The Curse of the Mummy - 1935 vs. 2009

We already knew your future and safety couldn't be guaranteed if you were one of the 58 persons present at the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb - just look at Lord Carnarvon, who fell victim to a mosquito bite and a razor, as well as the current state Highclere Castle is in - but it seems that being a visitor to one of the exhibitions about King Tut can get quite dangerous too:

Nearly a century after Tutankhamun's tomb was dug up, a man says he was severely injured by electrical shock and chemical fumes at a display of the ancient Pharaohs stuff.

Carman Fields sued the Franklin Institute Science Museum and Mandell Center in state court. He claims the state of disrepair of display cases in the "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" exhibit was so negligent that he received a severe electrical shock and was overcome by chemical fumes in September 2007. Fields says he suffered severe pain that radiated from his head through his torso and into his extremities. Since then, he says, he has suffered persistent headaches, chronic dizziness, imbalance, disequilibrium and forgetfulness. He wants $50,000.

Odd occurrences have been rumoured to surround Tutankhamun artefacts since his tomb was dug up in 1923. Legend has it that anyone who dared to open the tomb, which escaped all but minor looting for more than 3,000 years, would suffer the wrath of the Pharaoh.

Personally I think we could more easily account this to the 'suing for damages' curse that seems to be one of the plagues of Modern America, rather than to the curse of the Pharoah. ;)
The Mummy - 1932

Why mention this? Well, I needed a reason - besides that it's totally awesome, in a vintage kind of way - to post this old film trailer for 'The Mummy' by Karl Freund, dating back to 1932:

"Stranger than Dracula. More mysterious than the Invisible Man! The Mummy! Is it dead or alive? Human or inhuman? You'll know! You'll see! You'll feel the awful creeping crawling terror that stands your hair on end and brings a scream to your lips. There's nothing on earth like the mummy!"

The story? In 1921 a field expedition in Egypt discovers the mummy of ancient Egyptian prince Imhotep, who was condemned and buried alive for sacrilege. The inscriptions on his coffin reads 'Death: Eternal punishment. For. Anyone. Who. Opens. This. Casket.' Also found in the tomb is the Scroll of Thoth, which can bring the dead back to life. One night a young member of the expedition reads the scroll out loud, and then goes insane, realizing that he has brought Imhotep back to life. Ten years later, disguised as a modern Egyptian, the mummy attempts to reunite with his lost love, the ancient princess Princess Anck-es-en-Amon, who has been reincarnated into a beautiful young woman, Helen Grosvenor. Imhotep requires Helen to die so he can revive his princess and make her a living mummy like himself.

Shortly summarized in trailer-speak: "Buried alive for 3700 years! Brought back to live, love and kill! The amazing, incredulous, unbelievable story of the nameless horror! The Mummy!" *shivers*

Anybody in for a movie night? Or is The Mummy (1932 edition) not scientifically correct enough to your liking? Ah well, we also have some 'serious' mummy news on offer: Dr. Zahi talks to Heritage Key about the recent research on King Tut's DNA, and identifying one of his still-born children, a daughter. And don't even get him started about Tutankhamun's health and walking sticks!

The Curse Of The Mummy

Suspicious Circumstances

In 1922, the death of Lord Carnarvon sparked one of the most mysterious and captivating stories of its time. Howard Carter’s discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun was followed by a number of strange events and grissly deaths, prompting speculation that the mummy was cursed. News spread across the world that explorers had accidently unleashed an ancient curse, capable of striking dead anyone or anything in its path. It was bad news for man and beast alike.


The deathmask of King Tut.
Carter and his financial backer Lord Carnarvon entered the tomb in November. Five months later Carnarvon was dead. Story has it that at the exact moment of his death, all the lights went out in Cairo, and Carnarvon's dog, back home in England, suddenly and dramatically dropped dead too.

Carnarvon's death was attributed to a mosquito bite on his cheek which was aggravated, leading to septicemia. When King Tut's mummy was unwrapped, years after the media frenzy surrounding Carnarvon's death, it was found that the king had a wound on his cheek in exactly the same location as Carvarvon's mosquito bite.

As well as Carnarvon five others from the twenty-six strong expedition were dead within the decade. And when Carter entered the tomb in November it has been reported that his pet canary was swallowed by a cobra - a particularly dramatic way to die.

Media Frenzy

The bizarre nature, and sheer number, of these deaths, along with the strange tales that surrounded them, lead to the belief that anyone who entered the tomb would succumb to the fatal curse. The press went wild, and the validity of the curse was enhanced by the publication of a warning by novelist Mari Corelli who claimed there would be dire consequences for anyone who entered the tomb. By this point, for many people, the story of the curse had become a fact.

Don't Mess With The Mummies

Historical evidence also adds weight to the story. Contrary to popular belief, talk of the curse of the mummies did not originate in 1922. Stories of the curse are believed to have been started by the ancient Egyptians to protect the tombs from grave robbers. Vengeful mummies are the equivalent of modern bogey-men, often invoked by today's real mums in order to keep young scoundrels in check.

Evidence suggests that the Arabs who invaded Egypt in 641AD believed in the curse. Arab writers warned people not to tamper with the mummies or their tombs. The Egyptians, they claimed, practiced magic during their funeral services and the paintings inside the tombs suggested that the mummies could return to life and seek revenge.

In London a rather bizarre stage show depicted Egyptian mummies being unwrapped on stage, and the stories of the curse became more widely known. The story of the curse rippled through Britain, surfacing in the work of several writers of the time. One of these was the author of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott, who wrote the little known novel Lost in a Pyramid, The Mummy’s Curse. Now, most people remember the badly-rated movie, The Curse of The Mummies.

Fact or Fiction

There are of course arguments to suggest that the curse is nothing more than a figment of the media’s imagination. At the time of the discovery of King Tut's tomb, the treasures found by Carter generated a media frenzy, and a lot of sensationalised headlines. In the 1920’s newspapers were the only media outlet. News travelled more slowly and less reliably. Newspaper editors knew that by printing tales of a curse they could play to the public's superstitious natures and sell more papers.

Journalists have even been accused of making up stories simply to fuel interest in the curse. One reporter claimed that over the entrance to the tomb there was an inscription which read: "Death shall come on swift wings to him that toucheth the tomb of the Pharaoh"” This was simply not true.

The Sensible Explanation

Rather than being cursed, Scientists believe Carnarvon’s death was due to years of poor health and blood poisoning from an infected Mosquito bite. Although Six of the twenty-six members of the expedition were dead within the decade, Carter, who had been the first to enter the tomb and so the most likely to fall under the curse, was not one of them, dying in 1939.

Reports of the lights in Cairo going out at the time of Carnarvon’s death have been discredited by those who say that this, even today, is a frequent occurrence within the city, and the stories of the deaths of Carnarvon’s dog and Carter’s canary being are unproven.

Could it be True?

In recent years some scientists have suggested that the curse was biological in nature. Lab studies have shown that some ancient mummies have carried poisonous mold spoors, some of which can cause congestion or bleeding in the lungs. This theory has been discounted by the majority of scientists, who believe that there is not enough evidence to prove it, although archaeologists and scientists working in the tombs today wear special clothing for protection against harmful spoors.

Sceptics may claim that the curse is nothing more than superstitious nonsense fuelled by the media. But history suggests there could be more to it. The ancient Egyptians did indeed use spells, potions and amulets during the mummification process, and believed that the spirits of the dead could return to their mummified bodies. Perhaps they were right all along, and perhaps these rituals were more effective than we realize.

Whether Lord Carnarvon died from boring old septicemia or from an ancient curse, the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb is still one of the most significant events in Egyptology to date. And the story of the curse of the mummies is definitely one of the most alluring.

The External Trappings of King Tut

The King's magnificent gold death mask is recognized the world over as the definitive icon of Ancient Egypt and the wonderful richness and dram of the tomb's treasures. The fact is that the mask was only one part of several nested layers of protection for the king, which included various beautiful external trappings found sewn into the mummy’s outermost linen bandages.

These fabulous trappings consist of eight golden mummy bands used instead of linen to hold the final layer of bandages in place, a pair of eerily life-like golden hands gripping a crook and flail, a scarab hung from a gold chain, and an exquisite pectoral in the shape of a human-headed bird.

Mummy Bands

The cartouches - king's names - had been cut out of King Tut's mummy bands
Each mummy band is a series of plaques decorated with hieroglyphs inlaid in coloured glass. The texts carry the names of the king and include protective spells spoken by different deities such as the sky goddess Nut, the embalming god Anubis, and the Four Sons of Horus who guard the king's viscera - the life sustaining organs he would need in the Afterlife.

Interestingly, Carter found that most of the cartouches (the king's names) on the underside of these bands had been cut out and replaced with plain gold. One that had not been removed was Anakheperure, the co-regent of Tutankhamun's successor and, it is believed, Tutankhamun's brother. This treatment of the bands reinforces the view that the burial arrangements for the boy king were very hurried as a result of his unexpected death.

Final Grasp

The royal hands are of burnished gold with wrist lets of colored glass and carnelian. The crook and flail, emblems of royal authority and power, are made of silver cores covered with alternating bands of glass and gold, and the resin scarab is inscribed with a protective spell from the Book of The Dead.
External Trappings of Tutankhamun's Mummy (Shot in King Tut Virtual) VIDEO: External Trappings of Tutankhamun's Mummy (Shot in King Tut Virtual)

Perhaps the most striking piece is the human-headed bird, representing ba. This is the part of the human soul believed to fly from the body at the instant of death, and thus identified with breath and movement. For a person to be resurrected properly, essential before the Afterlife can be entered, the ba must be reunited with the body and with ka, the vital and unique life-force of the individual.

This ba pectoral is made of gold inlaid with glass to mimic turquoise, lapis lazuli and carnelian. The bird’s claws grip shen signs, rings symbolizing the eternal circuit of the sun. The human face of this beautiful piece is rendered with exquisite sensitivity.

The King's Headdress

Worn by the king in life? - Perhaps. Worn by the king in death? - Certainly. This beautifully simple diadem was found in place on the king's mummy over a beaded skullcap covering his shaved head. Made expressly for the king, the diadem is comprised of a solid gold headband inlaid with lapis and lazuli-colored glass and set with circles of carnelian-colored glass, each with a central gold boss. The headband is closed by a symmetrical bow-shaped clasp made of a sun disk of chalcedony flanked by papyrus flowers inlaid with malachite. The four "streamers" extend from the headband, decorated to match the headband, two of which are flanked by rearing uraei (snakes).

The uraeus and vulture had been placed in the wrappings over the king's thighs since there was insufficient room for them beneath the golden mask. Sockets allowed them to be placed in front of the headband with the body and tail of the uraeus retaining the shape of the diadem and holding it in place on the king's head. The snake head is made of dark blue faience, the upper body of chased gold. The vulture's head is of gold with eyes of obsidian. These creatures represent the patron goddesses of Upper and Lower Egypt, attesting to the king's dominion over the two lands.

The Centerpiece

The spectacular golden mask of Tutankhamun is the most iconic image of the ancient world. Instantly recognizable, compellingly beautiful and deeply mysterious. But it wouldn’t have shone quite as brightly at the time of the discovery. The resinous material used during mummification had, over time, hardened and blackened into a kind of sticky tar. This residue had also stuck the death mask to the king's head and shoulders, making it impossible to safely remove. After several failed experiments, Carter used hot knives to cut the mask free, severing the mummy's head in the process.
No doubt this macabre event contributed to the legend of a curse which it is claimed led to the deaths of many of those involved in the excavation.

The craftsmen who created this masterpiece began by hammering together two thick sheets of gold, thought to echo the flesh of the gods. These were then shaped into the likeness of the king, who is portrayed wearing the striped nemes headdress. On the shoulders and back of the mask a magical text refers to the different parts of the body and their connection to particular deities. These serve to protect the king's body and render it functional for immortality. Silent though it is, the mask speaks across the centuries of wonderful skill, amazing wealth and a profound belief in the Afterlife.

Leg fracture and brain malaria cause King Tut's death

Pharoah Tutankhamun died of complications from a broken leg aggravated by malaria. And his family? 'Most likely' (still) Akhenaten is the daddy, with one of Akhenaten's sisters being Tutankhamun's mum (and thus also his aunt!).

The article - to be published tomorrow in the Journal of the American Medical Association alongside the press conference - contains results of over two years of research in two different dedicated 'mummy labs'.

It was already (though maybe not that widely) known that King Tut was not murdered, and most likely died because of complications after a leg fracture. CT-scans and DNA tests by the team of scientists now confirm this, adding that the young king was already weakened, and his condition after fracturing his leg was aggravated by a nasty case of cerebral malaria.

Tutankhamun suffered from a cleft palate (like his presumed father, Akhenaten) and had a club foot (like presumed grandfather, Amenhotep III). In combination with Kohler's disease (a lack of blood flow causes the bone tissue to die, then bone to collapse) this must have severely weakened his immune system over time.

The Irrepressible Legacy of Hatshepsut

Holding the symbols of office, she ascended the throne. Once the place where her husband sat, it was now hers, by a right that she was about to assert... Turning, she chuckled to herself as the long beard attached to her chin brushed her chest. She'd put on all of her dead husband's regalia, knowing that despite her female form, thttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhe symbols would connote their own power.

“By order of the god Khnum who made the gods out of clay, and who appeared to me in a dream last night, I was told to assume the rule of Egypt. 'I will make you to be the first of all living creatures,' he said. 'You will rise as king of Upper and of Lower Egypt, as your father Amon, who loves you, did ordain.' For he told me that Amon himself, in the guise of my father the king Tuthmose, came to my mother Aahmes and gave her his essence to bear me."

Power-dressing

The natural amphitheatre of the cliffs creates an ideal backdrop to the temple.
In the 80s, women stepped into a politically charged workplace; expected to act and perform like men, they donned serious, tidy suits that looked much their male counterparts. Boxy-shouldered and clean-lined, women wore suit jackets to compete with men, ones that reduced femininity and emphasizing businesslike purpose.

Queen Hatshepsut was no stranger to donning the trappings of men to legitimate power; in her reign (which lasted for 20 years between 1503 and 1483 BC), she wore the garments of the male ruler, from the kilt (called shendyt) to the nemes headpiece, to the wigged beard.

Holding Onto The Reigns

Her reign looks almost accidental if one reads history swiftly. Her half-brother and husband, Thutmose II, died of a skin disease after assuming the throne. His heir, Thutmose III (both Hatshepsut’s nephew and a son by a different wife), was not yet old enough to rule, and Hatshepsut was appointed steward of his reign as Queen Dowager. Perhaps history simply handed a humble woman her role, or perhaps she took it by wile, for her political skill delayed the most powerful king of his era from taking the throne for at least twenty years.

Hatshepsut’s reign was not entirely unprecedented. Egypt was known for the freedom of its women. Several female rulers had come before Hatshepsut and some would come after, and even women of the lower castes were allowed ownership of property, inheritance from their parents, and representation in court, connoting them more rights than their Greek and Mesopotamian neighbors.

Terms of Trade

Despite this status, Hatshepsut still found it necessary to represented herself as a man, especially in the many statues and drawings that depicted her reign. In her time, much like in our own culture’s past, taking on the guise of a man would strengthen people’s faith in her leadership. Undoubtedly Thutmose III learned his political wile and statesmanship on her knee, notably from Hatshepsut’s ambassadorial trip to Punt from which she garnered many riches for Egypt in the form of gold, ebony, ivory, saplings of the myrrh plant, animal skins, and perfume. This journey was the most famous deed of her war less reign.

The Afterlife

Every Egyptian kept one eye upon eternity, and Hatshepsut made sure that her story would not fade from time by investing in monuments and temples that chronicled her reign. One such achievement was the creation and movement of two obelisks, cut out of granite at Aswan, and conveyed to the temple of Karnak. Her greatest work was a temple at Beir el-Bahri in the Valley of the Kings, with walls adorned by stories of her life.

After Hatshepsut's mysterious death (speculated to be in 1458 BC), Thutmose III ordered all of her many monuments defaced, the name beneath the cross-dressed figure chiseled out and changed to that of his father, grandfather, or himself. Somehow, Hatshepsut’s mummy and that of her consort Senmut’s vanished from their tombs, with Senmut’s sarcophagus smashed into many pieces; their afterlife was crushed to dust. Despite all of Thutmose III’s attempts to erase her name from history, however, Hatshepsut’s carefully reconstructed life remains vivid today.

The temple was complete. Hatshepsut stood in front of it feeling for the first time as if her name would not be a grain of sand in a desert. Around her, the columns rose in a mighty rank, holding up the roof above the many statues and drawings that described the years of her reign. "It is good," she said to the overseer, climbing the steps to touch a column. Her immortality was assured.

Huge' structure discovered near Snefru's Bent Pyramid in Egypt may be an ancient harbour

Archaeologists have discovered a large structure – to the northeast of the 4,600 year old Bent Pyramid – which may be the remains of an ancient harbour. It connects to one of the pyramid’s temples by way of a 140 meter long causeway.

The discoveries were made by a team from the Cairo department of the German Archaeological Institute, and the Free University of Berlin. The team used magnetic survey and drill cores soundings to make the finds. The structure is mostly unexcavated and only a portion of the causeway has been unearthed.

The structure itself is U-shaped, 90 meters by 145 meters. It was built with mud brick and has no wall on its east side. “Maybe this structure can be interpreted as (a) harbour or something like that,” said Dr. Nicole Alexanian of the German Archaeological Institute, Cairo. She said that it may have been beside water, “it’s possible that ships could enter by a canal in this area.”

Harbors are known from later Egyptian pyramids and may have served as a receiving point for the body of the pharaoh. It is unlikely, however, that the newly discovered structure was used for the burial of the Bent Pyramid’s creator – the pharaoh Snefru. It is widely believed by Egyptologists that his final resting place was the Red Pyramid, located two kilometers to the north of the Bent Pyramid.



Snefru was the first ruler of the fourth dynasty and constructed two pyramids at Dahshur (the Bent and Red Pyramids), one at Meidum, and one at Seila. These were the first “true” pyramids – those with smooth sides. After he died, his son Khufu inherited the throne and began construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza.
A 140 meter roofed causeway

The causeway runs due east of the temple and has a vaulted roof. This appears to be the earliest known instance in which a roofed causeway was used in an Egyptian pyramid complex.

“The walls - they built them to a really astonishing height, almost three meters,” said Dr. Alexanian. “It was like a tunnel - astonishingly it’s also very steep.”

The interior of the causeway contained a passageway more than 2.5 meters wide. Its walls were lined with undecorated white and yellow plaster which appears to have been maintained for a long time.

“Four phases of the plastering could be distinguished which attest that it was renewed several times,” said the team in a recent report. “From (the) state of weathering of the different plaster layers it can be inferred that the causeway was used for a substantial period of time i.e. at least 40 years.”
Building the Bent Pyramid

Archaeologists are not certain why Snefru went to the trouble of building four pyramids in Egypt. The Bent pyramid, as its name suggests, has an odd angle – with a slope that looks like it was changed part way through construction. It has been suggested that this was an error made by workers trying to grasp new construction techniques.

However research done by the German team suggests that the geology of the plateau played a role in the pyramid’s odd shape.

“The ground had to be stable – this was a problem with the Bent Pyramid,” said Dr. Alexanian. “The ground where the Bent Pyramid is built on, it’s not always stone, there was some taffla. It’s something like muddy structures in the ground.”

This affected construction. “Therefore they got problems doing the ground, therefore they altered the angle of the pyramid.”




There is also evidence that the pyramid builders altered the plateau to make it flatter – quarrying material from the east. The team writes in a conference abstract that the topography of the pyramid plateau – “can be hardly explained taking into account only fluvial processes or processes like gully erosion or soil erosion.”

Therefore, “for the area of the pyramid plateau a direct anthropogenic relief forming influence has to be considered.” In other words – humans altered the shape of the plateau.

Alexanian said that flattening the plateau would “make the view from the cultivated area even more dramatic.” People would have seen a flat, sharply edged, plateau, with a pyramid built on top and possibly a canal leading up to it.

A sight that would make someone living 4,600 years ago gasp in awe.

Tourism 'harming Egyptian sites'

Egypt's ancient sites are attracting rising tourist numbers
Tourism is damaging Egypt's ancient cultural sites and placing them at serious risk, experts have warned.

Famed sites such as the Valley of the Kings have been hit by a rising number of visitors, domestic and foreign.

Tourists are scuffing walls and wearing away paintings, Michael Jones of the American Research Center in Egypt told a conference in London.

Humidity caused by tourists' breathing and perspiration was also harming the fabric of buildings, he said.

Mr Jones was speaking at an Anglo-Egyptian conference in London to mark 50 years since the Suez crisis.

He said action was needed to prevent further damage to important sites.

'Must act now'

Another expert, Professor Fekri Hassan of University College London, cited Tutankhamun's tomb as an example.


We all gain from tourism, but seeing the damage it's causing makes you feel very sorry
Gaballa Ali Gaballa
Former head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities

"It is very small and always crowded with groups inside it," he told the BBC News website.

"It is unregulated in terms of dust and moisture and has no technology to get rid of pollutants
A new heritage institute was needed to conserve Egypt's thousands of sites and halt their deterioration, he said.

More site managers should be trained, and regular monitoring and assessment of sites put in place to determine priority cases.


Experts say some sites are too small to cope with lots of visitors
"If we don't act now, it will be impossible to reverse this process," he said.

Prof Gaballa Ali Gaballa, former head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, suggested that a rotational or limited opening of key sites should be fully implemented.

"We all gain from tourism, but seeing the damage it's causing makes you feel very sorry," he said.

The number of visitors has risen dramatically in recent years and tourism constitutes Egypt's top foreign currency earner.

According to the Egyptian Tourism Authority, last year 8.6 million tourists visited Egypt, Reuters news agency reported.

A colossal red granite head of one of Egypt's most famous pharaohs has been unearthed in the southern city of Luxor

The 3,000-year-old head of Amenhotep III - grandfather of Tutankhamun - was dug out of the ruins of the pharaoh's mortuary temple.

Experts say it is the best preserved example of the king's face ever found.

The 2.5m (8ft) head is part of a larger statue, most of which was found several years ago.

Antiquities officials say the statue is to be reconstructed.

"Other statues have always had something broken - the tip of the nose, or the face is eroded," said Dr Hourig Sourouzian, who has led the Egyptian-European expedition at the site.

"But here, from the top of the crown to the chin, it is so beautifully carved and polished, nothing is broken."

Vast empire

Egypt's antiquities chief, Zahi Hawass, described it as "a masterpiece of highly artistic quality".

Amenhotep III ruled Egypt from about 1387 to 1348 BC and presided over a vast empire stretching from Nubia in the south to Syria in the north. Scientists using DNA tests and CT scans on several mummies have identified him as the grandfather of Tutankhamun - the boy-king born of an incestuous marriage between Akhenaten and his sister, both the offspring of Amenhotep III.

The massive mortuary temple in Luxor was largely destroyed, possibly by floods, and little remains of its walls.

the first zoo in the world

Strange animal burials at the ancient Egyptian capital of Hierakonpolis point to the existence of a large, exotic menagerie around 3500 B.C. The 2009 field season produced 10 dogs, a baby hippo, a Harte beast, a cow and calf, and an elephant. The tally for this Predynastic period zoo now stands at 112 critters, including 2 elephants, 3 hippos, 11 baboons, and 6 wildcats. Hierakonpolis, on the Nile south of Luxor, was settled by 4000 B.C., and by the time these animals were buried around 500 years later, was Egypt's largest urban center. The animal burials are in the city's elite cemetery, where rulers and their family members, along with retainers--some possibly sacrificed--were interred. Hierakonpolis Expedition director Renee Friedman found evidence indicating that the city's powerful rulers kept the animals in captivity, almost as in a zoo. Baboons (including the one at left), a wild cat, and a hippo show signs of bone fractures that can only have healed in a protected environment. A 10-year-old male elephant had eaten twigs from acacia trees as well as wild and cultivated plants from varied environments, suggesting it was being fed. The animals were accorded special treatment in death. A large wild aurochs had been buried in human fashion, its body covered with matting and pottery, and accompanied by a human figurine. The newly excavated elephant had been buried lying on a reed mat and covered with linen. Friedman believes the menagerie was a display of power and that the animals were likely sacrificed on the death of a ruler. But this was not, she says, simply the power to kill and bury large and exotic animals. For the ruler, it was also the power to control them and potentially become them, taking their natural, physical power as his own.

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