The Curse of the Pharaohs refers to the belief that any person who disturbs the mummy of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh is placed under a curse whereby they will shortly die. Many tombs of pharaohs have curses written on or around them, warning against entering. A mummy is a corpse whose skin and dried flesh have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold or dryness, or airlessness. ... Map of Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt was the civilization of the Nile Valley between about 3000 BC and the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. As a civilization based on irrigation it is the quintessential example of an hydraulic empire. ... Pharaoh is a title used to refer to any ruler, usually male, of the Egyptian kingdom in the pre-Christian, pre-Islamic period. ... Look up Curse in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A tomb is a small building (or vault) for the remains of the dead, with walls, a roof, and (if it is to be used for more than one corpse) a door. ...

The belief was brought to many people's attention due to the deaths of some members of the team of Howard Carter, who opened the tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62) in 1922, launching the modern era of Egyptology. The first of these "mysterious" deaths was that of Lord Carnarvon. He had been bitten by a mosquito, and later slashed the bite accidentally while shaving. It became infected and blood poisoning resulted. This was before antibiotics, thus little could be done and the aristocratic archeologist died. It should be noted, however, that there was nothing mysterious about Carnarvon's death. He had been in frail health for years since a serious car accident. His doctors had recommended that he go to Egypt because the warm climate would benefit his fragile health. Several others directly or indirectly involved with the tomb of Tutankhamun followed the Earl in death. Skeptics pointed out that many, many others who visited the tomb or helped to discover it lived long and healthy lives. A study showed that of the 58 people who were present when the tomb and sarcophagus were opened, only eight died within a dozen years. All the others were still alive, including Howard Carter who died peacefully at the age of 64 in 1939. Howard Carter (May 9, 1874 – March 2, 1939) was an English archaeologist and Egyptologist. ... Nebkheperure Lord of the forms of Re Nomen Tutankhaten Living Image of the Aten Tutankhamun Hekaiunushema Living Image of Amun, ruler of Upper Heliopolis Horus name Kanakht Tutmesut The strong bull, pleasing of birth Nebty name Neferhepusegerehtawy One of perfect laws, who pacifies the two lands[1] Wer-Ah-Amun... The pharaohs solid gold funerary mask was laid to rest with him in KV62 The wall decorations in KV62s burial chamber are modest in comparison to other tombs in the Valley Tomb KV62 in Egypts Valley of the Kings is the Tomb of Tutankhamun, famous the world... Egyptology is the scientific study of Ancient Egypt and Egyptian antiquities and is a regional and thematic branch of the larger disciplines of ancient history and archaeology. ... Lord Carnarvon (right) with Howard Carter, who was chief archeologist on many of Carnarvons excavations. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Blood poisoning, also known as septicaemia, is a bacterial infection that occurs when bacteria get into the bloodstream and multiply rapidly. ... An antibiotic is a drug that kills or slows the growth of bacteria. ...

Some have speculated that deadly fungus could have grown in the enclosed tombs and been released when they were open to the air. Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, favoured this idea, and speculated that the mold had been placed deliberately to punish grave robbers. A newspaper report printed following Carnarvon's death is also believed to have been responsible for the wording of the curse most frequently associated with Tutankhamun – "Death shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the peace of the King" – a phrase which does not actually appear among the hieroglyphs in KV62. Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Deuteromycota The fungi (singular fungus) are a kingdom of eukaryotic organisms. ... Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a Scottish author most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction, and the adventures of Professor Challenger. ... Sherlock Holmes as imagined by the seminal Holmesian artist, Sidney Paget, in The Strand magazine. ... Microscopic photo of the hyphae and spores of Aspergillus fumigatus Moldy bread Moldy nectarines Molds (or moulds) are microscopic multinucleated multicellular fungi made up of hyphae (tube-like structures) which are usually separated from each other by divisions called septa. ... Grave robbing is the act of disinterring a corpse to steal either the body or its effects. ...   Hieroglyphs at the Memphis museum with a statue of Ramesses II in the background. ...

While there is no evidence that such pathogens killed Lord Carnarvon, there is no doubt that dangerous materials can accumulate in old tombs. Recent studies of newly opened ancient Egyptian tombs that had not been exposed to modern contaminants found pathogenic bacteria of the Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas genera, and the moulds Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus. Additionally, newly opened tombs often become roosts for bats, and bat guano may harbour histoplasmosis. However, at the concentrations typically found, these pathogens are generally only dangerous to persons with weakened immune systems. Air samples taken from inside an unopened sarcophagus through a drilled hole showed high levels of ammonia, formaldehyde and hydrogen sulfide; these gases are all toxic, but at dangerous concentrations are easily detected by their strong odours. [1] Species S. aureus S. caprae S. epidermidis S. haemolyticus S. hominis S. lugdunensis S. saprophyticus S. warneri S. xylosus Staphylococcus (in Greek staphyle means bunch of grapes and coccos means granule) is a genus of gram-positive bacteria. ... Species P. aeruginosa P. fluorescens P. putida etc. ... Binomial name Aspergillus niger P.E.L. van Tieghem Aspergillus niger is a fungus and one of the most common species of the genus Aspergillus. ... Binomial name Aspergillus flavus Aspergillus flavus is a fungus associated with aspergillosis of the lungs and sometimes believed to cause corneal, otomycotic, and nasoorbital infections. ... Suborders Megachiroptera Microchiroptera See text for families. ... ... Stone sarcophagus of Pharaoh Merenptah Detail of a stone sarcophagus in the Istanbul Archeological Museum showing a hunting scene Anthropoid sarcophagus discovered at Cádiz A sarcophagus is a stone container for a coffin or body. ... Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula NH3. ... The chemical compound formaldehyde (also known as methanal), is a gas with a strong pungent smell. ... Flash point -82. ...

Partly as a result, many modern archaeologists wear protective clothing when opening long-closed burial chambers. Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ...

Deaths

• Lord Carnarvon 1923
• George Jay Gould I 1923

Lord Carnarvon (right) with Howard Carter, who was chief archeologist on many of Carnarvons excavations. ... George Jay Gould I (1864-1923) George Jay Gould I (February 6, 1864 - May 16, 1923) was a financier and the son of Jay Gould. ...

External links

• Mark R Nelson, The mummy's curse: historical cohort study, British Medical Journal (2002;325:1482-1484)
• H2G2, Tutankhamun – the Boy Pharaoh (including a section on "The Curse")
• John Warren, The Mummy's Curse