History
A whisper in the sand: the "curse" of Tutankhamun
In 1922, in the Valley of the Kings, a group of archaeologists discovers the intact tomb of a young pharaoh: Tutankhamun. The find, filled with treasures, makes headlines around the world. Soon after, however, some members of the expedition die under circumstances that appear mysterious. The press immediately speaks of a "pharaoh's curse," fuelling popular imagination. In the following years, other deaths are attributed to divine revenge. But does the curse truly exist? Some suspect fungi or bacteria sealed for centuries, others natural radioactivity. Or perhaps, it was just a great journalistic invention to sell newspapers. Certainly, the leader of the discovery lived on for many more years, dying of natural causes. The truth, even today, perhaps lies somewhere in between: between ancient fear and the human need to tell stories.
