The Curse of Tutankhamun's Mummy 'Killed' Nine Explorers

Since its discovery, the mummy of King Tutankhamun has garnered an important place in the minds of Egyptologists. Apart from the valuables found with the mummy, the thing that has captivated the minds of experts and people is the rumored curse associated with the find, Newsweek reported.

Nine explorers attached to the discovery of the mummy have died, and many believe it could have something to do with a certain curse. Experts took note of these deaths and were unable to dismiss it as a coincidence. Scientists believe that there could be a curse in play, but instead of the boy king, fungi might be responsible. 

King Tutankhamun's tomb

King Tutankhamun is also known as the 'boy king' because he ascended the throne at the age of nine or ten, Live Science reported. The 'boy king' took over the throne in the 14th century, and just a decade after his rule, breathed his last.

His tomb in the Valley of the Kings at Luxor remains one of the most popular archeological discoveries made in the world. The tomb was located by Egyptologist Howard Carter in 1922.

The treasure of the tomb was mostly intact, which shocked the explorers because other burials in the Valley of the Kings, had been looted.  "It's difficult to imagine the past century without Tutankhamun and the discovery of that time-capsule tomb," Christina Riggs, a history professor at Durham University in England said. The tomb contained close to 5,000 artifacts which included gold, jewelry, food offerings, and ornate statues, Newsweek reported.

Curse of the Mummy

Carter and his team were accompanied by their patron, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, when they located the tomb, History Today reported. The tomb gained worldwide interest because of the treasure found within it.

Just when discussions regarding the tomb were at their highest, the Earl died of a mosquito bite, Newsweek reported. This brought on speculation that interaction with the mummy could have caused the Earl to die in such an unfortunate manner.

Popular writer Arthur Conan Doyle added more fuel to the fire by claiming that an evil spirit protecting the tomb could have caused the Earl's death, History Today reported. Several people who visited the tomb died in the coming years, giving more validity to the curse rumor.

Sir Archibald Douglas Reid, who supposedly X-rayed the mummy died mysteriously in 1924; Sir Lee Stack, the governor-general of the Sudan who visited the tomb was assassinated in Cairo in 1924. Arthur Mace of Carter’s excavation team allegedly died of arsenic poisoning in 1928 and Carter’s secretary Richard Bethell was reportedly smothered in his bed in 1929.

Carter's Reaction

Carter who discovered the tomb, completely dismissed the 'curse' theory, History Today reported. In his words, the whole notion was a 'tommy rot.' For years people believed his words, as the fact that the main person behind the discovery could have escaped the 'curse' did not seem likely. But when news of him dying alone of Hodgkin’s disease in his London flat became public, the curse rumor came back to life.

Scientific Explanation

Several scientists believe that Aspergillus fumigatus could be responsible for the infections that occurred in explorers after opening King Tutankhamun's tomb, Newsweek reported. "A. flavus produces a toxin, flavitoxin, on stored grain,"  Tom Chiller, chief of the Mycotic Diseases Branch said. "This toxin can be harmful or fatal to humans and animals and is a major source of crop spoilage."

The boy king's tomb contained bags of bread and raw grain, which could have facilitated the growth of the fungus. Researchers believe that if the fungus was responsible for the infections, then it had been waiting inside the king's body for a long time. According to scientists, the Aspergillus to sustain itself inside the king, took the form of spores.

Researchers further believe that the fungus could be the answer because three victims of this alleged "curse" had symptoms similar to what is caused when humans are attacked by Aspergillus fumigatus. Traces of Aspergillus fumigatus are yet to be found in the tomb.