Biography of Howard Carter
Short Biography of Howard Carter
Short Biography & facts about the life of Howard Carter, the famous
Egyptologist. The following biography information provides basic facts
and information about the life Howard Carter.
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Nationality: English
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Father: Samuel Carter
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Mother: Martha Joyce
(Sands) Carter
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Lifespan: 1874 1939
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Born: 9 May 1874
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Education: Privately
educated at home. Did not attend a University. Became an
Egyptologist through study and practical experience at
archaeological sites in Egypt
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Married: Lady Elizabeth
Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
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Died: 2 March 1939
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Character of Howard
Carter : Ambitious, autocrat, determined, introvert, perfectionist
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Famous for his
excavations in Egypt which were financed by Lord Carnarvon and the
discovery of the tomb and fabulous treasures of the Pharaoh
Tutankhamun
Biography of Howard Carter
Information, Facts & History about the life of Howard Carter. The
following are additional facts and a timeline about the life and history
of Howard Carter the famous Egyptologist who discovered the tomb of the
Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, Tutankhamun:
Biography of Howard Carter
- the Early Years
Howard Carter was the son of a
successful artist, Samuel Carter. He was born in London but was a sickly
child. Due to his ill health he was sent to live with two unmarried
aunts in Norfolk. He had a private, home education and displayed an
artistic streak and his father taught him in the fundamentals of drawing
and painting. His father worked on a painting for William Amherst of Didlington Hall near Swaffham and Howard accompanied
him. William Amherst was an Egyptologist who
collected Ancient Egyptian artefacts and Howard
became interested in this subject. William Amherst arranged an
interview for Howard with Mr Percy Newberry, who
had been working on a site at Beni Hasan in Egypt
and needed an artist to help with some drawings. The interview was
successful and Howard Carter was
appointed as a trainee tracer. He travelled to to
Egypt with Percy Newberry working with the Egypt Exploration Fund
on the excavation of Beni Hasan and
and El-Bersheh. He was just 17 years old when he
went to Egypt.
Biography of Howard Carter
- Life in Egypt
After a year in Egypt Howard Carter was appointed
Principle Artist to the Egyptian Exploration Fund
for the excavations of Deir el Babri, the burial
place of Queen Hatshepsut and during this time he
worked with the famous Egyptologist Flinders Petrie.
A year later he joined Professor Naville at Deir el-Bahri where he spent six years
drawing the famous temple. Six years later he was hired by
Gaston Maspero, Director-General of the Department
of Antiquities at Egypt's Antiquities
Service, as the Inspector General of Monuments for Upper
Egypt working at Thebes and Edfu and even installing electric light at Abu Simbel. He
then worked for Theodore Davis in the Valley of the
Kings using a systematic grid block searching system
for new tombs. Their discoveries included the tombs
of the pharaohs Thutmose I and Thutmose III. In 1907 Howard Carter was
introduced to George Herbert (Lord Carnarvon) an amateur
archaeologist, by Gaston Maspero thus starting their
successful partnership excavating at Thebes. The had
some minor successes but their luck changed in 1914 when Carter and Carnarvon
obtained a licence to dig in the Valley of the Kings
from the Egyptian Antiquities Service.
Biography of Howard Carter
- The Valley of the Kings
The outbreak of World War I halted
their plans but in 1917 Howard Carter started his excavations. He was
convinced that the Tomb of Tutankhamun was hidden in the Valley of the
Kings. He was not just working on a hunch as he knew that a box, a cup
and some jars had been discovered with Tutankhamun's name on them. He
embarked on his systematic grid block searching system for the hidden
tomb of King Tut. He searched for 5 years to no avail. In 1922 Lord
Carnarvon requested him to go to Highclere
Castle. Carter was given just one
more season of funding by Lord Carnarvon to find the
tomb of the boy-king. He hurriedly returned to Egypt
and on his first day of digging decided to clear some old huts. Three
days later on 4 November 1922 Carter and the workers
find the steps leading to Tutankhamun's tomb. The
next day on 5 November 1922 he
cabled Lord Carnarvon saying "At last have made a
wonderful discovery in Valley; a magnificent tomb
with seals intact; re-covered same for your arrival;
congratulations." and
asks Lord Carnarvon to come to Egypt. Lord
Carnarvon, accompanied by his daughter Lady Evelyn Herbert, travel to
Egypt.
Biography of Howard Carter
- The Tomb of Tutankhamun
On 26 November 1922 Howard Carter
makes the famous "tiny breach in the top left hand
corner" of the tomb doorway accompanied by Lord
Carnarvon and his daughter Lady Evelyn Herbert.
Carnarvon asks him if he can see anything, Carter
replies: "Yes, wonderful things" and goes on to say:
"as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of
the room within emerged slowly from the mist,
strange animals, statues, and gold - everywhere the
glint of gold." They saw unbelievable treasures
including furniture, chariots, vases and caskets all covered with gold.
The next day Carter, Carnarvon and Lady Evelyn Herbert explore the
Antechamber and Annexe and find a sealed door to
another chamber - there was even more to come...
Biography of Howard Carter
- The Treasures in the Tomb of Tutankhamun
They had to follow the correct
procedures and inform the Egyptian government of their discovery. Carter
hired a photographer called Harry Burton to photograph the room exactly
as they had found it. All the treasures were carefully removed one at a
time. After seven weeks the first room was emptied. The press go into a
frenzy about the discovery of the tomb, disturbing the work being
conducted at the tomb. Lord Carnarvon then strikes an exclusive
deal with The Times newspaper. Carnarvon had signed a 5,000 pound
contract with the London Times, plus 75 percent of all profits from the
sale of Times articles to the rest of the world. Other journalists are furious about the
deal, especially Arthur Weigall a correspondent from The Daily Mail. On 16 February 1923
they opened the sealed doorway leading to the
burial chamber which contained the sarcophagus of the
Pharaoh Tutankhamun with its fabulous golden mask
and solid gold coffin.
Biography of Howard Carter
- The Death of Lord Carnarvon & the Curse of King Tut
During February & March things start
to go wrong. Howard Carter, argues with key members of the excavation
team and some are sacked. He then argues with Lord Carnarvon regarding
his attitude and his 'friendship' with Lady Evelyn but excavation work
continues. Not long after the first room was cleared Lord Carnarvon was
bitten by a mosquito on his cheek. A few days later he nicked mosquito
bite with his cut-throat razor whilst shaving. The bite became infected.
Lord Carnarvon returned to the tomb but felt worse. Within three weeks
on 5 April 1923 Lord Carnarvon died. On the day he died all the lights
went out in Cairo. His pet canary was killed by a cobra. And home in
England his dog howled and then also died at the time of his master's
death. The cobra was synonymous in Egypt with the protection of the
pharaohs and before long the newspapers were talking about the Curse of
the Pharaohs. The legend of the Curse of King Tut was born. The press
frenzy escalates with tales of the
Curse of King Tut. The
Curse of the Pharaohs idea was fuelled by a novelist named Marie Corelli.
Then Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, announces
that Lord Carnarvon's death had been the result of a "Pharaoh's curse". Speculation about the Curse of Tutankhamun continued
for years (and still does today). Within 6 years after the discovery of
the Tomb of Tutankhamun, twelve of those present when the tomb was
opened were dead. Within a further 7 years only two of the original team
of excavators were still alive, including Howard Carter. The
half-brother of Lord Carnarvon half-brother apparently took his own life
while temporarily insane, and a further 21 people connected with the
excavation of the tomb were also dead.
Biography of Howard Carter
- The Treasures of King Tut
After the death of Lord Carnarvon
Howard Carter continued exploration of the tomb which lead to the
discovery of the solid gold coffin and death mask of Tutankhamun. The tomb contained
4 gilded shrines nested one inside the other. These contained the red quartzite sarcophagus which
protected three anthropoid coffins (man-shaped)
which were all painted with the likeness of Tutankhamun.
The first two coffins were made of gilded wood but the final coffin was
made of solid gold. The solid gold coffin housed the mummy of King Tut
and his fabulous golden death mask.
Biography of Howard Carter
- The Death of Howard Carter
Howard Carter took years to
catalogue the contents of the tomb of Tutankhamun. The treasures of the
tomb were sent to the Cairo museum.
Howard Carter returned home
to England in 1932. On 2 March 1939
Howard Carter died of natural causes at the
age of 65. He is buried in Putney Vale Cemetery in
London.
Biography of Howard Carter
Each section of this website addresses all topics and
provides interesting facts and information about the Golden Age of
Pharaohs and of Egypt. The Sitemap provides full details
of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject
of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
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