Howard Carter and his team discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, the boy king, in 1922, after years of searching. King Tut is Egypt’s most famous pharaoh, but when Carter was searching for him, his name was only spoken in scholarly circles. Tutankhamun reigned for nine years, but during that time, he dismantled his father’s legacy and returned to the old religious and artistic traditions. He died under mysterious circumstances and was quickly entombed.
When Carter found the sealed tomb, he sent word to his patron, the wealthy Lord Carnarvon, who hurried to Egypt to witness the opening of the tomb. Carter’s archaeology career almost ended in 1904, when he ordered a group of drunken tourists out of the necropolis of Saqqara. The tourists complained to their ambassador, who demanded an apology and when Carter did not give one, he was forced to resign. But then Carter was recommended to Lord Carnarvon, and their partnership began in 1907.
In 1922, after six years of searching for King Tut’s tomb, Lord Carnarvon told Carter he would not continue to finance the work. Carter pleaded with him to reconsider and so Carnarvon agreed to one last season. They found the stairway that led to the unopened tomb of Tutankhamun on Nov. 4, 1922.
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