Curse of the Pharaohs

The Curse of the Pharaohs refers to the belief that any person who disturbs the mummy of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh is placed under a curse whereby they will shortly die.

Many tombs of pharaohs have curses written on or around them, warning against entering.The belief was brought to many people's attention due to the deaths of some members of the team of Howard Carter, who opened the tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62) in 1922, launching the modern era of Egyptology. The first of these "mysterious" deaths was that of Lord Carnarvon. He had been bitten by a mosquito, and later slashed the bite accidentally while shaving. It became infected and blood poisoning resulted. Skeptics pointed out that many others who visited the tomb or helped to discover it lived long and healthy lives. A study showed that of the 58 people who were present when the tomb and sarcophagus were opened, only eight died within a dozen years. All the others were still alive, including Howard Carter, who later died of lymphoma at the age of 64 in 1939. David Vernon in "Skeptical - a Handbook of Pseudoscience and the Paranormal", ed Donald Laycock, David Vernon, Colin Groves, Simon Brown, Imagecraft, Canberra, 1989, ISBN 0731657942, p25 ]

Possible causes

Some have speculated that deadly fungus could have grown in the enclosed tombs and been released when they were open to the air. Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, favoured this idea, and speculated that the mold had been placed deliberately to punish grave robbers. A newspaper report printed following Carnarvon's death is also believed to have been responsible for the wording of the curse most frequently associated with Tutankhamun – "Death shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the peace of the King" – a phrase which does not actually appear among the hieroglyphs in KV62. While there is no evidence that such pathogens killed Lord Carnarvon, there is no doubt that dangerous materials can accumulate in old tombs. Recent studies of newly opened ancient Egyptian tombs that had not been exposed to modern contaminants found pathogenic bacteria of the "Staphylococcus" and "Pseudomonas" genera, and the moulds "Aspergillus niger" and "Aspergillus flavus". Additionally, newly opened tombs often become roosts for bats, and bat guano may harbour histoplasmosis. However, at the concentrations typically found, these pathogens are generally only dangerous to persons with weakened immune systems. Air samples taken from inside an unopened sarcophagus through a drilled hole showed high levels of ammonia, formaldehyde and hydrogen sulfide; these gases are all toxic, but at dangerous concentrations are easily detected by their strong odours. [ [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/05/0510_050506_tvcurse.html Egypt's "King Tut Curse" Caused by Tomb Toxins? ] ]

Deaths claimed to be related to 'the curse'

The tomb was opened on November 29, 1922
*Lord Carnarvon died on April 5, 1923 after a mosquito bite became infected. His death was 4 months, and 7 days after the opening of the tomb. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Why we love mummies |url=http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/living/movies/s_580209.html |quote=Upon breaching the tomb, something stung Carnarvon on the cheek. He died several months later. Newspapers sensationalized his death as the fulfillment of an ancient mummy's curse. A rumor spread that there was an inscription over the tomb promising death to anyone who opened the tomb of the pharaoh. One recent theory is Carnarvon might have ingested anthrax spores deliberately placed in the tomb by ancient Egyptian priests to thwart tomb robbers. |work=Pittsburgh Tribune-Review |date= |accessdate=2008-08-12 ] [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Carnarvon Is Dead Of An Insect's Bite At Pharaoh's Tomb. Blood Poisoning and Ensuing Pneumonia Conquer Tut-ankh-Amen Discoverer in Egypt. |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20C11F7355416738DDDAC0894DC405B838EF1D3 |quote=The Earl of Carnarvon died peacefully at 2 o'clock this morning. He was conscious almost to the end. |work=New York Times |date=April 5, 1923 |accessdate=2008-08-12 ]
*George Jay Gould I died in the French Riviera on May 16, 1923 after he developed a fever following a visit to the tomb. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=George J. Gould Dies in Villa in France.|url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00911FC3B5516738DDDAE0994DD405B838EF1D3 |quote=George Jay Gould died this morning at 3:30 o'clock at the Villa Zoralde, Cap Martin, where he had been living for some months with his wife and her two children. His death, it was stated at the villa, came quietly and was expected, as he had never rallied from the illness from which he had been suffering all Winter. |publisher=New York Times |date=May 17, 1923 |accessdate=2008-05-23 ]
*Howard Carter opened the tomb on February 16, 1923 and died on March 2, 1939. cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Howard Carter, 66, Egyptologist, Dies. |url=http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0509.html |quote=Howard Carter, Egyptologist who earned world fame for his discovery and exploration, in association with the fifth Earl of Carnarvon, of the tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen, died in his London home today at the age of 66. |publisher=New York Times |date= |accessdate=2008-03-28 ]

ee also

*The Curse of King Tut's Tomb, a movie
*, a video game

References

External links

* Mark R Nelson, [http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/325/7378/1482 The mummy's curse: historical cohort study] , "British Medical Journal" (2002;325:1482-1484)

* H2G2, [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A517114 Tutankhamun – the Boy Pharaoh] (including a section on "The Curse")

* National Geographic: [http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/tut/ King Tut's Final Secrets] . Scientists analyze and explore theories about toxic molds and gases in the tomb of Tutankhamen.