Summer's winding down as we enter September—or, as they would have called it in ancient Egypt, Akhet, the height of the rainy season that flooded the Nile once a year and made their entire civilization possible. Ken Jennings has a new book out this month on the land of the pharaohs, so all month he'll be sharing his sphinx-like wisdom with us by debunking millennia of misinformation about the ancient Egyptians. Maybe you've been in "de Nile" for a long time, but finally, here are the Ra facts.
The Debunker: Did a "Curse of King Tut" Strike Down His Tomb's Discoverers?
The tomb of Tutankhamen, the "boy Pharaoh" of Egypt's New Kingdom, survived undiscovered for over three thousand years before archaeologist Howard Carter discovered it in 1922. When Carter's financier, Lord Carnarvon, died of blood poisoning two months later, the press began to report that an inscription in King Tut's tomb promised that "Death will slay with his wings whoever disturbs the peace of the pharaoh," and news reports eventually credited almost two dozen deaths to this "curse." The spooky story inspired all kinds of modern folklore, including the Boris Karloff Mummy movie.
It's true that the ancient Egyptians did leave ominous warnings in some of their temples and tombs, but no such inscription was ever found in Tutankhamen's. His is the only intact New Kingdom tomb that Egyptologists have ever opened, but that had nothing to do with any curse. King Tut's dynasty ended with his death, and his successors were quick to remove his name from records and monuments. His tomb was forgotten relatively quickly.
But what about all the suspicious deaths? Some scientists have speculated that the tomb may have contained a toxic mold or bacteria that struck down its discoverers, but the evidence suggests otherwise. Carnarvon's death is known to have been caused by a mosquito bite and an unclean shaving blade. Other deaths may have made for sensational headlines—for example, the cobra that killed Howard Carter's pet canary shortly after the tomb was opened—but were obviously unconnected to the tomb. A 2002 study by the British Medical Journal compiled actuarial tables for Westerners in Cairo in 1922. Those who were present at the opening of the tomb or sarcophagus lived to be, on average, 70 years old, almost exactly the same lifespan of those who were never there. Howard Carter himself lived to be 64, and many of his men lived well until the 1960s. If King Tut really did put a curse his tomb, he probably should have chosen a more effective one.
Quick Quiz: History says that King Tut was probably born in or around the Egyptian city of Amarna, his father's capital. But according to Steve Martin's song "King Tut," he was actually born in what U.S. state?
Ken Jennings is the author of six books, most recently his Junior Genius Guides, Because I Said So!, and Maphead. He's also the proud owner of an underwhelming Bag o' Crap. Follow him at ken-jennings.com or on Twitter as @KenJennings.