On November 4, 1922 or a century ago, the tomb of King Tutankhamun or King Tut was found in Egypt. He was one of the most famous Pharaohs of Egypt, reigning around 1330 BC.
Even though it's been so long, there are still quite a few mysteries surrounding the tomb. King Tut's tomb was discovered by a team led by British archaeologist Howard Carter.
As quoted by us from The Sun, Monday (7/11/2022) the excavation process took about 10 years to complete. "It's the first time a king's tomb has been found nearly intact," said Daniela Rosenow, an academic at the University of Oxford's Griffith Institute.
"This tomb gives us enlightenment, like a time machine, to ancient Egypt because there are more than 5,000 objects, some for burial and many of them everyday objects, objects that have been worn by King Tut," he said.
However, there are still many unknowns about King Tut, who died at the age of 19 around 1323 BC. For example, about his family.
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"In that sense, the tomb is a bit of a disappointment because many Egyptian experts were hoping to find more knowledge about the era in which he lived," Daniela added.
So, experts are still trying to find out about the life of King Tut, and also the objects in the tomb have not been fully investigated. In fact, in recent research, there may still be treasures still buried around the tomb of King Tut.
Even according to British archaeologist Dr Nicholas Reeves, there could be a hidden tomb of another famous figure in ancient Egypt, namely the king's stepmother, Queen Nefertiti.
"This tomb which is the largest archaeological discovery in the world still has a lot of things, even the potential to be far more impressive than the tomb of King Tut. I think the most famous woman in the ancient world was also buried there," said Dr Nicholas.
Another interesting thing about King Tut's tomb is the curse that is said to accompany it. Reportedly, several people involved in the search for this tomb died shortly after excavating and opening it.
One of the main funders of the search for King Tut's tomb was British aristocrat George Edward Stanhope. Well, he got sick and died in 1923, about a year after the opening of King Tut's tomb.
/His death was considered mysterious, which sparked the issue of the Pharaoh's curse. "A 3,000-year-old Pharaoh's curse is seen in George's illness," read a newspaper headline at the time. Even the author of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle believed in the curse.
However, George was reported to have been unwell before arriving in Cairo. Several more deaths were reported against people involved in the excavation of the tomb. But in the investigation of James Randi who wrote An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural, this is not the case.
George's son died in 1980 or 70 years later. Then Howard Carter who not only found the tomb and opened it, but also removed the mummy of King Tut, lived until 1939 or 16 years later.
Another member of the team, Richard Adamson, lived another 60 years until he died in 1982. "This team of diggers died on average at the age of 73," James wrote, meaning a normal human being.
Then where does this story of Pharaoh's curse come from? Apparently from the team member himself, Howard Carter. At least that's what the book says.
When King Tut's tomb was discovered and opened in 2022, it was a major archaeological event. To deter the media, the head of the excavation team, Howard Carter, relates that a curse befalls whoever disturbs the tomb. He is not the inventor of the cursed tomb idea, but uses it to keep intruders away. ," wrote the book.