| |
KF5JRV > TODAY 16.02.19 13:37l 44 Lines 2260 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 31330_KF5JRV
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Feb 16
Path: IZ3LSV<IW0QNL<VE2PKT<N9PMO<AB0AF<KF5JRV
Sent: 190216/1234Z 31330@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA BPQ6.0.18
On this day in 1923, in Thebes, Egypt, English archaeologist Howard
Carter enters the sealed burial chamber of the ancient Egyptian ruler
King Tutankhamen.
Because the ancient Egyptians saw their pharaohs as gods, they carefully
preserved their bodies after death, burying them in elaborate tombs
containing rich treasures to accompany the rulers into the afterlife. In
the 19th century, archeologists from all over the world flocked to
Egypt, where they uncovered a number of these tombs. Many had long ago
been broken into by robbers and stripped of their riches.
When Carter arrived in Egypt in 1891, he became convinced there was at
least one undiscovered tomb–that of the little known Tutankhamen, or
King Tut, who lived around 1400 B.C. and died when he was still a
teenager. Backed by a rich Brit, Lord Carnarvon, Carter searched for
five years without success. In early 1922, Lord Carnarvon wanted to call
off the search, but Carter convinced him to hold on one more year.
In November 1922, the wait paid off, when Carter’s team found steps
hidden in the debris near the entrance of another tomb. The steps led to
an ancient sealed doorway bearing the name Tutankhamen. When Carter and
Lord Carnarvon entered the tomb’s interior chambers on November 26, they
were thrilled to find it virtually intact, with its treasures untouched
after more than 3,000 years. The men began exploring the four rooms of
the tomb, and on February 16, 1923, under the watchful eyes of a number
of important officials, Carter opened the door to the last chamber.
Inside lay a sarcophagus with three coffins nested inside one another.
The last coffin, made of solid gold, contained the mummified body of
King Tut. Among the riches found in the tomb–golden shrines, jewelry,
statues, a chariot, weapons, clothing–the perfectly preserved mummy was
the most valuable, as it was the first one ever to be discovered.
Despite rumors that a curse would befall anyone who disturbed the tomb,
its treasures were carefully catalogued, removed and included in a
famous traveling exhibition called the “Treasures of Tutankhamen.ö The
exhibition’s permanent home is the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
73 de Scott KF5JRV
Pmail: KF5JRV@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA
email: KF5JRV@ICLOUD.COM
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
