February 16: 1923 : Archaeologist opens tomb of King Tut 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,
archaeologists 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 was convinced there was at least one undiscovered
tomb that of Tutankhamen, or King Tut, who lived around 1400 BC and died when
still a teenager. Backed by Lord Carnarvon, Carter searched for five years without success.
However, 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
they were thrilled to find it virtually intact, with its treasures untouched after
3,000 years. The men began exploring the four rooms of the tomb, and on February 16, 1923,
Carter opened the door to the last chamber.
Inside lay a sarcophagus with three coffins inside one another. The last coffin, made of solid gold, contained the mummified body of King Tut. Among the riches found
was gold jewelry, statues, a chariot, weapons, clothing and the perfectly preserved mummy one ever to be discovered. Despite rumors that a curse would befall anyone who disturbed the tomb, its treasures were carefully
catalogued and included in a traveling exhibition called the "Treasures of Tutankhamen."
Today King Tut sarcophagus is housed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
