Lord Carnarvon

George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, was born at the family seat Highclere Castle in 1866. Known primarily as a racehorse owner and breeder and an enthusiast of the nascent sport of motor racing, Lord Carnarvon suffered debilitating injuries in a serious automobile accident in Germany in 1901.

Upon the recommendations of his physician that he spend his winters in a dry, warm climate, he first traveled to Egypt in 1903. This trip marked the beginning of Lord Carnarvon’s interest in Egyptology, and he ultimately amassed one of the most prestigious private collections of Egyptian antiquities in the world.

Lord Carnarvon’s initial forays into archaeological excavation were rather unsuccessful, and led him to seek the help of an experienced professional in the field: Howard Carter. Their collaboration led to a series of successful excavations, and ultimately resulted in their gaining the concession to excavate in the Valley of the Kings in 1915.

The concession (the right to dig in a specific area granted by the Egyptian Antiquities Service), was previously held by wealthy American lawyer Theodore Davis. Davis famously, and quite incorrectly, pronounced the Valley of the Kings “exhausted” after finding what he thought was the tomb of Tutankhamun (the embalming cache KV54) in 1912.

From 1917, Howard Carter spent most of his time—and much of Lord Carnarvon’s money—in a fruitless search for Tutankhamun’s tomb, which he believed was still undiscovered. By 1921, Lord Carnarvon had grown frustrated and impatient with Carter’s lack of results, and declared that 1922 was to be the last season he funded.

Fortunately for Carter, he finally discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun and its spectacular contents on November 4, 1922. Upon hearing of the discovery from Carter, Lord Carnarvon set forth to Egypt from England, and on November 26 the two men entered the sealed tomb together, the first people to do so in over 3,000 years.

On April 5, 1923, Lord Carnarvon died at the age of 55 at Cairo’s Continental-Savoy Hotel. Although popular media at the time declared him a victim of the “Curse of King Tut’s Tomb”, his death was the result of blood poisoning and eventually pneumonia brought on by his accidentally shaving an infected mosquito bite and his already precarious health.