howard carter and the discovery of the tomb of tutankhamun

The young Carter would benefit from these important connections. As part of their work, numerous archaeological discoveries have been made including the model of Nefertiti from Amarna. The Egypt Exploration Fund is a society founded in 1882 to study and excavate predominantly in Egypt as well as Sudan. With the assistance of the Egypt Exploration Fund, in 1891 he was invited to join Percy Newberry in an excavation of the tombs at Beni Hasan. With the help of his father, Howard Carter developed the skills required for Egyptology. Within the home was an impressive collection of Egyptian artefacts which sparked a life-long interest in the subject in young Carter. In his youth he experienced poor health which led to him being sent away from the hustle and bustle of London to Norfolk, to live with extended family and be privately schooled at home.Īs a young boy he benefited from living near Didlington Hall, a mansion in the area belonging to the Amherst family.

Howard Carter, the archaeologist who made this monumental discovery, was born in Kensington, the son of an artist called Samuel Carter. In the decade that followed, Carter and his team would methodically excavate the contents, which included the pharaoh’s mummified body as well as wall paintings, religious objects and equipment accompanying the king into the afterlife. The discovery of an intact tomb belonging to the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh, the “boy king” Tutankhamun himself, was a breath-taking moment. This was an outstanding and legendary discovery that garnered attention from around the world. Taking his first look, he peered through a small crevice, revealing for the first time, the contents of Tutankhamun’s tomb. On 26th November 1922, the British archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter, holding a candle in one hand, made a tiny hole in the doorway of a tomb. These are the famous words of Howard Carter at the moment when he discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

Howard carter and the discovery of the tomb of tutankhamun