb
A single candle emitted just enough light to illuminate ancient treasures that had been entombed for 3,000 years underneath the land of the living. Gold glittered in the semi-darkness, and gold-painted eyes stared back at the man who distributed the eternal slumber of the statues within. When asked by those standing behind the onlooker, “Can you see anything?” the archaeologist replied, “Yes, wonderful things.”[5]
It sounds like the scene from a Hollywood blockbuster, but on November 26, 1922, Egyptologist Howard Carter’s lifelong pursuit of King Tutankhamun’s tomb came to fruition.[1] The pharaoh whose name had been erased from Ancient Egypt’s list of kings and whose legacy had been lost to time had finally been found.
Egypt’s Forgotten Pharaoh
Thousands of years before Carter, his benefactor George Herbert (the Earl of Carnarvon), and their crew stepped foot inside the pharaoh’s tomb, King Tutankhamun (also spelled Tutankhamen, or Tut for short) was a young ruler of one of the most powerful civilizations in ancient times. King Tut’s reign lasted from around 1332 to 1323 B.C. [4] during the 18th Dynasty.[6] He became pharaoh at the age of nine following the death of his father, King Akhenaten.
King Tut died at only 19 years old for reasons that scholars are still unsure of. Some speculate that the young ruler died from an infection caused by a mosquito bite, while others argue that King Tut was injured in a chariot accident and died as a result.[7]
Whatever the cause of his untimely demise, King Tut, like all his royal predecessors, was embalmed and laid to rest in a tomb in the Valley of the Kings. The Valley of the Kings was the burial spot for pharaohs, and it had been used for the last 500 years.[7] Unlike other kings, though, King Tut’s reign and family’s legacy were erased from Egyptian history by subsequent rulers because King Tut’s father declared that Egypt would only serve one god, the son god Aten, instead of multiple deities. This decree made him unpopular, and after his death, his son, King Tut, restored the gods and allowed Egyptians to worship them once again. But the damage was done; both father and son were wiped from Egypt’s list of past rulers. King Tut’s tomb was all but forgotten.[3]
The Search for King Tut
Before the likes of Hollywood’s Indiana Jones and Lara Croft, there was Howard Carter. Carter was born in 1874 in London, England.[5] Due to his poor health as a child, Carter was sent to Norfolk to live with his family for a quieter life in the countryside. There, his love of Ancient Egypt started when he saw the Egyptian artifacts housed in nearby Didlington Hall.
The Egypt Exploration Fund helped to pave the way for him to go to Egypt with archaeologist Percy Newberry to excavate tombs.[6] While in Egypt during his youth, Carter painted watercolors of artwork found in ancient temples and tombs and assisted with excavations, including Queen Hatshepsut’s temple.[5] His experience led to his later appointment as Chief Inspector of the Egyptian Antiquities Service, where he supervised archaeological digs.[6]
After years of assisting and supervising excavations, Carter was ready to find the elusive tomb of King Tut. Other archaeologists believed that all of the tombs had been found. American lawyer-turned-Egyptologist Theodore Davis held the rights to excavate the Valley of the Kings. Before he died, he surrendered these rights, declaring, “I fear the Valley of the Tombs is now exhausted.” But Carter believed there was still one pharaoh’s tomb left to be discovered: Tut’s.
George Herbert, Earl of Carnarvon, met Carter in 1907. The two shared a passion for antiquities, and Carnarvon believed in Carter’s dream and became his patron.[1] (Fun fact: Carnarvon owned Highclere Castle, which was used as the setting of the show Downton Abbey.) Carter and Carnarvon’s plans to dig in the Valley of the Kings were put on hold during World War I. It wasn’t until 1917 that Carter could begin archeological digs in the Valley of the Kings.[5]
Before digging could begin, debris left behind from past excavators had to first be removed from the Valley of the Kings. Local Egyptian men cleared away tons of rocks. In 1918, they discovered workmen’s huts from the 19th Dynasty. Rather than continuing to excavate the area due to not wanting to prevent tourists from visiting the nearby King Ramses’ tomb, Carter chose to dig in areas of the Valley of the Kings that no other archaeologist had. He, quite literally, left no stone unturned.[5]
After years of little finds and still no King Tut, Carnarvon decided to end the excavation project. Undeterred, Carter convinced him that King Tut’s tomb would be found, and as a result, he was given financial backing for one more season. On November 1, 1922, Carter returned to the site of the workmen’s huts and discovered more of them. He carefully removed the huts and continued digging. His crew uncovered a step underneath the recently cleared huts three days later. Digging further, they found a staircase. Then, a door emerged.[5]
Inside was a passageway filled with stones. Carter sent a telegraph to Carnarvon alerting him of the discovery. His crew resealed the door and covered the entrance with boulders to prevent robbers from finding it. Meanwhile, Carter anxiously awaited Carnarvon’s arrival before proceeding with the dig.[5]
Carnarvon arrived on November 22. Two days later, the door was recovered. On November 26, Carnarvon, Carter, and their crew reached the interior door that led into King Tut’s tomb. Carter peered into the darkness with only a candle to illuminate the tomb. He later recalled:
“It was sometime before one could see, the hot air escaping caused the candle to flicker, but as soon as one’s eyes became accustomed to the glimmer of light the interior of the chamber gradually loomed before one, with its strange and wonderful medley of extraordinary and beautiful objects heaped upon one another.”[5]
Carnarvon asked him if he could see anything, to which Carter replied, “Yes, wonderful things.”[5]
All That Glitters Is Gold
Later, Carter wrote of his discovery: “[D]etails of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues, and gold, everywhere the glint of gold. I was struck dumb with amazement.”
Among the artifacts were King Tut’s walking stick, sandals, clothing, an iron dagger, and board games to entertain the pharaoh in the afterlife. Four-hundred-thirteen small figurines known as ushabti were placed in King Tut’s tomb to serve him.[2]
Carter now had the laborious task of carefully cataloging each artifact within the four-chambered tomb. New crew members were added to assist Carter in this project, including a chemist, a conservator, a photographer, and draftsmen. Tourists came to the excavation site in droves to watch as artifacts were carefully brought to the surface on wooden stretches. Over 5,000 items were found in the tomb, including jewelry, model boats, an ostrich feather fan, and statues of gods.[5]
The most exciting find of all was saved for last; King Tut’s stone sarcophagus was opened on February 12, 1924.[5] Unfortunately, the man who had funded this expedition was not present. Carnarvon passed away on April 5, 1923, from blood poisoning caused by a mosquito bite that he cut open while shaving.[6] Some say this was due to “a mummy’s curse,” but we’ll let you be the judge![5]
When the lid of the sarcophagus was pried off, the onlookers gazed in awe at the gold-inlaid coffin. There were three nesting coffins that held King Tut’s body. The third coffin was made of solid gold and weighed 296 pounds, and inside, the pharaoh’s mummified body was wrapped in layers of linen. His head was covered by a solid-gold funerary mask.[2]
After years spent cataloging artifacts in King Tut’s tomb, Carter took a much-needed and much-earned retirement. He spent his retired years still doing what he loved: collecting artifacts and giving lectures. He passed away in 1939 from Hodgkinson’s disease.[6]
To this day, in the world of archaeology, King Tut’s tomb is considered one of the most amazing discoveries because it was undamaged, full of priceless antiquities, and had huge cultural and historical significance.[2]
A Restored Tomb fit for a King
King Tut’s tomb remains one of Egypt’s most popular tourist destinations. By the 1980s, up to 4,000 tourists were visiting the tomb every day. This amount of foot traffic brought dust inside the chambers, as well as humid air and carbon dioxide, which caused brown spots to grow on the walls.[4]
In 2009, preservation efforts between the Getty Conservation Institute and the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities began to clean the tomb and restore it to its former glory. Layers of dust were removed, and wall paintings were restored. However, conservationists chose to leave the brown spots because they had penetrated too deeply. Barriers were also built to keep tourists away from the walls, and ventilation was installed. This decade-long conservation project was completed in 2019.[4]
Teacher Resources
Since a field trip to Egypt probably isn’t feasible, you can take your students on a virtual tour of the Tutankhamun Collection at the Egyptian Museum. View the ancient artifacts found by Carter and his team up close, including King Tut’s funerary mask, board game, model boats, furniture, and more! Click here for your free virtual tour, and when you’re done, let your students ask King Tut questions about his life through AI.
After you’ve taken your students on a virtual trip to Egypt, teach them about the mummification process used to preserve pharaohs. This interactive activity guides your students through each step.
For more resources, explore our titles about Egypt and its rulers, like Queen Hatshepsut, Ramses the Great, and, of course, Tutankhamun.
Sources:
[1] History.com Editors. “Archaeologists enter tomb of King Tut.” HISTORY, 9 February 2010, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/archaeologists-enter-tomb-of-king-tut. Accessed 21 October 2024.
[2] Roos, Dave. “9 Fascinating Finds From King Tut’s Tomb.” HISTORY, 1 November 2022, https://www.history.com/news/king-tut-tomb-artifacts. Accessed 21 October 2024.
[3] Niler, Eric. “How Did King Tut Die?” HISTORY, 15 February 2019, https://www.history.com/news/king-tut-death-mystery. Accessed 21 October 2024.
[4] Pruitt, Sarah. “See Stunning Photos of King Tut’s Tomb.” HISTORY, 30 January 2019, https://www.history.com/news/king-tut-photos-tutankhamen-tomb-restoration. Accessed 22 October 2024.
[5] Marchant, Jo. “How Howard Carter Discovered King Tut’s Golden Tomb.” Smithsonian Magazine, 3 November 2022, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-howard-carter-discovered-king-tuts-golden-tomb-180981052/. Accessed 22 October 2024.
[6] Brain, Jessica. “Howard Carter and the Discovery of Tutankhamun’s Tomb.” Historic UK, 15 February 2023, https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Howard-Carter-Tutankhamun/. Accessed 23 October 2024.
[7] Shaw, Allyson. “The discovery of King Tut’s tomb.” National Geographic Kids, https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/the-discovery-of-king-tuts-tomb. Accessed 23 October 2024.
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