Curse of the Pharaohs: finally, an explanation?

When Howard Carter first saw inside Tutankhamun’s tomb on 26th November 1922, he described it as the “the day of days… the most wonderful I have ever lived through”. But, later that same day, things were to take a sinister turn.

Reported by the New York Times later that year:

New York Times, December 1922

With this ominous warning apparently predicting deaths amongst the archaeological team, most notably Lord Carnarvon just seven weeks later, the Curse of the Pharaohs became legend. Nowadays, the idea of a curse is more a point of curiosity than concern, but could there be any truth to it, and how did it become a set-piece in the public imagination?

Here’s how three different perspectives all contributed to one of the most famous myths of all time.

1)    Superstition: omens and symbols caused alarm bells

The canary’s death at the jaws of a snake was worrying, not just because of its timing, but because cobras were an ancient Egyptian symbol of royalty. In fact, one can even be seen on Tutankhamun’s own death mask.

Tutankhamun’s death mask

A terrifying inscription

Other symbolic items were found inside the tomb, including five ‘magic bricks’ decorated variously with a model of a mummy, a reed-torch, a pillar, a dog representing Anubis, and Osiris. According to the press, their inscription translated as "I will kill all of those who cross this threshold into the sacred precincts of the Royal King who lives forever". Definitely sounds like a curse… so could it be magic?

Just a case of hype, actually. A more accurate translation shows the inscription is a protective line from The Book of the Dead, reading a much more innocuous "I am the one who prevents the sand from blocking the secret chamber." Well, it did make a good story. 

‘Out of this world’ origins

Within the mummy’s wrappings, an iron dagger also caught the attention of researchers, as ironwork was rare at the time. Recent analysis of its composition has revealed high nickel and cobalt levels, meaning the blade was probably made from a meteorite.

Extra-terrestrial curse alert? Well, although the ancient Egyptians did appear to prize meteoric metal, the knife’s origins were unknown in 1922 and only rediscovered by researchers in 2016, nearly a century after the curse rumours started. Although, it’s still fun to think that the film Stargate may actually have been on to something after all!

2)    Science: there’s some rational evidence

Putting aside superstitions and conspiracy theories, could there actually be scientific evidence of a curse?

Ancient disease

One potential explanation for the team’s deaths is the possibility of exposure to an ancient pathogen lying dormant within the chamber. Whilst it might seem implausible that this could be activated over 3,000 years later, a type of toxic mold, aspergillus, has been found in some mummies, which has been known to cause allergic reactions and be harmful for people with weakened immune systems. Other nasty substances including ammonia gas, formaldehyde, and hydrogen sulphide have been found inside sealed sarcophagi, which could also be an issue if breathed in concentrated form.

With some level of scientific backing, this idea passes the intuitive test, but experts have dismissed this as a cause. In fact, given the sanitary conditions in 1922, it was ironically likely to be safer inside the tomb than out. Even today, worry about ancient diseases being released is of so little concern to archaeologists that they take more precautions against inhaling dust.

Radiation poisoning

An Italian physicist, Luis Bulgarini, caused a stir in 1949 when he claimed that ancient Egyptians understood the theory of atomic decay and that it was “definitely possible” that they used rock containing uranium to “protect their holy places”. Seemingly a wild claim, this might actually have scientific basis as some monuments do have a higher concentration of radon than might ordinarily be expected. Levels today are considered low enough that they’re unlikely to pose a risk to tourists, but they could have been higher when these sites they were first re-exposed.

So, could radioactive poisoning be the culprit? Well, although “it probably won’t have done those early Egyptologists much good”, it’s a ‘no’ according to the editor of the Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, Murdoch Baxter (and he should know).

3)    History: the idea wasn’t new

Whether the ancient Egyptians deliberately cursed the tomb or not, most people today might think the modern obsession with the mummy’s curse started in 1922. Not so, say historians who estimate its real origins to the 19th century.

A strange stage show

In a comprehensive study, preeminent Egyptologist, Dominic Montserrat, found evidence of a strange stage show at Piccadilly Circus in 1821 where the paying public could watch as a real mummy was unwrapped. This weird “striptease” apparently inspired several authors to pen bizarre stories of vengeful mummies, which over time morphed into the idea that they commanded powerful curses.  

An unwrapped ancient Egyptian mummy

An established literary device

One example with a terrifying storyline is Lost in a Pyramid, or the Mummy’s Curse, a lesser read book by the author of Little Women published in 1869. Imagine, if you will, an intrepid 19th century professor who gets lost while exploring Egypt and decides to signal for help by starting a fire with (you guessed it) a mummy, but not before a packet of seeds slips from its wrappings. Fearing bad luck, he later destroys all but one of the seeds, which grows into beautiful white flowers. His fiancée arrives at their wedding ceremony proudly wearing one … just in time for an urgent letter to come from a colleague warning that it contains a lethal poison, and for her to fall into a state of “death in life”. Sounds like a lost classic to us…  

When Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered, there was huge interest from the public. With the concept of a mummy’s curse already an established storyline, all it took was a few coincidences and a mistranslation, for the press to whip-up a frenzy, with scientific discoveries over time drip-feeding the ongoing interest. The explanation for the curse? Just a case of the perfect storm.

Main image credit: Howard Carter opens the innermost shrine of King Tutankhamun's tomb via Wikimedia