Howard Carter

(British, 1873-1939)

The Valley of the Kings, Egypt

Footnotes

Howard Carter first visited Egypt in 1891, at the age of seventeen, and the following year was invited to join Flinders Petrie during his excavations at El-Amarna. In 1900, Carter was appointed Chief Inspector of Antiquities to the Egyptian Government, but was later forced to resign in 1905, following a labour relation dispute.

In 1909, Carter began work with the Earl of Carnarvon who had decided to finance some archaeological work in Egypt. In 1914, Carnarvon managed to secure a fifteen year concession to excavate in the Valley of the Kings. Initially the results were disappointing but on 4 November 1922 the first steps leading to the tomb of Tutankhamun were discovered.

Now known to contain sixty-three tombs and chambers, the Valley of the Kings is the principal burial place of the major royal figures and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom. Standing on the west bank of the Nile within the heart of the Theban Necropolis, the Wadi consists of two valleys, the East valley, where the majority of the royal tombs are situated and the West valley.

The area has been a principal site for archaeological and Egyptological exploration since the end of the 18 century. However it is largely due to the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, and the accompanying rumours of the Curse of the Pharaohs, which made it one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world.

In 1979, the Valley of the Kings became a World Heritage Site, with exploration, excavation and conservation still continuing into the present day.