Do not disturb! Exploring the curse of the pharaohs

Anyone out there who has seen the action-packed adventure movie ‘The Mummy’? If you have (and jumped in fear at the sight of the awakened mummy!) then take a seat! You must know that, similar to what you saw on screen, regarding the consequences of awakening a mummy, there are believed to be repercussions for the action of disturbing the tomb of an ancient Egyptian. Only, instead of the mummy coming to life, this consequence comes in the form of a curse!

PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The pharaohs and the curse

The land of Egypt is one that holds historical marvels, mysteries, and knowledge. Here, the rulers are referred to as ‘pharaohs’. This term first came into use during the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt (1550 BC–1292 BC). Pharaohs were more than just the rulers. They were also the divine mediators between the gods and the people. It is strongly believed by the Egyptians that if a pharaoh’s body is properly preserved (mummified) following their death, then they would receive a luxurious and pleasant welcome in the afterlife. The resting places of pharaohs are filled with a great amount of wealth as offerings to the gods to provide the deceased with a calming and blissful path to the next world. The curse of the pharaohs is said to be cast upon anyone who disturbs the mummy and tomb of an Egyptian ruler. The curse will cast misfortune upon the intruder, which will lead to a great deal of bad luck, ranging from illnesses to even death! Warnings were inscribed into the ancient tombs to ward off robbers with the fear of a future filled with bad luck. Each warning was phrased differently, with one warning that the robber or archaeologist would be faced with a disease that no doctor can cure, while others provide a curse of misfortune in the form of metaphors and expressions.

A gold inlaid coffinette of Tutankhamun is pictured during a press visit of the Tutankhamun, Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh exhibition, displaying more than 150 original artefacts, at the Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris, France, March 21, 2019.
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REUTERS

The discovery of Tutankhamun’s Tomb

While the curse of the pharaohs was seen as a means to induce fear into the hearts of grave robbers, people only started to hold genuine belief for the curse after the famous and horrifying incident in 1922, when egyptianologist and archaeologist Howard Carter and his team of excavators, opened the tomb of the thirteenth pharaoh, Tutankhamun, 3,300 years following his passing and burial. Tutankhamun was one of the few pharaohs to have been fully worshipped as a deity during his reign. However, this ruler had died at the young age of 18. His tomb’s location had been lost since it was buried under debris. The journey to discovering it was a long one, as Carter and Lord Carnarvon (The Earl who financed the excavation) spent many digging seasons with no luck. It wasn’t until the 4th of November (When Carnarvon had agreed to fund the excavation for one last season), that the excavators uncovered the first step of the discovery, literally! This step served as the entrance to the staircase into the tomb! Howard Carter described his experience of first stepping into the tomb in his book The Tomb of Tutankhamen. He spoke of the sensation of amazement and marvel he experienced the second he entered the space.

“As my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues, and gold – everywhere the glint of gold. For the moment – an eternity it must have seemed to the others standing by – I was struck dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon, unable to stand the suspense any longer, inquired anxiously, ‘Can you see anything?’ it was all I could do to get out the words, ‘Yes, wonderful things.””Howard CarterThe Tomb of Tutankhamen

The golden sarcophagus of King Tutankhamun in his burial chamber is seen in the Valley of the Kings, in Luxor, Egypt, on November 28
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REUTERS

Was it a curse?!

The discovery and opening of  Tutankhamun’s Tomb was a historical event. However, what followed this were incidents of shock and widespread discussion. A short time after the pharaoh’s tomb was opened, Lord Carnarvon had been bitten by a mosquito. This may not seem like a big problem; however, the chain of events that followed could only be described as terrifyingly unfortunate. 

One day, when Carnarvon was shaving, he accidentally cut open the mosquito bite, causing it to become infected. And soon, blood poisoning followed this, causing immeasurable pain until he died of pneumonia in Cairo on April 5, 1923, which was only slightly longer than one month after the tomb had been closed on February 26! The death of the Earl created speculation that the cause of his passing was more than just an illness. This was during a time when fiction works displayed stories where reanimated mummies would seek revenge on those who disturbed their sleep. Tropes of mummy curses and real-life incidents involving the bad luck they caused, sparked and instilled the curse into the minds of society. 

It is said that a psychic had warned Carnarvon of the danger he would face prior to his death. Carnarvon’s son, Henry Herbert, had mentioned that at the moment of his father’s death, Cairo had experienced a power outage. 

According to Carter, the team had also witnessed a snake consuming a bird they had brought with them. Egytians considered this an ill omen, connecting the snake to the Uraeus, the royal cobra that normally rested on the crown of the pharaoh to strike enemies.

The misfortune didn’t stop there! The ‘curse’ (as referred to by a majority of the public) continued to take effect even after the Earl’s passing. Following this, financier George Jay Gould visited the same tomb and died in the month of May of that year. People with connections to Carnarvon, like his half-brother and secretary, had also passed away. Another member of the excavation team, A. C. Mace, also died of pneumonia in the year 1928. While causes were listed, the public attributed their deaths to the curse! 

Representational image
| Photo Credit:
FREEPIK

Science,  beliefs, and media

If anything seems mystical or enigmatic, it just means that another path has opened in the field of science! Similar to the excavation at Tutankhamun’s Tomb, there have been many other incidents where archaeologists and explorers faced unusual deaths following their trips into pyramids, and research on the texts. The deaths, despite having natural causes, were reported by the media as connected to the curse. At that time, exaggerated claims were made by the press on the existence of curses and vengeful spirits. This was not taken well by Egyptianologists, including Howard Carter, who claimed: “all sane people should dismiss such inventions with contempt.”  Research has been done on the strange deaths that followed when people entered tombs. Based on incidents and studies conducted, researchers have discovered that ancient tombs give out highly radioactive energy. It was further observed that all the victims had symptoms attributed to radiation sickness. Some of the pathogens included toxic fungi, known as Aspergillus flavus, which, when disturbed, could release spores that would effect respitory systems and those with weak immune systems. In a study published in the Journal of Scientific Exploration, Scientist Ross Fellowes found that the toxic materials and nuclear waste may be the core cause of the deaths, and exposure to this radiation could lead to health problems like cancer. 

““All sane people should dismiss such inventions with contempt.””Howard Carter

Published – April 03, 2026 03:26 pm IST