The Curse of the Mummy
Howard Carter is one of the most famous explorers the world has ever known. He was brave and loved to visit and explore new places. During his life, he discovered many amazing things.
Howard Cater did not go to school, but learnt to draw from his father, who was an artist. He was bright and curious about the world outside his hometown. In 1891, at the age of 17, he set sail for Alexandria, Egypt. By the 1920, he had become an explorer, searching for the tombs of the Egyptian kings. He found several important ones. Inside the tombs, he discovered a great fortune in jewels and gold, along with the preserved bodies of dead kings. These preserved bodies are known as mummies.
In 1922, Howard Carter made his most amazing discovery of all, in the Valley of the Kings, in Egypt. He had received money from Lord Carnarvon, a British man who was very interested in Egypt. Carter's team was working at a place near the city of Luxor. There, they came across the tomb of King Tutankhamun. It was the most important tomb that had ever been found. 'The tomb contained more treasure than any of us had ever seen before, as well as the mummy of the king,' said Carter. 'After we looked into the tomb, we closed it and hid its entrance. We wanted to study the tomb later when we had more time. Afterwards, all of its contents would go into a museum.'
However, not long after the discovery, people in Carter's team began to fall ill and die. Upon their entering the tomb, Carter's lucky pet bird, which he had left in Cairo, was swallowed by a snake. Then, a few months after Carter had opened the tomb, Lord Carnarvon, who was also present when the tomb was opened, fell ill with a fever and died in Egypt. At the moment of Carnarvon's death, the lights went out in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. Back in England, his dog died at approximately the same time.
George Gould, a friend of Carnarvon's, went to Egypt after hearing of his strange death. He too visited the tomb, only to catch a high fever the next day. Twelve hours later, he was dead. Carter's secretary, Richard Bethell, died of heart trouble four months after the tomb was opened. Arthur Mace, another member of the team, also died shortly after the discovery.
Within seven years, 21 people who had something to do with the opening of the tomb died. Howard Carter, however, lived on until the age of 65. Some people say the deaths were just coincidence. Others believe that they were in connection with a mummy's curse, as a punishment for those who enter the resting place of the dead.
However, still others believe that there is a scientific explanation. Inside the tombs, there are many viruses. When a tomb is opened, fresh air disturbs the viruses. If breathed in, they can result in illness or even death. Today, when scientists examine mummies, they wear special clothing for protection.
What is certain, though, is that ‘the curse of the mummy' remains a riddle to this day.