8. King Tut’s Tomb Was Almost Intact
Howard Carter was an Egyptologist when Egypt was a protectorate of the British Empire. He had worked in Egypt for 31 years and, in 1922, was under the sponsorship of Lord Carnarvon. In 1917, when World War I came to an end, he began excavations in the Valley of the Kings. He was looking for a tomb that he wasn’t sure even existed, a boy king who ruled after the death of Akhenaten. On November 4, 1922, Carter and his team found a stone step that had been carved into a rock. They continued digging and discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun.
The tomb had not been disturbed for 3000 years. When Carter first opened the door, a gust of hot air – 3000-year-old air – rushed out. What he found on the other side was an almost intact burial chamber. There were life-sized statues of the king, parts of dissembled chariots, golden animals, and other treasures from ancient Egypt. Carter, his team, and especially his sponsor, Lord Carnarvon, were dumbfounded by the find. Many tombs had been robbed during the millennia since the pharaohs buried inside them had died. However, the tomb of King Tut was almost pristine.