Tomb of the Golden Bird - Elizabeth Peters [177]
The most damaging accusation made against Carter and Carnarvon is that they entered and explored the tomb in secret, before the official opening. Other evidence, aside from Mrs. Emerson’s own account, gives credence to this charge. According to her, the illicit entry took place on the evening of the twenty-sixth of November, and not, as some have suggested, a day or two later. Her version seems more reasonable to me. The excavators’ appetite had been whetted by what they saw through the small aperture, and as Mrs. Emerson admits, only men of iron could have waited any longer. Furthermore, the chief inspector, Rex Engelbach, was due to visit the tomb the following day, and any disturbance that occurred afterward might have been noted by him. The accusation that objects were removed from the tomb by Carter and Carnarvon is unproven; however, the private collections of both men contained articles that may well have belonged to the young king. The interested Reader may find the evidence pro and con in the numerous volumes on the tomb. The encounter with an irate Emerson explains Carnarvon’s subsequent animosity against the Emerson family, and his refusal to let them participate.
The burial chamber was not officially opened until February 17 of the next year. The Emersons are not mentioned in the list of notables present on that occasion. In April Lord Carnarvon passed away from an infected and neglected mosquito bite. His death brought the story of the curse into full flower, despite the fact that his health had always been poor. Sensible persons pointed out that the so-called curse inscription in Tutankhamon’s tomb was a journalistic fabrication, and that most of the persons directly involved in the work on the tomb lived to reasonable old ages, including Carter himself; but as Mrs. Emerson might say, common sense is no match for superstition. Obviously she succeeded in keeping the story of Emerson’s curses quiet; but it would be interesting to learn how the Father of Curses reacted to Carnarvon’s being struck down. He was a sensible man, so let us hope he did not take the matter to heart.
It took Howard Carter eight years to finish clearing the tomb of Tutankhamon. Only the sarcophagus, the outermost coffin, and the mummy of the king were left in place, where they remain today. The years were difficult for Carter. A number of writers have mentioned his autocratic behavior and tactlessness, which eventually led to a head-on confrontation with the Egyptian authorities. He was temporarily expelled from the tomb, but was later allowed to resume the clearance. The end results were devastating for foreign expeditions. The regulations regarding partage were tightened and the contents of the tomb were taken by the Cairo Museum.
One must make allowances for Carter. His was an onerous task, made more difficult by demands from all sides. As Emerson himself admitted, few excavators could have carried out the job as well.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Since I do not scruple to pick the brains of my friends, I must acknowledge the contributions of Joan Hess and Dennis Forbes. Joan suggested a new motive for Sethos (which turned out to be a cursed nuisance, but which is nonetheless appreciated) and Dennis reminded me that Emerson was, after all, the Father of Curses. Dennis’s book, Tombs. Treasures. Mummies. gives one of the best accounts of the discovery and excavation of Tutankhamon’s tomb. I would also like to thank him and my invaluable assistant, Kristen Whitbread, for reading the entire manuscript in search of errors. If they missed anything, the mistakes are my responsibility.
About the Author
Elizabeth Peters was born and brought up in Illinois and earned her Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago’s famed Oriental Institute. Peters was named Grand Master at the inaugural Anthony Awards in 1986 and Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America at the Edgar Awards in 1998. In 2003, she received the Lifetime Achievement