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Uncovering the Past Primary Source

The Discovery of the Tomb of

Tutankhamen
by Howard Carter

ABOUT THE READING The Valley of the VOCABULARY

Kings in Egypt is the burial place of many plundered robbed
ancient Egyptian rulers. British archeologist
lintel top of a doorway
Howard Carter worked for six years digging
in the valley, which is located across the threshold entrance
Nile River from Luxor. In this excerpt, Carter debris rubble, wreckage
describes a lucky break in the fall of 1922—
anxiously with worry
the discovery of some steps under the
desert sand.

As you read try to imagine what it might have

felt like to discover the tomb of an ancient king.

We . . . had before us the entrance to a tomb, but . . .

there was always the horrible possibility . . . that the
tomb was an unfinished one, never completed and
never used: if it had been finished there was the . . .
Many tombs of the pharaohs had
[chance] that it had been completely plundered in been robbed in ancient times
ancient times. On the other hand, there was just the because thieves knew that they
were filled with gold, jewels, and
chance of an untouched or only partially plundered other rare items.
tomb, and it was with . . . excitement that I watched
the descending steps of the staircase, as one by one
they came to light . . .
A sealed doorway—it was actually true, then! Our
years of patient [work] were to be rewarded after all,
and I think my first feeling was one of congratulation
that my faith in The Valley had not been [without
a reason]. With excitement growing to fever heat I
searched the seal . . . on the door for . . . the identity
of the owner, but could find no name . . .
Source: From The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen, by Howard
Carter and A. C. Mace. Copyright 1923, 1927, 1933 by Cassell and
Company, Ltd.; new Introduction by John Manchip White, copyright
© 1977 by Dover Publications, Inc. Reproduced by permission of
Cassell and Company, Ltd., London.

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The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen, continued Primary Source

While [studying] the seals I noticed, at the top of

the doorway, where some of the plaster had fallen
away, a heavy wooden lintel. Under this . . . I made
a small peephole, just large enough to insert [a
The entrance to the underground
flashlight], and discovered that the passage beyond tomb was filled with stones to
the door was filled completely from floor to ceiling make it very difficult for robbers
to get to the treasure inside.
with stones . . . additional proof . . . of the care with
which the tomb had been protected.
It was a thrilling moment . . . I found myself, after
years of [finding almost nothing], on the threshold
of what might prove to be a magnificent discovery.
Anything . . . might lie beyond that passage, and it
needed all my self-control to keep from breaking
down the doorway . . . then and there . . .

Carter’s team of workers carefully remove sand

and stones day after day until they come to a
second door.

The day following [November 26, 1922,] was the

day of days, the most wonderful that I have ever
lived through, and certainly one whose like I can
never hope to see again. . . In the middle of the
afternoon, thirty feet down from the outer door, Enough writing was visible to
identify the tomb as belonging to
we came upon a second sealed doorway, almost an the pharaoh Tutankhamen, who
exact [copy] of the first. The seal impressions in this died when he was about nineteen
years old.
case were less distinct, but still recognizable as those
of Tut-ankh-Amen . . .
Slowly, desperately slowly it seemed to us as Those who are watching are so
we watched, the remains of passage debris that excited about what they might find
that the clearing of a way to the
[blocked] the lower part of the doorway were door seems to be happening very
removed, until at last we had the whole door clear slowly.
before us. The . . . moment had arrived. With trem-
bling hands I made a tiny [hole] in the upper left
hand corner . . . and then, widening the hole a little,
I inserted the candle and peered in . . . At first I
could see nothing, the hot air escaping from the
chamber causing the candle flame to flicker, but

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The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen, continued Primary Source

. . . as my eyes grew [used] to the light, details of the

room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange
animals, statues, and gold—everywhere the glint
of gold. For the moment—an eternity it must have
seemed to the others standing by—I was struck
Lord Carnarvon was the wealthy
dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon, British man who paid Carter and
unable to stand the suspense any longer, inquired his team for their work in the
Valley of the Kings.
anxiously, “Can you see anything?” it was all I could
do to get out the words, “Yes, wonderful things.”

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

1. Explain why Carter is excited to find that the first doorway to the tomb is sealed.

2. Carter calls November 26, 1922, “the most wonderful day I ever lived through.”
Write a brief summary of what happened that day.

3. Carter’s book was published in three parts. This excerpt is from the first part,
published in 1923. How long was that after the discovery? Do you think his
descriptions are accurate? Why or why not?

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Answer Key

Literature Primary Source

CALL-OUT BOXES Photographs from King
1. it is black and white, it’s faded and cracked Tutankhamen’s Tomb
2. out of curiosity, family pride, and for
inheritance claims WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
3. a storyteller or poet-singer 1. Answers will vary. Examples: Photographs
4. A chieftain recited the history of his create a record of the original site. If
people. It lasted three days. parts of the site were damaged during the
excavation, people could still see how the
ANALYZING LITERATURE objects had been arranged and what they
1. It is important for people to keep records looked like.
of their family lines in order to protect 2. Answers will vary but should include
their land holdings and other possessions, descriptions of two or more objects.
their inheritance, and their rights of 3. Tomb objects can show how various
rulership. articles were made long ago. They show
2. Answers may vary. No, people may add what kinds of materials were used, the
events to the family “history” that might kinds of items people buried with their
not be truthful. dead, and the food people ate. They show
what everyday objects looked like. They
provide information about the person
Primary Source The buried in the tomb.
Discovery of the Tomb
of Tutankhamen History and Geography
WHAT DID YOU LEARN? MAP ACTIVITY
1. If the door is still sealed, the tomb has 1. Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, North
probably not been robbed. Most pharaohs’ America, and South America will be
tombs were robbed long ago. If the tomb labeled.
has not been robbed, it might still be full 2. Colors will vary.
of treasure. 3. Pacific Ocean
2. They find the second sealed doorway
and the writings that identify the tomb ANALYZING MAPS
as belonging to Tutankhamen, clear the 1. approximately 4,000 to 6,000 miles
passageway, and finally get to peek at 2. approximately 16,000 miles
the “wonderful things” inside the 3. Bering Strait
pharaoh’s tomb. 4. One reason for people moving was a
3. The first part was published a year change in the climate. Another may have
after the discovery. Possible answer: His been that they were following herds of
descriptions are probably accurate because animals, and as the weather changed, the
he wrote about the discovery when the animals may have been moving to
details were still fresh in his mind. different areas in order to stay warm or
look for food.

EXTENSION ACTIVITY
Students’ answers will vary. Sample answer: by
walking most of the journey or sailing on rafts
or canoes made from wood or animal bones.

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30 Uncovering the Past