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The Curse of the Pharaoh
by Shelley Dawson Davies
Rising out of death! Living again in evil! Tattered, lurching mummies with grasping, outstretched arms ready to drag the living into horror have been a pop culture classic since Howard Carter's discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb one hundred years ago next month.
People had long been fascinated with Egyptian culture as early archeologists shipped exotic artifacts all over the world during the 17th and 18th centuries. Richly decorated sarcophagi containing preserved bodies of ancient royalty were especially popular, and public unwrappings of the mummies became crowd-pleasing entertainment. It was only natural for the young movie industry to capitalize on the mummy trend in the 1920s after a number of newspaper articles fostered the belief of an ancient curse attached to Tut's tomb.
Sensational headlines about the curse began with the death of Carter's benefactor, Lord Carnavon, less than six months after the tomb was opened. It was reported that his dog suddenly howled and dropped dead and Cairo's lights went out at the very moment of Carnavon's death. It wasn't long before a number of deaths were linked with the pharaoh's curse, including those of the radiologist who x-rayed the mummy, Carnavon's secretary, Carnavon's half-brother, financier George Jay Gould I, and Egyptian Prince Bey. When Carter's canary was killed by a cobra, an ancient Egyptian symbol of the king's justice, the curse took on a life of its own. Even Howard Carter's death, more than fifteen years after the tomb's discovery, was tied to the curse.
Chilling tales of revenge-seeking mummies continue to thrill those fascinated with the pharaoh's vengeance, but whether or not you believe in the curse, you can help the Heritage Museum of Layton find Tut's stolen Golden Scarab in the family-friendly quick escape room scheduled from 5 pm - 9 pm on October 21. Will you be a victim of the mummy's curse?
