On November 29, 1922, the sealed tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun, untouched for over 3300 years, was opened.
Unscathed by grave robbers, the tomb remained intact, revealing a treasure trove to the excavation team. Inside, they found over 200 pieces of accompanying jewelry, along with thousands of priceless artifacts such as wall paintings, inscriptions, and pure gold objects. The most famous discovery was the Pharaoh's golden mask.
It took ten years to clean up these treasures.
However, ever since the tomb was opened, "misfortune" has followed.
In just 7 years, 22 people who were involved in the excavation of tombs died for various reasons.
It is believed by many that this was the punishment of the pharaoh towards those who intruded into the tombs, with the pharaoh's curse being blamed for the deaths of the 22 individuals.
Holding the belief that "scientific knowledge can explain everything," scientists have put forth various theories such as the virus hypothesis and the mold hypothesis, but none have found substantial evidence to support them.
Recently, a scientist claimed to have unraveled the mystery of the "pharaoh's curse" and even found evidence that may be related to radiation.
At a dinner table of 7 people, 5 of them passed away in their fifties.
The curse began with the death of Viscount Carnarvon.
The first to die was Viscount Carnarvon, the financier behind the excavation of the tomb. He was an avid Egyptologist who had entered the tomb with the excavation team.
His involvement brought much attention to the Pharaoh's tomb, with rumors spreading about a curse on those who dared to trespass.
Six weeks before Viscount Carnarvon's death, the Egyptologist Arthur Weigall jokingly told his colleagues, "I guess he has 6 weeks left!"
Two weeks before his death, the bestselling novelist Mary Collyer predicted in a magazine, "Anyone rash enough to enter a sealed tomb will face the most dreadful punishment."
These statements, originally just casual conversation topics for people, ended up coming true.
On April 5, 1923, just 4 months and 7 days after the tomb was opened, Baron Carnarvon passed away at the young age of 56 due to blood poisoning. It was said to be a severe infection caused by mosquito bites.
Survivors involved in the excavation reported several unusual occurrences in the area. The whole city experienced sudden power outages with all lights extinguished, followed by eerie sandstorms.
The Baron's son claimed that the Baron's favorite dog suddenly howled and dropped dead one day.
Shortly after, other members involved in the excavation started falling ill, and many met unnatural deaths.
Howard Carter led the excavation, along with Lord Carnarvon, and they were the first two to enter the tomb. Carter passed away from cancer on March 2, 1939, a significant 16 years after the tomb's discovery. However, some members of his excavation team were not as fortunate and passed away before him.
By 1929, in just seven years, the number of deaths related to the excavation reached as high as 22.
The causes of these deaths varied - some were unnatural, as mentioned earlier, while others succumbed to illnesses such as heart failure, poisoning, or stroke, among other ailments.
Coincidentally, most of these individuals did not live past the age of 60, with many passing away in their 50s.
The circumstances surrounding these events were already shrouded in mystery, and with so many deaths being unnatural, the notion of the Pharaoh's curse became deeply ingrained in people's minds.
To prevent tomb robbery, toxic substances were intentionally placed?
However, scientists, being more rational, believe that the 22 deaths had different causes and times, and importantly, other workers involved in excavating the pharaoh's tomb, as well as workers in other tombs, remained healthy. Therefore, they dismiss the notion of a curse.
Further research revealed that many of the 22 deceased individuals already had underlying illnesses. The media, in their quest for attention, deliberately obscured these facts, adding to the mystery of the whole event.
Indeed, a significant number of individuals died before reaching the age of sixty. To explain this coincidence, scientists later proposed the virus hypothesis and the fungus hypothesis.
The virus hypothesis was put forward by Professor Izettinta Yi, from Cairo University, who had previously conducted medical examinations for archaeologists. He found that these individuals commonly carried respiratory viruses, leading him to speculate that they died from viral infections, possibly used by the pharaoh to deter tomb robbers.
The fungus hypothesis, proposed in 1983 by French doctor Philippe, suggests that the collective illness and premature deaths of these individuals were due to molds formed from decaying substances within the tomb.
Recently, on April 9, 2024, a new study published in the "Journal of Scientific Exploration" indicates that what made these people sick and led to their deaths was radiation poisoning.
The research team detected high levels of radioactive radon gas in underground tombs, attributing the radiation to two sources.
One source is the natural uranium present in the bedrock of the tombs, which decays to produce radon gas, a phenomenon also observed in other tombs.
The other source is believed to be intentionally placed toxic waste.
Upon radiation detection in the tombs, researchers found uneven distribution, with some areas showing abnormally high levels, especially in the "treasury" of the tombs, suggesting that this was not solely from natural bedrock emissions but possibly from intentionally placed toxic substances by ancient Egyptians.
Reviewing historical records, researchers discovered that indeed, Egypt used to bury toxic substances alongside mummies in tombs.
In the 1960s, thousands of unidentified jars were found beneath pyramids, widely believed to contain toxic substances.
Furthermore, some inscriptions seem to reveal the truth behind the pharaoh's curse.
"Those who disturb this tomb will die from an illness that no doctor can diagnose."
After the article was published, most people still highly doubted the theory of radiation poisoning, considering it to be full of loopholes.
"I don't believe in the radon radiation theory. Graves in other areas have also been opened, but they didn't result in such large casualties."
"If radon gas radiation reaches toxic levels, why are tourists allowed to enter the tombs? Why display these items? The pyramids are not far from the city, so why do people still live around them?"
"Revealing the high levels of radiation in the tombs, which are only ten times the recognized safe standard, is not actually that high and won't shorten lifespans."
Indeed, relying solely on this theory to solve the mystery of the Pharaoh's curse seems a bit far-fetched.
Upon entering the tombs, due to being sealed for thousands of years, the types and quantities of harmful gases, viruses, fungi, and pathogenic microorganisms present, as well as the levels of radiation, are all unknown.
Perhaps it was these factors working together that led to the deaths of these individuals.
