The late Egyptologist Dominic Montserrat conducted a comprehensive search and concluded that the concept began with a strange 'striptease' in 19th-century London.

Carter, surely any curse's prime target, lived until 1939, almost 20 years after the tomb's opening.īut while the pharaoh's curse may lack bite, it hasn't lost the ability to fascinate audiences-which may be how it originated in the first place. In reality, Carnarvon died of blood poisoning, and only six of the 26 people present when the tomb was opened died within a decade. Tut's glittering treasures made great headlines-especially following the opening of the burial chamber on February 16, 1923-and so did sensationalistic accounts of the subsequent death of expedition sponsor Lord Carnarvon. When Howard Carter opened a small hole to peer inside the tomb at treasures hidden for 3,000 years, he also unleashed a global passion for ancient Egypt.

The 'mummy's curse' first enjoyed worldwide acclaim after the 1922 discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, Egypt. But Hollywood didn't invent the curse concept. Movie mummies are known for two things: fabulous riches and a nasty curse that brings treasure hunters to a bad end.

Egyptian language in the mummy movie