When he was young, his enthusiasm for Egyptology was aroused, because he witnessed a large collection of Egyptian antiquities in Lord amherst's mansion, and Lord amherst introduced him to Percy Edward newbury, a member of the Egyptian Exploration Foundation headquartered in London. Newbury is looking for an artist to reproduce the works of art in Egyptian tombs on behalf of the Foundation.
Howard carter first visited Egypt in June of 189 1 10 and arrived in Alexandria at the age of 17. He began to work in the mausoleum of the Central Kingdom in Beni Hassan. Three months later, the young artist began to learn field archaeology and excavation from the great Flinders petrie. Under the leadership of petrie, howard carter changed from an artist to an Egyptian antique dealer.
Nevertheless, howard carter's career developed rapidly, and he became the main draftsman and supervisor of the site of the funeral home in Luxor Hatshepsut, Bahari. At the age of 25, he was appointed as the inspector general of upper Egyptian monuments. Gaston Maspero, Director of Egyptian Cultural Relics Bureau.
For Egyptian archaeologist howard carter, this is the time when things get worse. His "stubborn" personality and personal views on career and methodology led to differences between him and archaeologists and officials. 1905, after a fierce argument with some wealthy French tourists, Carter complained to his superiors, and was ordered to apologize and was rejected. His refusal led him to be assigned a less important task, which prompted him to resign. The promising Egyptian archaeologist had to rely on his meager artistic talent to support himself.
However, Maspero did not forget howard carter, and introduced him to George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, the fifth Earl of Carnaveen, around 1908. Lord carnarvon was ordered by his doctor to go to Egypt every winter to help treat lung diseases.
It is the unusual relationship between these two people, the Egyptian archaeologist's unswerving determination and the trust given by his patron that led to the most famous archaeological discovery in history.
Howard carter is responsible for supervising the excavation sponsored by carnarvon. By 19 14, he had found some antiques for his patron's personal collection. But his real dream is to find the tomb of the young Pharaoh in the glorious period of Egyptian history 18 dynasty.
Before the name Tutankhamun or King Tut became a household name, the Pharaoh was first known through a small painted pottery cup engraved with the king's name, which was discovered by American Egyptian archaeologist Theodore Davis in 1905. Davis believes that he found an empty single room (KV58) with only a small pile of gold foil with the names of Tutankhamun and his successor Ay written on it.
Carter and carnarvon both suspected that Davis mistakenly thought that KV58 was actually the tomb they were looking for, because Tutankhamun's mummy was not found among the royal mummies found in Del Bahari or KV35 (Amenhotep II) in 188 1 year. ) a.d. 1898. The disappearance of Tutankhamun's body can only show that his grave was not touched when the ancient priests summoned the royal mummy for protection. In addition, it is also possible that the location of the tomb was forgotten, so it was not stolen in ancient times.
Season after season passed, until Lord Carnarvon could never find it again. He gave up hope and returned to England. However, Carter did not give up and persuaded his sponsors to give him one last chance.
1922+065438+ 10 1 Only three days after the start of the excavation season, howard carter set foot on the platform he discovered after cleaning up the ancient ruins he found during the tomb building. This is the first step to sink the stairs. After slow and careful excavation, the archaeological team saw the complete royal seal of King Tutankhamun for the first time. Carter sent a telegram to his sponsor: "Finally, there was a wonderful discovery in the valley; A magnificent mausoleum with a good seal; Re-insure for your arrival; Congratulations. "
Howard carter had to endure 15 days of extreme anxiety, waiting for the arrival of Lord Carnaveen to witness this important event in their lives with him. Cleaning work resumed.165438+1On the afternoon of October 26th, howard carter dug a small hole in the sealed door, inserted a candle and stared at the dark grave. It is worthwhile to wait, because behind the tomb seal is really a "wonderful work".