King Tut's Tomb Discovered!

Imagine your excitement at discovering an intact Egyptian tomb!

On this date in 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter got that thrill as his workmen discovered a step in the Valley of Kings—leading down to the tomb of King Tutankhamen.

Carter arrived in Egypt over 30 years earlier—and most of the ancient tombs had been discovered. However, the little-known King Tut was still unaccounted for. This king rose to the Egyptian throne as a child—and died at the age of 18.

After World War I, Carter set out in earnest to find the mysterious King’s remains. After exhaustive excavation—and close to calling it quits, one of the workers discovered the first step to the tomb—close to the final resting place of King Ramses VI.

Here’s a short video that chronicles the discovery:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZWB5-aXMXQ

When Carter and fellow archaeologist Lord Carnarvon entered the tomb on November 26th, they discovered a treasure-trove of several thousand objects! The four-room tomb was explored fully over the next few years, revealing an incredible array of artifacts. The most stunning of all was the stone sarcophagus containing three coffins nested within each other. Inside the last one---made of solid gold—was the mummy of the boy-king Tutankhamen, preserved for more than 3,000 years!

Most of the treasures are now housed in the Cairo Museum.

For an archaeologist, this was the equivalent of hitting the Lottery, winning the Super Bowl and World Series and striking oil—all rolled into one!

What else is out there? There surely must be hidden worlds yet undiscovered—and that fact is likely the motivation that drives scientists to dig---how else could you stand sifting through tons of dirt?

If you’d like my blog in your weekday inbox, just let me know—you won’t have to “dig” for it—and it’s free! Tim.moore@citcomm.com