Tutankhamun's Tomb found

In November 1922, the British archaeologist Howard Carter uncovered the entrance to the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor in Egypt. It was the most complete royal burial ever found from ancient Egypt, and its spectacular contents turned a little-known pharaoh into one of the most recognizable figures in history. The discovery also set off a worldwide fascination with Egyptian style and imagery, often called Egyptomania.

Tutankhamun ruled during the 18th Dynasty, in the 14th century BC, and died young, probably in his late teens. He came to the throne as a child, after the turbulent reign of Akhenaten, and his rule was brief and relatively minor. Over the centuries the Valley of the Kings had been looted and built over, and the boy king's tomb was largely forgotten, perhaps helped by debris from later construction that covered its entrance. By the early 20th century many archaeologists thought the valley had nothing left to give.

Carter disagreed. Working for the wealthy aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the excavation, he searched the valley for years with little to show for it. In early November 1922, his team found a stone step that led to a sealed doorway. Carter telegraphed Carnarvon, who traveled to Egypt, and the entrance was opened soon after. Carter's famous description of seeing "wonderful things" through a small opening comes from his own later account, and the exact wording is worth treating with some caution. Inside were four chambers packed with furniture, chariots, statues, jewelry, and the gold funerary mask that has become an emblem of ancient Egypt. Clearing and recording the tomb took about a decade.

The press seized on the story, and the exclusive reporting rights sold to The Times of London fueled global interest. When Carnarvon died in 1923 after an infection, newspapers popularized the idea of a "curse of the pharaohs." Modern scholars find no evidence for it, and many of those present at the opening lived long lives. The discovery nonetheless influenced fashion, jewelry, and architecture, notably the Art Deco movement of the 1920s.

The find also became entangled with politics. Egypt had recently gained nominal independence from Britain, and disputes over who should control the finds led Egyptian authorities to insist that the treasures remain in the country. Today most of the collection is held in Cairo, and the objects have been moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum near Giza. The tomb remains a landmark in archaeology, and its legacy continues to shape debates about how antiquities are excavated, owned, and displayed.