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Curse of the Mummies
By Jennifer Viegas -- Special to ABCNEWS.com
In 1922, archaeologist Howard Carter discovered King Tutankhamen's burial chamber. Upon entering the tomb, Carter's lucky canary, which supposedly led him to the remote site, was eaten by a cobra. A donkey stumbles and archaeologists hit the mother lode: the most spectacular mummy find to date.
This ominous sign didn't deter Carter and his team. They emptied the chamber of all its riches, such as stunning gold objects, jewelry and even King Tut's mummy.
Seven years later, 11 people associated with the project were dead. Lord Carnarvon, who funded Carter, died of a blood infection just a few months after the discovery. When Carnarvon took his last breath, it was said that all the lights went out in Cairo.
Although no curse was written in King Tut's tomb, newspapers and locals at the time attributed the sinister occurrences to the notorious “curse of the mummy.”
Emily Teeter, associate curator of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, offers another explanation. “A bunch of old geezers worked on the tomb,” she says. “Most succumbed to old age.” As for the lights shutting off, “Well, anybody who has been to Cairo can tell you that the lights go out there quite often.”
Spores of Truth
But Gotthard Kramer, a microbiologist at the University of Leipzig in Germany, believes there may be a few spores of truth in mummy curses.
According to a recent report in the German news magazine Der Spiegel, he analyzed 40 mummies and identified several mold spores on each one. Dirt samples from tombs also yielded spores.
“When a tomb is opened for the first time, a gust of fresh air blows inside, causing dust and mold spores to whirl up in the air,” says Kramer. “When spores enter the body, through the nose, mouth or eye mucous membranes, they can lead to organ failure and even death, particularly in individuals with weakened immune systems.”
Food offerings left in the tombs before they were sealed created ideal mold growing conditions.
Dr. Hans Merk, a dermatologist at the University of Aachen, Germany, performed similar research and agrees with Kramer's conclusions. Merk took dust and rock samples from tombs and found primarily three types of mold spores: Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus terreus and a Cephalosporium species.
“All three are potentially dangerous to humans,” says Merk.
Mold spores are everywhere, and most are harmless. Some are even beneficial, such as those used to create Roquefort cheese and penicillin. They're protected by a tough, waterproof wall made of chitin, which allows mold to survive for thousands of years, even in unfavorable conditions.
Prolonged exposure to toxic molds in a closed area, such as a mummy burial chamber, can cause serious problems.
They can irritate, infect and ultimately damage the eyes, skin, lungs, mucous membranes, respiratory tract, stomach and intestines.
Low-Tech Security System
Could the Egyptians have known about the deadly effects of these molds when they wrote their infamous threats on the walls of mummy chambers? Experts think it unlikely.
“The ancient Egyptians didn't even know what mold and bacteria were,” says Carol Redmount, associate professor of Egyptian archaeology at the University of California at Berkeley.
They did, however, recognize the power of the written word. In fact, Egyptians believed that if you wrote a statement, drew a picture or spoke something aloud, those things would come true. Lisa Schwappach, curator of the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in California, says tomb curses became a handy deterrent for enemies of the deceased who wished to literally erase the individual and all his chances of entering akh, the glorified, heavenly state of being.
Tombs also are easy pickings for thieves because they contain valuables. “The Egyptians believed you could take it with you,” says Schwappach. Threats on walls sought to deter robbers from stealing these objects.
Virtual Mummy
Curses aside, researchers and archaeologists now take precautions when entering tombs or examining burial finds.
William Peck, curator of ancient art at the Detroit Institute of Arts, was one of the last individuals in this country to autopsy a mummy. He says archaeologists from the early part of this century did not realize dust released while unwrapping a mummy could lead to diseases. Today, Peck and other scientists protect themselves by wearing rubber gloves, masks and body suits.
Such gear isn't necessary for latest method of mummy viewing, because the body remains intact.
Bernhard Pfesser and his colleagues at the Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science in Medicine at the University of Hamburg, Germany, used computer tomography to take X-ray images of a 2,300 year-old mummy. These were compiled last month to create the world's first “virtual mummy.”
“Amateur archaeologists can now study the mummy safely,” Pfesser says, “without violating the sanctity of her remains.”
Authentic Curses
Do not disturb indeed. The following are actual curses found in mummy burial tombs:
“As for anybody who shall enter this tomb in his impurity: I shall seize his neck like a bird's.”
“As for this grave shaft which I have made of six x three cubits which I have given to my beloved wife … As for any man who shall seize them from this I shall be litigated with them by the Great God, the Lord of Heaven.”
“As for any people who shall seize anything in violence: I shall be litigated with them by the Great God in the Necropolis, indeed, in the West, while their memory is evil in the Necropolis.”
“As for him who shall destroy these, it is (the god) Thoth who shall destroy him.”
“Moreover, as for him who shall destroy this inscription: He shall not reach his home. He shall not embrace his children. He shall not see success.”
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