The Pharaoh Tutankhamun seems to have been part of our lives forever, so it’s hard to believe that his tomb was found just hundred years ago on 4th November 1922. Even the discoverer, Howard Carter, had no idea what lay within the tomb, only that it didn’t seem to have been got at by raiders.
He was overjoyed to find it for more than one reason. This had been his last chance with his financier Lord Carnarvon, who was going to stop the supply of funds. So imagine the emotion with which Carter despatched the famous telegram below. And, equally, the joy with which Lord Carnarvon received it. Within two weeks he’d joined Carter in Egypt!
Over the following weeks the tomb was finally opened and Carter peered inside. When Lord Carnarvon asked him if he saw anything, Carter’s momentous reply was “Yes, wonderful things!”
And so the story and riches of the until-then minor pharaoh, Tutankhamun, gradually unfolded. Treasure after treasure was carefully removed. Even today historians and archaeologists are still cataloguing everything from Tutankahun’s tomb. All these years and we’ve yet to get to the bottom of it all!
It all culminated in the discovery in 1923 of the young pharaoh himself, and the staggeringly beautiful death mask by which we all know him today (see top illustration).
The finding of this veritable gold mine of wonders has taught us so much about Ancient Egypt, and we keep learning more and more about Tutanhkamen himself (or Tutankhamun as he known to us now, but not in Carter’s time). He’s so recognised these days that it’s hard to remember that his tomb was only found in 1922. Now he’s famous the world over, and we even refer to him affectionately as “King Tut”. The one thing the Ancient Egyptian pharaohs wanted above all else was to have their name known and respected forever, and Tutankamen has certainly achieved that!
Of course, something else supposedly resulted from the opening and emptying of the tomb….the notorious curse. Lord Carnarvon (the first man to actually enter the tomb itself) died not long after, and there were a succession of other deaths and calamities (nine I believe) that the press soon connected to this so-called curse. Well, Howard Carter, the man ultimately responsible for the sacrilege done to the pharaoh was the second man into the tomb and he lived on until 1939, when he died of Hodgkin’s Disease. So if there is/was a curse, it’s a very picky-choosy one!
But this blog is concerned with the medieval period, and in particular the 15th century. So what, exactly, did our forebears know about Ancient Egypt? Well, certainly they knew whatever the Romans had known, because the Romans brought their knowledge with them to Britain. And the story of Moses and the Exodus was in the Bible, and sermons would refer to the parting of the Red Sea and so on. There was also a lot of trade—especially spices—with Cairo and Alexandria, so at the very least they’d have seen the pyramids, and the head of the Sphinx poking above the sand. The Crusaders certainly saw and returned with tales of the amazing structures.
On a side note, medieval apothecaries usually sold Mummia, see here and here , which was supposedly made of powdered mummies. It was regarded as a general cure-all, and also as an aphrodisiac! I can’t help thinking I’d lose the mood rather quickly if I was expected to try it. However, it seems mummia wasn’t made from mummies, it was simply thought to be because it came from the resin used to prepare mummies. I’d still lose the mood. Mind you, when I think of some of the other things resorted to in the name of medieval medicine, I suppose mummia is better than many! Oh, and it was also used by artists because it produced a particular shade of brown. To read all about Mummia, go to this site.
But today is King Tut’s day, The moment in time when his long sleep in the Valley of the Kings was brought to an end and he came out into the light again. I for one am delighted to see him.
To read more, go here, here, here and many, many more, of course.
Illustrations from the various sites above.
murreyandblue 
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