THE curse of the pharaohs was once rumored to have caused the deaths of the men who opened the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Zahi Hawass, former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs of Egypt, spoke to The U.S. Sun about the real reason behind the mythical curse and how modern archaeologists can avoid a deathly disaster.
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The curse of the pharaohs is believed by some to affect anyone who disturbs the mummified remains of an Ancient Egyptian person.
This supposed curse is not said to differentiate between archaeologists and thieves and is said to cause bad luck, illness, or even death.
It’s often associated with Tutankhamun after his tomb was opened in November 1922.
Lord Carnarvon a financial backer of the excavation died from an infected mosquito bite on April 5, 1923.
George Jay Gould I was a tomb visitor who was said to have died from a fever following his visit in May 16 1923.
Several other men who were associated with the tomb mysteriously died including Howard Carter who is famous for opening it.
Carter died at 64 in February 1923 from Hodgkin’s disease and his older brother William died the same year.
Hawass believes the curse is a myth but thinks there could be a scientific reason for the deaths.
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He told The U.S. Sun: “The Curse of the Pharaohs became more famous when the tomb of Tutankhamun was found and Lord Carnarvon gave exclusive rights to the London Times.
“Then the rest of the reporters cannot write anything. But when Lord Carnarvon died five months after the discovery, they created many stories about the curse that were not true.
He continued: “When you have a mummy inside a tomb, this mummy has germs that you cannot see.
“Archaeologists in the past, they were in a hurry and they entered inside the tombs and they were hit by germs and they died.”
The expert then revealed his method for avoiding such a fate.
Hawass told us: “Only two weeks ago I found a sealed sarcophagus, 25 tonnes in weight about 60 feet under the ground.
“The lid of the sarcophagus was about six tonnes. Two work men began to open it for me, to raise the lid, then I can put my head and see what’s inside.
“When they opened it I left it open for half an hour until the bad air would go out and the fresh air would go in and I put my head and nothing. That’s the curse of the pharaohs.”
When asked whether the curse of the pharaohs is really just old germs he simply replied: “Exactly.”
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
