Archaeology
When was Tutankhamun’s tomb discovered?
1922 AD
Howard Carter’s team found the first step down to the tomb on 4 November 1922 AD.
1 BC · 1 AD
Context
What happened?
George Herbert, the fifth Earl of Carnarvon, had funded the dig through years without a significant find. A single step at the top of a buried staircase led to a sealed doorway, and the excavators reached the antechamber on 26 November.
Significance
Why it matters
The tomb held more than 5,000 objects and, unusually, the king’s undisturbed mummy, making it the richest largely intact burial found in the Valley of the Kings. The discovery set off a wave of public fascination with ancient Egypt that has never entirely faded.
Further reading
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