The Curse Of Tutankhamun

The origin of Tutankhamun is doubtful. There are two theories, one of them is that Tutankhamun could be son of Akhenaten (husband of Nefertiti). The other is that he could be son of Amenhotep III and his own daughter: Sitamun. When Tutankhamun was crowned pharaoh (at ten years old), the cult to Aton was abandoned. During his reign he ordered to repair many temples. Thus, many statues dedicated to God Amun have the face of Tutankhamun. Tutankhamun died at 19 years old. There are many hypothesis about his death but none of them definitive. In 1922 Howard Carter and Lord Carnavan discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings. They commanded an expedition that entered the tomb of the pharaoh. When the last man of that expedition returned to the surface, a big sand storm started, preceded by a hawk (symbol of the royal emblem of the ancient Egypt). The falcon flew to the west, that in the ancient Egyptians beliefs was the direction to the Other World. Here starts what was called the Curse of Tutankhamun. Many of who had a part in the facts died in strange circumstances. Up to 30 strange deaths were counted as related with Tutankhamun's tomb. Five months later from the discovery of the tomb, lord Carnavan was bitten by a insect in the face (in the left cheek). The bite become infected. Weakened by this infection, he suffered from pneumonia. This pneumonia affected both lungs. He had an horrible agony, with physical deformations. He even lost his teeth. The hour of his death was 1:55. In the moment of his death, there was a big outage in Cairo. In that same instant, his relatives, in Lord Carnavan's mansion in Hampshire (England) told that his dog howled and died. When Tutankhamun's mummy was examined, the doctors saw that, possibly, Tutankhamun had a scar in his face, in the left cheek. With all this, the belief in the Curse of Tutankhamun was increased. In that times, it was also told that there was an inscription in the tomb that said: "Death will come with fast wings over anyone who dares to desecrate this tomb". Although this inscription was never found, as it was in a wall that was demolished to enter the tomb. Some time later, the treasures of Tutankhamun were going to be sent to an exhibition in Paris. Mohammed Ibraham, director of antiquities, dreamed that the treasures mustn't go to Paris. But at last, he was convinced by the Egyptian authorities. The day he signed the permission, he was run over by a car and died two days later. Richard Bethell, who helped Carter to classify the treasure, commited suicide. His father also suicided throwing himself through his bedroom's window. In that bedroom, was found a vase from Tutankhamun's tomb. These are just some of the strange deaths around Tutankhamun's tomb. There were deaths not only between the expedition team, but also between people related with the tomb and its discovery. In 1962, doctor Ezze-Din Taha, from the University of Cairo, discovered some pathogenic fungus that were in Tutankhamun's tomb; this may have been the origin of many deaths. Many of the victims had suffered a weakening in their health, that could have caused them to contract more serious diseases. This discovery was expounded in a conference. When he went out, he had a road accident, and died. When the autopsy was done, they noticed that he had a heart attack just before the accident. Does the Curse of Tutankhamun exist? Maybe collective obsession, or a pathogenic element that weakened those involved with Tutankhamun. True or not, who knows? -Emma Alvarez- © 2008 by Emma Alvarez. Link to this post without copying the text. Some Related Posts: If you liked this post, subscribe to Emma Alvarez Site or give yourself a gift Stumble it! Add me to your del.icio.us network