Account

In November 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the intact tomb of 18th Dynasty pharaoh Tutankhamun (KV62) in the Valley of the Kings, yielding over 5,000 artifacts including a gold mask. On 5 April 1923, the excavation's sponsor Lord Carnarvon died in Cairo from an infected mosquito bite, and The Times and London newspapers immediately hyped the "curse of the pharaoh." Over the following decade, over ten people associated with the excavation died, and the media continued to fan the "curse" narrative, sparking a collective panic in European society about "Oriental mysticism."

Debunked

A 1990 BMJ statistical study found that of the 26 people present when the tomb was opened, only 6 died within 10 years, with an average lifespan of 73, no different from the general population. Howard Carter himself died naturally in 1939 at age 64. Lord Carnarvon died from an infected mosquito bite, unrelated to any curse. The tomb of Tutankhamun actually contained no curse inscriptions at all. The "curse" was a media construct by 1920s journalists and writers including Arthur Weigall and Arthur Conan Doyle. Toxic mold (Aspergillus) was found in the tomb, but cannot explain the deaths.

Sources

• Howard Carter excavation reports (1922-1930) and diaries
• 1923 Times serialization
• BMJ 1990 statistical study on the pharaoh's curse
• ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead tomb protection spells