He even slept on the beds that had been entombed over 3,000 years before, showing no ill effects! In fact, Adamson lived to be 82 years old and died in 1982, sixty years after the discovery and with no ill effects from his experience.
Even today, rumors about the curse continue to swirl around King Tut and his tomb. For example, the researchers who discovered that King Tut died from an infected broken bone used a CT scan to evaluate his mummy. Reporter Hayes notes, "While performing the CT scan of King Tut, we had several strange occurrences,' Selim said. 'The electricity suddenly went out, the CT scanner could not be started and a team member became ill. If we weren't scientists, we might have become believers in the Curse of the Pharaohs'" (Hayes). Certainly, the scientist was speaking with his tongue in his cheek, but this clearly indicates how myths and legends develop and continue. Strange occurrences cannot just be "chance," they must be tied to something, and so, myths and legends grow up. That does not mean they are true, but only that they are believable, or at least credible so some individuals. These people were scientists, and they were perplexed by the occurrences, so it is easy to see how laypeople can get caught up in the madness of myth and legend, and perpetuate them, as well.
Finally, in a study released in 2002 by an Australian researcher, the curse myth is officially debunked. The researcher, Mark Nelson, looked at records of all the people known to have worked at or in the tomb. A reporter notes, "But Mr. Nelson said, 'I found there was no evidence that being present at the opening of the tomb, sarcophagus, coffin or the unwrapping of the mummy shortened a person's life'" (Editors). The records indicate that most of the people associated with the work at the tomb lived to old age, and the tomb had no effect on their general health.
In conclusion, the curse of King Tut may have seemed very real at the time, and it certainly drew a huge following. It exists even today, indicating just how pervasive a rumor like this can be. However, most studies indicate the curse is a myth - something that is believed to be true and so it persists. In fact, it seems the curse is just that, a myth that has no substance in real fact. True, Lord Carnarvon died, but it has been established that he died of an insect bite, rather than a trip to the tomb. In addition, there have been other rational explanations for any deaths associated with the tomb, and modern studies show that the curse is a myth that is not substantiated by actual facts and figures. King Tut was a legendary figure, and his tomb was one of the most spectacular ever unearthed in Egypt. It is easy to see how myths like this one could grow to massive proportions, simply because of the enormous nature of the discovery. However, King Tut's curse may be good box office for the King Tut exhibit and to lure visitors to the tomb itself, but research indicates it just is not true, it is a fiction that exists in the minds of people, but without any credibility or substantiation.
Literature Review
Editors. "King Tut's Curse a Myth, Study Says." New York Times. 2002. 12 Feb. 2009. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9803E1DE123CF937A15751C1A9649C8B63.
This short article discusses the study by Mark Nelson, which helped dispel the myth hovering over King Tut's tomb. It discusses how Nelson came to his conclusion that the curse is a myth - he used very real data to come up with the determination that the curse did not exist, because most of the people associated with the discovery lived to old age.
The article is extremely useful in dispelling the myth because it shows how Nelson came to his conclusions, how valid they were, and how they were much more reliable than the newspaper accounts of the day, which were outlandish at best. Nelson's study used real people and real facts, while the myth was built on speculation and legend, and this article was extremely useful in illustrating the curse is in fact fiction.
Fertado, Peter. "Tutankhamun's Last Guardian?" History Today Nov. 2007: 22.
This journal article, written by British reporter Peter Fertado, discusses the role of Richard Adamson in the location of the tomb. Adamson claimed he took a photo that helped lead discoverer Howard Carter to the entrance of the tomb, and then lived in the tomb for seven years, guarding its contents while Carter catalogued every item in the tomb. Adamson participated in documentaries, traveled back to Egypt to reminisce about his experiences,...
Other theories are that he died after having been sent into battle. Other scholars state that a hole found in the King's head indicates foul play but experts believe that the hole was made after his death. (Tutankamun: Life and Times) Another mysterious aspect of the life of King Tutankhamun that still lingers in the modern consciousness is the famous, or rather infamous, curse that is associated with his name.
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