Curse of the pharaohs

The curse of the pharaohs is a purported supernatural punishment said to strike people who disturb ancient Egyptian tombs, popularized by deaths associated with Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Tutankhamun: An Egyptian pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty whose largely intact tomb was discovered in 1922. The tomb’s discovery linked the curse story to a specific pharaoh.
Opening of Tutankhamun’s tomb: The 1922 entry into the burial chamber of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings. This event supplied the curse legend with its defining episode.
Mark Nelson's study of Tutankhamun's expedition: A 2002 epidemiological analysis comparing survival among people who entered Tutankhamun’s tomb and those who did not. It found no evidence that tomb entrants died unusually early.
Egyptomania: A recurring Western fascination with ancient Egyptian art, history, and symbols. The curse flourished within popular fascination with Egyptian antiquity.
KV62: The tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Reports of a curse centered on this tomb after its discovery.
Death of Lord Carnarvon: The 1923 death of George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, from complications after an infected mosquito bite. His death soon after the tomb’s opening was widely framed as evidence of a curse.
Ancient Egyptian tomb inscriptions: Texts and images inscribed in Egyptian tombs, often describing offerings, identity, and the afterlife. They provide context for claims that tombs carried written supernatural threats.
Egyptian revival architecture: An architectural style that adapts forms and motifs associated with ancient Egypt. The same fascination that fed curse stories also shaped buildings and design.
Howard Carter: The British archaeologist who led the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb. His excavation became the setting for the curse’s best-known stories.
Richard Bethell: Howard Carter’s secretary, who died in 1929 after participating in the Tutankhamun excavation. His later death was added to accounts of alleged victims.

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