The Remains of a Young King
As I searched for Egyptian contemporary archaeology, I stumbled upon the
website of the great King Tutankhamun. During a cursory glance at the
website, I had an impression that the site was geared towards tourism
due to the slideshow displayed on the home page. In this slideshow
pictures of Prince Phillip and celebrities such as, Kanye West, are
shown viewing the King Tut exhibition.
Below this slideshow, links connecting to ticket exhibitions, the gift shop and hotel packages are available indicating that the site is geared towards sightseers and acquiring money.
Besides the touristy aspect of the website, tabs across the top include information about the actual exhibit and excavations. Although the site does not include an in-depth analysis of King Tut's history, I did learn that he was born in 1341 BC during the Amarna Age. Because the tomb was securely preserved for more than 3000 years, it was uncovered almost perfectly. King Tut was not as famous as the other pharaohs of his day, but in
modern archaeology the young king's tomb proves to be a vital source of information.
Workmen accidentally uncovered the steps of King Tut's tomb on November 4th, 1922 and soon enough British archaeologist, Howard Carter, continued to excavate until he found eleven stairs and a sealed door leading to the tomb. Carter quickly sent a telegram to Lord Carnarvon describing the site as a 'wonderful discovery'. It is fitting to say that no one knew how revolutionary this discovery was at that time.
After King Tut's tomb began gaining increasing popularity, the story of the Curse of King Tut became extremely famous. It was believed that the tombs of pharaohs had contained curses for those who dared to enter the tombs. Incidentally Lord Carnarvon, who funded the excavation of the tomb, died less than six months after the tomb was opened. Even though no such curse inscribed hieroglyphics were found, the media twisted the story to make it more appealing. Howard Carter, who initially found the tomb, did not pass away until seventeen years after the discovery!
According to the official King Tut website, the exhibition of the teenage pharaoh came to be the most popular exhibition of all time. To this day, more than nine million people have viewed this incredible exhibit. Finally the tomb of King Tut is scheduled to return to Egypt, after the final showing in Seattle on January 6th, 2013. After all this time of touring the United States and the world, King Tut will rest in its originating country. This spectacular exhibition is organized by National Geographic, Arts and Exhibitions
International and AEG Exhibitions and the Egyptian
Ministry of State for Antiquities. Together the United States and Egypt have worked together to preserve the fragile exhibition while informing the world of the life of the ancient Egyptians. A majority of the proceeds collected from the tour dates are even sent to Egypt for restoration projects and conservations, of which one of their projects is to construct a museum near the Pyramids of Giza. It only seems fair that the prized King Tut exhibition will be returned to Egypt now.
The curse said the people who entered the tomb would just die? Or was their an elaborate plan on how it would happen?
ReplyDeleteCurses in Egyptian tombs were not so specific. Mostly they just condemned those who violated the sanctity of the tomb. "You will be punished," "You will be cursed," "May you die from hunger and thirst." That sort of generalized ill-wishing.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know what Lord Carnarvon died from?
ReplyDeleteSome say that Lord Carnarvon died from an infected mosquito bite, while others simply say that he was in poor health at the time of the excavation. However apparently the hospital lights did go out at the time of his death which many people associated with the curse.
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ReplyDeleteWhy did the exhibition of King Tut become popular later on rather than right when it was discovered?
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see that the King Tut exhibit seems to be mostly just a money-maker. It reminds me of what we discussed in class concerning the Elgin marbles; one reason we said that the marbles shouldn't be returned to Greece was that the Greek government would just use them to make money. But, isn't that the point of all historical artifacts? To make money? I believe so. Whether they are in a museum or a private collection, they carry dollar signs wherever they go.
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