Tutankhamun is a Pharaoh with paradoxical destiny. He did not make anything considerable – and could not make: ascended to a throne the child, died the young man, and still it is known not less, than the greatest governors of Egypt. Tutankhamun's glory consists in his tomb which by miracle avoided plunder and in a mysterious damnation.
Tutankhamun's tomb was open in 1922. The expedition was headed by two archeologists – the professional scientist G. Carter and the amateur Egyptologist lord J. Karnarvon financing excavation. About this opening is written much, and the rare publication does without mentions of a notorious damnation – series of mysterious death among participants of opening of a tomb.
Not always speak about it in a mystical key – in natural explanations there is no shortcoming: ancient bacteria against which modern people had no immunity, a mold, poisonous mix of the aromas of flowers assigned by the queen to the spouse's sarcophagus, radiation and even … the esthetic impression made by furniture of a tomb. But first of all it is necessary to answer a question whether there was a damnation?
If to be released from newspaper gossips of those times and to address established facts, there is an impression that the damnation worked selectively: main "profaner" G. Carter did not suffer, the daughter J. Karnarvona who was going down in a tomb together with the father lived about advanced years and even the 57-year-old American archeologist J. Brestead lived after opening of a tomb of 13 years and died at 70-year age – quite normal life expectancy.
Lord J. Karnarvon, the archeologist A.Mace, American finansit J. Gould and the radiologist A. Duglas-Reyd had imprudence after excavation to go to Cairo where epidemic of fever of Central Nile – a consequence of this disease raged and ruined them. J. Karnarvon, is a lot of years having a pulmonary disease, died the first, next year – A. Duglas-Reyd, two others lived for several years longer, but also their health was seriously affected. G. Carter was saved that he was late in Valley of the Kings for several months.
Egyptologists did not take a talk about "damnation" seriously also because such concept is not inherent in the civilization studied by them. In the well-known "menacing" inscription from a tomb god of death Anubis promises to protect deceased not from burglars, and from the coming desert: "I do not allow sands to strangle this tomb". Ancient Egyptian criminals therefore left to scientists of so poorly untouched tombs that about any "damnations of Pharaohs" they did not hear.
But if "damnation" appeared, so someone was interested in it. Opening of Egyptologists attracted interest not only in the scientific world – about it wrote newspapers, fairly increasing circulations due to reader's curiosity. But it was impossible to maintain the interest of general public in excavation, describing daily work of archeologists, new sensations were required, and they were not. The death of lord J. Karnarvon had from this point of view very opportunely, besides to journalists was what to lean on: approximately one century prior to the described events the novel by the English writer J.L. Webb "Mummy" where the Pharaoh's damnation appeared was published.
After material about "Tutankhamun's damnation" was published in one of newspapers, other editions freely could reprint it each other, multiplying the number of the victims – readers could not check whether some French reporter or the Egyptian worker really died. Over time began to attribute to a damnation death even such people who were never engaged in excavation and did not visit Egypt – for example, suicide of the lord of Uestbury.
The mystery of a damnation of a tomb of Tutankhamun cannot be solved – it does not exist. The damnation was "created" not by Ancient Egyptian priests, but journalists.