The Curse of King Tut

           A popular belief held throughout history is that if you disturb a mummy’s final resting place, you will be cursed to die. Many thought that this may be a ploy by the Egyptian government to stop grave robberies. It was really just created to preserve the Valley of the Kings. However, in 1923 some strange things started happening after the monumental discovery of King Tut’s tomb. First, Howard Carter’s (the archaeologist who discovered the tomb) beloved pet canary died by a cobra bite. Many people felt that the cobra was personally sent by King Tut because they were often symbolic of the power of Egyptian rulers. It was predicted that this would be the first of many deaths and indeed, this was the case. Next to die was Lord Carnarvon. He was the current Earl of Highclere Castle (fictionally known as Downton Abbey) and fully funded Howard Carter’s expedition. Lord Carnarvon was bitten by a mosquito, and then he nipped his neck while shaving. He then tragically died of blood poisoning. One of Howard Carter’s best friends, Sir Bruce Ingham had his house burn down twice. It was said that he received the gift of a mummy’s hand that had a bracelet which contained a warning that anyone who possessed it would be doomed. In the years following the opening of the tomb, nine more individuals who were closely associated with the tomb died horrible deaths.

           Even though it may seem logical for some people to point toward the curse as an explanation to the mysterious deaths, they should not. According to The Elements of Thought, these individuals have assumed that the deaths were solely caused by the curse. However, scientists have proved otherwise. It has recently been discovered that the tomb contained a deadly bacteria. They feel that this could account for many of the untimely deaths that followed in the wake of one of the greatest archaeological finds in human history. It was also said that the newspapers of the time were to blame for the rise of the curse because as soon as the tomb was opened, they wanted the opportunity to make as much money off of the discovery and the supposed curse that went along with it.