The reason I choose to write about this topic is because Egyptian mummy’s fascinates me a lot. I find it to be interesting and mysterious. The purpose is to find and understand the mystery behind the mummy’s curse of Tutankhamen. Many believed that cruse was either made up or a simple superstition. When Howard Carter discovered the tomb of King Tut at west bank at Luxor in November of 1922, he was the first to accomplish any finding in history.
One researcher by the name of Dominic Montserrat believed that the tale of mummy’s curse was actually originated during the 1820’s with an English author and a bizarre theatrical striptease act where state mummies were unwrapped. Many believed the curse is still a mystery. Newspapers and media promptly killed man the people surrounding the tombs discovery. One theory to be found was there might have been toxins in the tomb of King Tut. When Lord Carnarvon was discovering the tomb he became sick and died shortly after attending the tombs opening.
According to Jennifer Wegner from University of Pennsylvania Museum in Philadelphia. She stated, “ It certainly may have attracted insects, molds, bacteria, and those kinds of thing. The raw material would have been thousands of years ago”. The toxins can be particularly harmful for people that have weak immune systems. Aspergillums Niger and Aspergillums Flavus can be very harmful and dangerous to the body. It can cause allergic reactions that can spread from congestion to bleeding in the lungs.
Lord Carnarvon was to believed that he was expose to the toxins that might have been caused of his death, but experts who examined had examined the case of his passing believed that tomb toxins played no role in his untimely death. Second theory to be found that scientist has also detected ammonia gas, formaldehyde, and hydrogen sulfide inside the sealed sarcophagus. They can cause burning in the eyes and nose, and also can cause pneumonia-like symptoms. If it gets very severe in extreme cases it can lead to death. Also some tomb walls may have been covered with respiratory assaulting bacteria like pseudomonas and staphylococcus.
Work cited
- Egypt’s “King Tut Curse” Caused by Tomb Toxins?. (n. d. ). Daily Nature and Science News and Headlines
- National Geographic News. Retrieved November 4, 2012, from http://news. nationalgeographic. com/news/2005/05/0506_050506_mummycurse. html
- Warren, J. D. (n. d. ). Egypt: The Mummy Curse of Tutankhamun. Egypt Travel Guide – Tour Egypt. Retrieved November 4, 2012, from http://www. touregypt. net/featurestories/curse. htm
