On November 4th 1922 Howard Carter discovered the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh King Tutankhamun.
He had been employed by Lord Carnarvon since 1907 looking after the excavations of the tombs in Deir el-Bahri, near Thebes.
Then in 1914, Lord Carnarvon received the concession to dig in the Valley of the Kings, and again he asked Howard Carter to lead the work. However, World War I happened and everything stopped. It was until 1917 before work could start again. By 1922 Lord Carnarvon was getting impatient, he gave Carter, just one more year.
The story says that as his crew were clearing debris on November 4th their water boy tripped over a stone. On investigation it wasn’t just a stone, it was the top of a set of stairs. Then as they dug them out they found that it led to an old doorway on which were a series of oval seals with hieroglyphic writing. Carter immediately knew what it meant and instantly ordered the staircase to be filled in.
He sent Lord Carnarvon a telegram, who two-and-a-half weeks later arrived, with his daughter, Lady Evelyn Herbert, and assistant, Arthur Callender. Finally, on 26th November he made a small hole in the door and looked into the tomb. As he looked in, he could see that the gold and ebony treasures that were still inside. At this point Lord Carnarvon asked, “Can you see anything?” Carter replied with the famous words: “Yes, wonderful things!”
He had found Tutankhamun’s tomb!
Our sister site Educational Musicals has published The Boy King – The Legend of Tutankhamun tells your children the story of Tutankhamun, simply click on The Boy King – The Legend of Tutankhamun and then you can download it and be rehearing it tomorrow.
Isn’t history fun?
10 questions on this subject:
- Who discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun, and on what date?
- Who employed Howard Carter to look after the excavations of the tombs in Deir el-Bahri in 1907?
- When did Lord Carnarvon receive the concession to dig in the Valley of the Kings?
- How did World War I impact the excavation work in the Valley of the Kings?
- What event led to the discovery of the stairs leading to King Tutankhamun’s tomb?
- What did Howard Carter’s crew find when they uncovered the stairs?
- How did Howard Carter react upon finding the sealed doorway?
- Who accompanied Lord Carnarvon when he arrived at the excavation site?
- What was the date when Howard Carter made a small hole in the tomb door to look inside?
- What was Howard Carter’s famous response when Lord Carnarvon asked if he could see anything inside the tomb?
To learn more on this go to:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Howard-Carter
LITTLE NIBBLES OF HISTORY
2 lesson CLASSROOM
ACTIVITY EGYPTIAN DEATH MASK
ACTIVITY EGYPTIAN DEATH MASK1 – Cut out a large ‘Rugby Ball’ shape from a piece of card.
2 – Cut out two sharp triangles from this, top and
3 – Now remove these triangles and then pull the mask together and attach tape to hold it.
4 – Squash the mask and cut out a leaf shape, cut this out with the mask folded and you will create two.
5 – Now use a larger piece of card and cut out the shape shown.
6 -When completed draw around your mask and cut this shape out so the mask will fit exactly in the hole.
7 – A small piece of card, cut into a triangle and folded will create a nose. Attach with tape.
8 – Use yellow paint to Then in another lesson paint on eyes, mouth and blue stripes.
Artwork ©Anthony James – Text © Tony Dalton