NEW DELHI: The mysterious deaths of several excavators who discovered King Tutankhamun 's tomb in Egypt in 1922 have puzzled archaeologists for over a century, with many attributing the fatalities to the infamous "Pharaoh's Curse ."
"Both contemporary and ancient Egypt populations are characterized by unusually high incidences of hematopoietic cancers, of bone/blood/lymph, for which a primary known cause is radiation exposure," he wrote in his study.
"The nature of the curse was explicitly inscribed on some tombs, with one translated presciently as, 'they that break this tomb shall meet death by a disease that no doctor can diagnose,'" Fellowes noted.
Other translations, such as "forbidden" due to "evil spirits," may have further contributed to the belief in supernatural curses associated with these ancient sites.The mysterious deaths of Lord Carnarvon , who funded the excavation, and several others after the unsealing of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 have only intensified these fears.
Carnarvon died within weeks of entering the tomb, while Howard Carter, the first person to walk inside, succumbed to Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1939, possibly due to radiation poisoning.
NEW DELHI: The mysterious deaths of several excavators who discovered King Tutankhamun 's tomb in Egypt in 1922 have puzzled archaeologists for over a century, with many attributing the fatalities to the infamous "Pharaoh's Curse ." However, a recent study by Ross Fellowes, published in the Journal of Scientific Exploration (JSE), suggests that the true cause of these deaths may be linked to toxic levels of radiation and poisonous waste that have been present in the tomb since its sealing more than 3,000 years ago, reported by NY Post.According to Fellowes, the radiation levels inside Tutankhamun's tomb are so high that anyone exposed to them could develop a fatal dose of radiation sickness and cancer. "Both contemporary and ancient Egypt populations are characterized by unusually high incidences of hematopoietic cancers, of bone/blood/lymph, for which a primary known cause is radiation exposure," he wrote in his study. This radioactivity is not limited to Tutankhamun's tomb, as "unusually high radiation levels have been documented in Old Kingdom tomb ruins" throughout Egypt, including sites at Giza and Saqqara.The study suggests that the ancient Egyptians who built these tombs may have been aware of the toxic hazards, as evidenced by the eerie warnings carved on the walls. "The nature of the curse was explicitly inscribed on some tombs, with one translated presciently as, 'they that break this tomb shall meet death by a disease that no doctor can diagnose,'" Fellowes noted. Other translations, such as "forbidden" due to "evil spirits," may have further contributed to the belief in supernatural curses associated with these ancient sites.The mysterious deaths of Lord Carnarvon , who funded the excavation, and several others after the unsealing of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 have only intensified these fears. Carnarvon died within weeks of entering the tomb, while Howard Carter, the first person to walk inside, succumbed to Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1939, possibly due to radiation poisoning. In total, six of the 26 people present at the tomb's opening died within a decade from various causes, including asphyxia, stroke, diabetes, heart failure, pneumonia, poisoning, malaria, and X-ray exposure.The discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb is considered one of the most fascinating finds in Egyptology, providing a glimpse into the Egyptian royalty's voyage into the afterlife. The tomb contained five thousand items, including solid gold funeral shoes, statues, games, and strange animals, and it took excavators ten years to clear the treasure.Tutankhamun, who took the throne as pharaoh around nine or ten years old, ruled between 1332 BC and 1323 BC but died by the age of 18. Although there are no surviving records of his death, it is suspected that he suffered from several health issues, possibly due to his parents, Akhenaten and Nefertiti, being brother and sister.
