The discovery of King Tutankhamen tomb in 1922 has caught the attention of the world. The ancient Pharaoh's tomb is the only known find that is in its original state. Thieves have not looted the tomb (Sayre, 2011). According to Rompalske (2000), in Egypt's Valley of the Kings was King Tutankhamen tomb found. Nearby burial sites were long been looted by grave robbers or damaged by floodwaters. Somehow, the tomb remained undisturbed for 3,000 years. This undisturbed condition is significant because the world only knew of what contents should be in a Pharaoh's tomb from ancient writings. The world has never before seen the actual contents of a Pharaoh's tomb intact. Additionally, right at the time of the tomb discovery and before breaching the sealed door, an elderly British romantic novelist Marie Corelli, who specializes on the supernatural wrote of an ominous warning, a "Mummy's Curse", that anyone who intrudes into a sealed tomb will suffer or die (Marchant, 2013). The recipient of Corelli's warning is the renowned British Archeologist Howard Carter and his financier George Herbert, a very wealthy fifth Earl of Carnarvon. It is the intention of this report to identify the mystery surrounding the curse and to dispel or validate its accuracy.
Mystery of the curse. The mystery of the curse started roughly a month after Howard Carter, and Lord Carnarvon breached the tomb's inner door. Lord Carnarvon contracted a mosquito bite on his cheek became ill and subsequently died. Immediately people assumed his death was a result of the mummy's curse. According to Marchant (2013), the mummy's curse was already a popular story, but Lord Carnarvon's death and Corelli's coincidental prediction turned it into worldwide frenzy. Additionally, according to Handwerk (2005), it is possible that Carnarvon's death was due to exposure to ancient toxic pathogens. Egyptian tombs not only contain mummified bodies but also food items that are included for use by the dead in the afterlife. Jennifer Wagner, an Egyptologist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum in Philadelphia believed that these food stuff attract not only insects, but also molds, bacteria which can be toxic and deadly.
Analysis of the mystery. Ancient mummies definitely carry mold based on laboratory studies (Handwerk, 2005). There are at least two deadly types of mold present; Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus.
Interestingly, X-rays reveal that the mummy case of Paankhenamun does in fact contain a mummy inside dating back to the years of c. 945 – 715 B.C. The practice of mummification was the Egyptian people’s way of preserving the spirits of the Gods/Goddesses and royalty. The idea was that when these beings came back to life, they would be preserved and well prepared for their next lives. By the time of the New Kingdom, the Egyptians already had developed techniques of mummification, which were done under a priest’s supervision (Stokstad 114), and since Paankhenamun was the priest of Amun, he was most likely was in charge of these procedures.
The Coffin of Tentkhonsu, observed at the National Museum of Natural History, was very eye drawing, its drawings on the outside and inside captive that mummies journey to rebirth. The readings of the artwork state that the mummy of Tehtkhonsu has never been completely identify. The coffin also dates back to 3,000 years.
King Tut was a fascinating pharaoh at most. There isn’t much on who king Tut was or when he was born or how he died. But some people have dedicated there lives to find out who he was. He was born during the Golden Age. He became king a surprisingly young age. He achieved many things and had an important job. His death was and still is a mystery to most. It was said he wasn’t in his original tomb. But he was eventually found. King Tut became a Pharaoh at a really young age and he had many achievements but died at a relatively young age. (Hawass 29-56)
You can clearly tell that all those damages could have been caused by someone. All this evidence points out that it was Queen Ankhesenamun who murdered the Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Queen Ankhesenamun is practically responsible for this massacre. What happened is that she knew that Tutankhamun was the last of the family bloodline and was very valuable to pass on the glory to future family, but Ankhesenamun didn’t want that. Ankhesenamun wanted the glory all for herself and wanted to start a new family bloodline of greatness for Egypt.
The site of Emperor Haung’s tomb is located in Lintong, Shaanxi province, near the city of Xi’an in China (Kesner 1995). After its completion in 210 BCE, it was covered by earth mined from an area near the Wei River, sealing it away from the outside world for over two thousand years (Swart 1984). While ancient historians wrote of the unbelievable tomb, hidden under a massive pile of earth, many modern historians simply did not believe it to be true. However, between 1932 and 1970, five figures of kneeling servants were found near where the tomb mound was thought to be (Swart 1984). The mausoleum itself was eventually unearthed in 1974 by farmers who were digging wells and accidentally broke into a vast pit containing life-sized statues of about 6,000 soldiers and horses. A group of Chinese archaeologists were assigned to excavate the site and dig up its ancient treasures. In 1976, two more underground pits were found with about 1,500 more soldiers and horses (Swart 1984). Other than the clay soldiers and horses, brass figures were discovered...
Teotihuacan is an ancient Mayan city that can be found about 25 miles away from modern Mexico City. This large ancient city has several pyramids and the third largest pyramid is The Temple of the Feathered Serpent. The pyramid is hardly the most famous one associated with this archaeological site but it did gain popularity during the 1980s because of a series of discoveries of curious tombs located below the structure. There are over two hundred sacrificial burials that archaeologists believe were buried as a part of a dedication of the temple. The way that the bodies were laid out doesn’t have a specific meaning yet because the bodies seem to be grouped together in certain locations. The bodies are both from men and women, with the men having weapons and jewellery buried with them which probably indicated that they were warriors. Archaeologists believe that the temple may have been the resting place of a great leader as well thanks to a large deposit of liquid mercury that was
The history and tradition of Egypt is one of the most greatly studied and admired of all past world civilizations. The lure of the pyramids and the specter of the sphinx have led many archeologists to dedicate his/her life to unraveling the mysteries of ancient Egyptian culture. Arguably, the most captivating aspect of Egypt’s past is that of mummification. Why did the Egyptians mummify their dead? What beliefs did the Egyptians have regarding the after life? What portion of the Egyptian civilization was mummified? What was the Book of the Dead? This is a mere sampling of the questions that come to my mind when I think of ancient Egyptian culture. I hope to lay forth answers to these questions and many more in the following pages dedicated to the history and purpose behind Egyptian mummification.
The elements that will be focused on are the multiple functions of the tomb and rituals, specifically the mummification of bodies. Ancient Egyptian tombs had many functions; the main function being to hold the bodies of the dead. Tombs were typically built during a person’s lifetime and were ready by their time of death (Olson, 2009). Before bodies were put in the tombs, they underwent a process called mummification to help preserve the body and keep it intact. The tomb was also a place where family members could come and visit the deceased. In the early years, tomb structures were very simple; they consisted only of one chamber (Grajetzki, 2003: 3-4). Later on, façade tombs were built— which consisted of two parts; an “underground chamber for the dead and the superstructure built above the ground, over the shaft and the burial chamber” (Grajetzki, 2003: 8). Next, the Egyptian tombs and ...
Perhaps the most notorious of burial practices originating in Egypt is that of mummification. Why such an extraordinary attempt was made to preserve cadavers may seem
As these materials have magical means, often seen in Egyptian religious beliefs, a magical mean of the ushabti followed after-life of its deceased. The figurine appears to be inscribed with a special spell that contains summons; the intent of figure is placed in the tomb to act as substitute for its deceased body. This magical figurine was detailed to respond in the
Ancient Egyptians were very religious people with various beliefs and gods. Ancient Egypt consisted of the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom. Not only is Ancient Egypt known for their outstanding architecture in pyramids, but also, their astonishing understanding of the human body. Mummification began around c.3500 BCE and by the Old Kingdom it had become a standard practice. Everything Egyptians did, including mummification had to do with their religious beliefs. They followed rituals to please the gods and therefore received something in exchange. Moreover, they believed that mummifying a body was preparing a person for their afterlife. The process of mummification changed depending on the person’s socioeconomic status.
were 10 doors and at end there was a statue of Osiris, the god of the
Dried onions were stuffed into the ears of the mummies and along the bandages although the significance of this is still unknown. The modern examination of mummies has enabled us to ascertain various facts about everyday Egyptian life. The mummy of Maat-ka-re is a virgin. priestess had for thousands of years been thought to have been mummified. with a child in mind.
In the present time, Ancient Egypt is one of the most notable early civilizations that took care in preserving the bodies of their dead (Wikipedia.com). However, preservation of the deceased’s body advanced during the Age of
According to “The Mummy’s Curse”, there was no curse inscribed anywhere (“The Mummy”, 3). This supports Nelson’s conclusion that the curse was simply a hoax that did not exist; moreover, it shows that the media did incite the curse of the mummy (Luckhurst, 2). However, there is no actual clear base for the legend of the mummy. Carter is quoted as saying, “all sane people should dismiss such inventions with contempt” (Luckhurst, . In “The Mummy’s Curse”, it goes into further depth about the various famous stories that were the basis for the curse that parallels with the variety of tales mentioned in all of the newspaper articles.