Excavation of the tomb of Egypt's most beautiful young king: Opening the chain of death, obsessive humanity

The treasure was found after excavating the 3000-year-old sealed tomb, but the archaeologists had to pay a heavy price for their own lives. A series of deaths in a row made many people panic.

The greatest tomb of the twentieth century

More than a century ago, archaeologist Howard Carter and aristocrat George Herbert (Lord Carnarvon) discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun in the "Valley of the Kings". Mr. Carnarvon was the financial backer of the treasure discovery.

On November 4, 1922, Lord Carnarvon and a team of archaeologists actually unearthed something that the whole world could not imagine at that time: the intact tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun (King Tut) - the young king deified by the Egyptians, praised for his talent as well as physical beauty.

Hidden deep in the Valley of the Kings, the tomb contains more than 5,000 artifacts that were buried more than 3,000 years ago. From gold masks, monolithic cast coffins to chariots, weapons and mummified relics that are intact – it all appears as if stepping out of a legend.

Ascending the throne at the age of nine, Pharaoh Tutankhamun proved his ability to lead Egypt out of his father's turbulent reign to prosperity in just 10 years of reign.

He made a series of changes including moving the capital back to the ancient capital of Thebes, restoring traditional religious practices, restoring the economy and improving diplomatic relations, building many great buildings... Unfortunately, King Tut died at the age of 19, possibly from malaria.

Opening Death

Although the excavation was legal, the opening of Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb was controversial because it violated the nearly 3,000-year-old ancient tomb. Not stopping there, the incident attracted even more attention when many people related to the ancient tomb had unusual deaths one after another. Since then, rumors about the "Pharaoh's curse" have spread around the world.

First, just a few months after the excavation, Lord Carnarvon suddenly passed away forever because of the seemingly harmless mosquito bite. The wound was infected with blood, spreading rapidly, causing him to have a high fever and then die in pain. At the moment when he breathed his last, the entire Cairo electrical system suddenly stopped working.

In England, Lord Carnarvon's pet dog howls, then collapses for unknown reasons. Even later, it was discovered that the mosquito bite caused him to die in the same location as the wound on Tutankhamun's embalmed. And no one sees it as a coincidence anymore.

The media at that time simultaneously splashed the headline about an "ancient curse awakened". Scholars have begun to debate the possibility of the existence of a supernatural force in the tomb that has been dormant for more than three millennia.

Scary coincidences continue

Lord Carnarvon's death was just the beginning. Over the next decade, more than ten people who had visited the tomb had all died under strange circumstances. For example, Sir Archibald Douglas Reid, the doctor who took the x-rays of the embalmed, passed away not long after seeing the embalming even though he did not enter the mausoleum.

Or Arthur Mace, one of the archaeologists, died of pneumonia after withdrawing from the project due to constant insomnia and severe headaches. In addition, Richard Bethell, the secretary of archaeologist Howard Carter, also died unexpectedly in the hotel room...

Fear spread like a fever. People began to list the victims, looking up every death for the law. Thrilling stories gradually became anecdotes, haunting Western culture throughout the twentieth century. It is also rumored that on the entrance to the mausoleum is engraved a death warning: "Death will fall on the head of whoever dares to wake up the Pharaoh's sleep".

Although this inscription has never been confirmed by archaeologists, it persists in the popular imagination as an unverified fact. Curiously, Howard Carter - the first person to enter the tomb and the person who directly saw the embalming and opening of the golden coffin - lived another 17 years and died of cancer at the age of 64. There are no dangers, no curses, no thrilling deaths.

Carter's life made many people skeptical about the authenticity of the "curse". However, there is also a hypothesis that the Pharaoh only punished those who approached with greed or lack of respect and forgave those who sincerely pursued knowledge and respected the deceased soul.

Scientific decoding

Since the end of the twentieth century, many modern researchers have begun to explain the phenomenon of "curses" with scientific hypotheses: some ancient molds such as Aspergillus can survive in enclosed spaces for thousands of years, spreading toxins that cause respiratory failure or infections. Bacteria in organic matter in manure or in marinated manure are also thought to be harmful.

People who enter this enclosed space without modern respiratory protection like today will easily inhale the toxic spores, especially if they have open wounds or underlying medical conditions.

A 1999 study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that many ancient molds can survive in a "dormant" state for thousands of years, and only a little moisture — such as human vapor or light — is needed to reactivate. This opens up a hypothesis that it was the "dormant" biological environment in the tomb that became an invisible danger to those first in contact.

Along with that, in the 1920s, there were no toxic gas detection devices at all. Therefore, any abnormal health reaction is easily attributed to being "cursed", rather than properly understood as a physical impact from the environment.

In addition to biological factors, modern psychology points to a phenomenon called the nocebo effect – a variant that is the opposite of a placebo. If placebo is a phenomenon in which the patient feels better because of the belief in counterfeit drugs, then nocebo is when negative beliefs or fears cause the body to produce real symptoms, even life-threatening.

Medical experts say that the excavation participants - who have been obsessed with the legend of the "Pharaoh's curse" since childhood - are more likely to fall into a state of panic, anxiety disorders or chronic insomnia after exposure to the mummy. This prolonged state of stress directly affects the immune system and the heart, making them susceptible to serious diseases.

One example is Richard Bethell, Carter's personal secretary, who was said to be "seemingly healthy" but after working under constant pressure and fear, died of a stroke. His father - after hearing the news of his son's death - passed away on his own. These chain reactions are understandable from the perspective of modern psychology.

More than 100 years after the day the stone door was opened, the Pharaoh's curse is not only a mysterious chapter in archaeological history, but also a global pop culture icon. From Hollywood movies like The Mummy, TV series, BBC and Netflix documentaries to hundreds of literary works, games and comics – all inspired by an obsession that started in a small tomb in the valley of Egypt.

Tutankhamun, who ascended the throne as a child, died young, and was once forgotten, is now immortal. Not because of power or victory, but because of the sacred curse that still makes humanity hold its breath every time it is mentioned.

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