It was one hundred years ago on November 4, 1922, that British archaeologist Howard Carter and an Egyptian team discovered an ancient stairway hidden for more than 3,000 years beneath the sands of Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Twenty-two days later, Carter descended those stairs, lit a candle, poked it through a hole in a blocked doorway and waited as his eyes grew accustomed to the dim light.
Carter and the Egyptian team had found the tomb of Tutankhamun, the boy king of Egypt, who was buried in a small and overlooked chamber in 1323 B.C. A century later, the discovery of King Tut’s final resting place, which contained more than 5,000 priceless artifacts, remains one of the greatest archeological discoveries of all time.
When Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun's sarcophagus on February 16, 1923, he stoked intrigue and mystery over an ancient Egyptian boy king. Who was King Tut, the occupant of the burial chamber who ruled 3,300 years ago, and how did he die at the age of 19?
Carter didn’t have an answer back then, but modern forensic and medical technologies have uncovered details that provide clues as to what may have plagued King Tut before his death.
In 2010, researchers performing DNA analyses on the remains of King Tut and his relatives made a shocking announcement. The boy king, they believed, was the product of incest between the pharaoh Akhenaten and one of his sisters. Read more.
Egyptian temples, fortresses, pyramids and palaces redefined the limits of architectural possibility and served as a warning to all of Egypt's enemies: The world's most advanced civilization could accomplish anything.
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