How are you, amazing people of Read.cash? This is my post for this week's prompt. Monsters, Myths, and Legends. This is a topic that I really like, and I had a hard time deciding on a particular story. But I finally decided to write about The Curse of Tutankhamun. The famous legend of the Egyptian pharaoh that nowadays still hasn't a clear explanation.
Who was Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun was a pharaoh in Ancient Egypt and was known as King Tut. He ruled for a short period, a little less than a decade, from 1332 b.c. to 1323 b.c. He died when he was young, under 20 years old. His reign wasn't too important in history. Perhaps one of the most relevant facts was that he returned the polytheistic religion to ancient Egypt, ending the monotheistic reforms carried out by his father, Pharaoh Akhenaten. But the true importance in the history of Tutankhamun is that his tomb was found intact by archaeologists who discovered it after 3000 years. This allowed for in-depth studies of various aspects of life in Ancient Egypt, including mummification. If you want to read more about Tutankhamun, you can do it here, Source 1.
A long, long time ago, I was lucky enough to be able to visit Egypt. My husband was invited to screen one of his shortfilms at an Egyptian Film Festival, so of course, we took the chance to travel around Egypt a little bit. And one of the places we visited was The Valley of the Kings, near de city of Luxor. The place where ancient Egyptians buried their pharaohs.
The Tomb of Tutankhamun
The pharaoh's tomb in The Valley of The Kings was discovered by an expedition of archaeologists led by the British Howard Carter in 1922 and was financed by the other British Lord Carnarvon. King Tut's tomb was small compared to that of other pharaohs buried in the valley, which has given rise to some conjecture as to how untimely the death of this Pharaoh must have been. Since there wasn't have time to built a bigger one.
I was looking through my photos of Egypt, but I couldn't find a photo of the sarcophagus where Pharaoh's mummy rests. Perhaps photographs weren't allowed. It has been so long that I cannot remember it.
The Treasure of Tutankhamun
The treasure with which the pharaohs were buried was to grant the kings a life full of comforts in the hereafter. In the tomb of Tutankhamun, in addition to the pharaoh's mummy, which was very well preserved, there were sarcophagi, jewels, weapons, a cart, clothes, and many other objects of the time. Thousands of objects were found in the tomb.
All the pieces of Tutankhamun's treasure are normally exhibited in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo but have been exhibited on certain occasions in some of the world's leading art galleries. Perhaps one of the most representative pieces of this pharaoh's treasure is the golden mask. The gold mask weighs more than 10 kilos and is encrusted with precious stones. It's considered one of the most representative pieces of art from Ancient Egypt. Source 2.
The Pharaoh's Curse
In Egypt, there was a legend that whoever disturbed the tomb and mummy of one of the pharaohs would be cursed. For years, the tombs of the pharaohs had been looted, and it was said, those who did so were punished with diseases and calamities that would cause them death.
Shortly after the discovery of the Pharaoh's tomb. Death began to surround some of those involved in the discovery. The first to be affected a few months later was the financier of the expedition, Lord Carnarvon, who died of septicemia. He had some health ailments and was bitten by a mosquito. The bite got infected and caused a generalized infection that led to his death.
Carnarvon's death was followed by others, including that of his brother. Who was present when the royal chamber where the pharaoh's mummy lay was first opened. The same fate had an archaeologist who took the last blow to open the hole that allowed them access to this chamber. Also, the man who radiographed the mummy for the first time. They all died shortly after. And the press began to echo the legend of Tutankhamun's Curse.
There has been speculation about other deaths attributed to Tutankhamun's curse. Even that of Carter himself, who led the expedition. And always dismissed the legend of the curse. He died many years later, after suffering from cancer. You can read more about the Pharaoh's curse here. Source 3.
Later, some scientists said that the cause of mysterious diseases and deaths was an infectious fungus from the walls of the tomb that had been closed for so many years. And those who had been there having breathed the fungus. However, this idea hasn't been scientifically proven either. And it could be said, it's a bit of a legend too. Another interesting source on all of this. Source 4.
So far, the only certainty is that mysteries and legends continue to surround the fascinating history of Ancient Egypt. Something that has always caught my attention.
To participate in the Writing Prompt. You can read Jonica's article on Writing Prompt #14: Monsters, Myths, and Legends. And rules are simple:
Write about Monsters, Myths, and Legends
Write 100% original content
Write at least 600 words
Submit your article to the community PromptlyJonica and tag @JonicaBradley
Have fun!
My previous articles on the prompts:
P1- Freedom - What does Freedom mean to me?
P2 - Motivation - Why I'm using cryptos? - my motivations
P4 - Darkness - Five days in the darkness
P5- Questions - Too many questions
P8- Nature - A glimpse of nature in my tropical land
P9- Success - Success is not Final
P11- Labels - Labels and distortions
P13- Language - I speak Spanish. Yo hablo Español
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Until next time! ;)
August 25, 2021
Wow. You must have the great Egypt experience. And oh about the fungus being the root cause of people getting sick. That might be true and not. Because that was a long time ago. I don't think the fungus could affect people who visits the area.