The Story of Howard Carter and the Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun (King Tut)

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King Tut.

Howard Carter. 1874-1939.

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Hello! I'm Mr. Ed

Blog Created: 2-7-2025

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Howard Carter (9 May 1874 – 2 March 1939) was a British archaeologist and Egyptologist who discovered the intact tomb of the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamun in November 1922, the best-preserved pharaonic tomb ever found in the Valley of the Kings.

Early life ~

Howard Carter was born in Kensington on 9 May 1874, the youngest child (of eleven) of artist and illustrator Samuel John Carter and Martha Joyce Carter (née Sands). His father helped train and develop his artistic talents.

Carter spent much of his childhood with relatives in the Norfolk market town of Swaffham, the birthplace of both his parents. His father had previously relocated to London, but after three of the children had died young, Carter, who was a sickly child, was moved to Norfolk and raised for the most part by a nurse in Swaffham.

Receiving only limited formal education at Swaffham, he showed talent as an artist. The nearby mansion of the Amherst family, Didlington Hall, contained a sizable collection of Egyptian antiques, which sparked Carter's interest in that subject. Lady Amherst was impressed by his artistic skills, and in 1891 she prompted the Egypt Exploration Fund (EEF) to send Carter to assist an Amherst family friend, Percy Newberry, in the excavation and recording of Middle Kingdom tombs at Beni Hasan.

Mary Rothes Margaret Cecil, Baroness Amherst of Hackney.

Beni Hasan. Exterior view of tombs of Khety and Baqet III.

Although only 17, Carter was innovative in improving the methods of copying tomb decoration. In 1892, he worked under the tutelage of Flinders Petrie for one season at Amarna, the capital founded by the pharaoh Akhenaten. From 1894 to 1899, he worked with Édouard Naville at Deir el-Bahari, where he recorded the wall reliefs in the temple of Hatshepsut.

In 1899, Carter was appointed Inspector of Monuments for Upper Egypt in the Egyptian Antiquities Service (EAS). Based at Luxor, he oversaw a number of excavations and restorations at nearby Thebes, while in the Valley of the Kings he supervised the systematic exploration of the valley by the American archaeologist Theodore Davis.

Theodore M. Davis.

In early 1902, Carter began searching the Valley of the Kings on his own. He initially aimed at the southeast rocky wall of the valley basin. Despite being an inaccessible area, within 3 days he found what he was looking for: stone steps, sepulchral entrance, corridor, sarcophagus chamber, in short, the last home of the fourth Thutmose, carefully stripped (except for a few furnishings and a cart). While digging to find Thutmose IV's final resting place, Howard unearthed an alabaster cup and a small blue scarab with Queen Hatshepsut's name on it.

In February 1903, sixty meters north of the tomb of Thutmose IV, Carter found a stone bearing the ring with the name of Hatshepsut.

In 1904, after a dispute with local people over tomb thefts, he was transferred to the Inspectorate of Lower Egypt. Carter was praised for his improvements in the protection of, and accessibility to, existing excavation sites, and his development of a grid-block system for searching for tombs. The Antiquities Service also provided funding for Carter to head his own excavation projects.

Carter resigned from the Antiquities Service in 1905 after a formal inquiry into what became known as the Saqqara Affair, a violent confrontation that took place on 8 January 1905 between Egyptian site guards and a group of French tourists. Carter sided with the Egyptian personnel, refusing to apologize when the French authorities made an official complaint. Moving back to Luxor, Carter was without formal employment for nearly three years. He made a living by painting and selling watercolors to tourists and, in 1906, acting as a freelance draughtsman for Theodore Davis.

Tutankhamun's tomb ~

In 1907, he began work for Lord Carnarvon, who employed him to supervise the excavation of nobles' tombs in Deir el-Bahari, near Thebes. Gaston Maspero, head of the Egyptian Antiquities Service, had recommended Carter to Carnarvon as he knew he would apply modern archaeological methods and systems of recording. Carter soon developed a good working relationship with his patron, with Lady Burghclere, Carnarvon's sister, observing that "for the next sixteen years the two men worked together with varying fortune, yet ever united not more by their common aim than by their mutual regard and affection".

In 1914, Lord Carnarvon received the concession to dig in the Valley of the Kings. Carter led the work, undertaking a systematic search for any tombs missed by previous expeditions, in particular that of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun. However, excavations were soon interrupted by the First World War, Carter spending the war years working for the British Government as a diplomatic courier and translator. He enthusiastically resumed his excavation work towards the end of 1917.

By 1922, Lord Carnarvon had become dissatisfied with the lack of results after several years of finding little. After considering withdrawing his funding, Carnarvon agreed, after a discussion with Carter, that he would fund one more season of work in the Valley of the Kings.

The Valley of the Kings in 1922. The tomb of Tutankhamun lies near the central path through the valley, at center right.

Carter returned to the Valley of Kings, and investigated a line of huts that he had abandoned a few seasons earlier. The crew cleared the huts and rock debris beneath. On 4 November 1922, a worker uncovered a step in the rock. According to Carter's published account the workmen discovered the step while digging beneath the remains of the huts; other accounts attribute the discovery to a boy digging outside the assigned work area. Carter had the steps partially dug out until the top of a mud-plastered doorway was found. The doorway was stamped with indistinct cartouches (oval seals with hieroglyphic writing). Carter ordered the staircase to be refilled, and sent a telegram to Carnarvon, who arrived from England two and a half weeks later on 23 November, accompanied by his daughter Lady Evelyn Herbert.

Lord Carnarvon, his daughter, Lady Evelyn Herbert, and Howard Carter at the top of the steps leading to the newly discovered tomb of Tutankhamun, November 1922.

On 24 November 1922, the full extent of the stairway was cleared and a seal containing Tutankhamun's cartouche found on the outer doorway. This door was removed and the rubble-filled corridor behind cleared, revealing the door of the tomb itself. On 26 November, Carter, with Carnarvon, Lady Evelyn and assistant Arthur Callender in attendance, made a "tiny breach in the top left-hand corner" of the doorway, using a chisel that his grandmother had given him for his 17th birthday. He was able to peer in by the light of a candle and see that many of the gold and ebony treasures were still in place. He did not yet know whether it was "a tomb or merely an old cache", but he did see a promising sealed doorway between two sentinel statues. Carnarvon asked, "Can you see anything?" Carter replied: "Yes, wonderful things!" Carter had, in fact, discovered Tutankhamun's tomb (subsequently designated KV62). The tomb was then secured, to be entered in the presence of an official of the Egyptian Department of Antiquities the next day. However that night, Carter, Carnarvon, Lady Evelyn and Callender apparently made an unauthorized visit, becoming the first people in modern times to enter the tomb. Some sources suggest that the group also entered the inner burial chamber. In this account, a small hole was found in the chamber's sealed doorway and Carter, Carnarvon and Lady Evelyn crawled through.

Newspaper photo of (left to right) Lady Evelyn Herbert, Lord Carnarvon, Howard Carter and B.E. Callender.

The next morning, 27 November, saw an inspection of the tomb in the presence of an Egyptian official. Callender rigged up electric lighting, illuminating a vast haul of items, including gilded couches, chests, thrones, and shrines. They also saw evidence of two further chambers, including the sealed doorway to the inner burial chamber, guarded by two life-size statues of Tutankhamun. In spite of evidence of break-ins in ancient times, the tomb was virtually intact, and would ultimately be found to contain over 5,000 items.

Carter and a helper breaking into the tomb.

On 29 November the tomb was officially opened in the presence of a number of invited dignitaries and Egyptian officials.

Realizing the size and scope of the task ahead, Carter sought help from Albert Lythgoe of the Metropolitan Museum's excavation team, working nearby, who readily agreed to lend a number of his staff, including Arthur Mace and archaeological photographer Harry Burton, while the Egyptian government loaned analytical chemist Alfred Lucas. The next several months were spent cataloging and conserving the contents of the antechamber under the "often stressful" supervision of Pierre Lacau, director general of the Department of Antiquities.

On 16 February 1923, Carter opened the sealed doorway and confirmed it led to a burial chamber, containing the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun. The tomb was considered the best preserved and most intact pharaonic tomb ever found in the Valley of the Kings, and the discovery was eagerly covered by the world's press. However, much to the annoyance of other newspapers, Lord Carnarvon sold exclusive reporting rights to The Times. Only Arthur Merton of that paper was allowed on the scene, and his vivid descriptions helped to establish Carter's reputation with the British public.

Towards the end of February 1923, a rift between Lord Carnarvon and Carter, probably caused by a disagreement on how to manage the supervising Egyptian authorities, temporarily halted the excavation. Work recommenced in early March after Lord Carnarvon apologized to Carter. Later that month Lord Carnarvon contracted blood poisoning while staying in Luxor near the tomb site. He died in Cairo on 5 April 1923. Lady Carnarvon retained her late husband's concession in the Valley of the Kings, allowing Carter to continue his work.

Lord Carnarvon's wife, Lady Carnarvon.

Carter's meticulous assessing and cataloguing of the thousands of objects in the tomb took nearly ten years, most being moved to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. There were several breaks in the work, including one lasting nearly a year in 1924–25, caused by a dispute over what Carter saw as excessive control of the excavation by the Egyptian Antiquities Service. The Egyptian authorities eventually agreed that Carter should complete the tomb's clearance. This continued until 1929, with some final work lasting until February 1932.

The Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Despite the significance of his archaeological find, Carter received no honor from the British government. However, in 1926, he received the Order of the Nile, third class, from King Fuad I of Egypt. He was also awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Science by Yale University and honorary membership in the Real Academia de la Historia of Madrid, Spain.

Order of the Nile.

Carter wrote a number of books on Egyptology during his career, including Five Years' Exploration at Thebes, co-written with Lord Carnarvon in 1912, describing their early excavations, and a three-volume popular account of the discovery and excavation of Tutankhamun's tomb. He also delivered a series of illustrated lectures on the excavation, including a 1924 tour of Britain, France, Spain and the United States. Those in New York and other US cities were attended by large and enthusiastic audiences, sparking American Egyptomania, with President Coolidge requesting a private lecture.

Calvin Coolidge.

In 2022, a 1934 letter to Carter from Alan Gardiner came to light, accusing him of stealing from Tutankhamun's tomb. Carter had given Gardiner an amulet and assured him it had not come from the tomb, but Reginald Engelbach, director of the Egyptian Museum, later confirmed its match with other samples originating in the tomb. Egyptologist Bob Brier said the letter proved previous rumors, and the contemporary suspicions of Egyptian authorities, that Carter had been siphoning treasures for himself.

Bob Brier in Sudan by Christopher Michel.

Personal life ~

Carter could be awkward in company, particularly with those of a higher social standing. Often abrasive, he admitted to having a hot temper, which often aggravated disputes, including the 1905 Saqqara Affair and the 1924–25 dispute with Egyptian authorities.

The suggestion that Carter had an affair with Lady Evelyn Herbert, the daughter of the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, was later rejected by Lady Evelyn herself, who told her daughter Patricia that "at first I was in awe of him, later I was rather frightened of him", resenting Carter's "determination" to come between her and her father. More recently, the 8th Earl dismissed the idea, describing Carter as a "stoical loner". Harold Plenderleith, a former associate of Carter's at the British Museum, was quoted as saying that he knew "something about Carter that was not fit to disclose", which some have interpreted as meaning that Plenderleith believed that Carter was homosexual. An Egyptian guide who knew Carter claimed that his tastes extended to "both boys and the occasional 'dancing girl'." There is, however, no evidence that Carter enjoyed any close relationships throughout his life, and he never married nor had children.

Later life After the clearance of the tomb had been completed in 1932 Carter retired from excavation work. He continued to live in his house near Luxor in winter and retained a flat in London but, as interest in Tutankhamun declined, he lived a fairly isolated existence with few close friends.

He had acted as a part-time dealer for both collectors and museums for a number of years. He continued in this role, including acting for the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Death ~

Carter died from Hodgkin's disease at age 64 at his London flat at 49 Albert Court, next to the Royal Albert Hall, on 2 March 1939. He was buried in Putney Vale Cemetery in London on 6 March with nine people attending his funeral.

His love for Egypt remained strong; the epitaph on his gravestone reads: "May your spirit live, may you spend millions of years, you who love Thebes, sitting with your face to the north wind, your eyes beholding happiness", a quotation taken from the Wishing Cup of Tutankhamun, and "O night, spread thy wings over me as the imperishable stars".

Probate was granted on 5 July 1939 to Egyptologist Henry Burton and to publisher Bruce Sterling Ingram. Carter is described as Howard Carter of Luxor, Upper Egypt, Africa, and of 49 Albert Court, Kensington Grove, Kensington, London. His estate was valued at £2,002 (equivalent to £156,781 in 2023). The second grant of Probate was issued in Cairo on 1 September 1939. In his role as executor, Burton identified at least 18 items in Carter's antiquities collection that had been taken from Tutankhamun's tomb without authorization. As this was a sensitive matter that could affect Anglo-Egyptian relations, Burton sought wider advice, finally recommending that the items be discreetly presented or sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with most eventually going either there or to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The Metropolitan Museum items were later returned to Egypt.

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Steve Martin singing about King Tut on his HBO Special. 1979.

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Carter checking out a tomb.

Lord Carnarvon at Howard Carter's house in Egypt, c. 1922.

Almina Herbert, Countess of Carnarvon. 1902. Lord Carnarvon's wife.

Lady Carnarvon 1901.

Lady Carnarvon.

Lady and Lord Carnarvon at the races in June 1921.

Countess Almina reads to a wounded soldier during his convalescence in her home at Highclere.

Lady Evelyn Leonora Almina Herbert Beauchamp. The Carnarvon's daughter.

Lady Evelyn Herbert, later Lady Evelyn Beauchamp, daughter of the 5th Earl of Carnarvon.

Earl of Carnarvon and his daughter Evelyn Herbert are seen in January 1923 boarding a cross-channel boat at Dover en-route for the Valley of the Kings.

Evelyn with her father at the entrance to King Tutankhamen's tomb.

The Carnarvons with Howard Cater and others in Egypt.

Howard Carter giving the Carnarvons a tour of the Valley of the Kings.

The Carnarvons and friends in Egypt.

Lord Carnarvon, his daughter, Lady Evelyn Herbert, and Howard Carter at the top of the steps leading to the newly discovered tomb of Tutankhamun, November 1922.

The newly married Beauchamps.

Lord and Lady Carnarvon with their son.

Henry George Alfred Marius Victor Francis Herbert. Son of the Carnarvons all grown up.

Lord Carnarvon strolls with Howard Carter by King Tut's tomb.

Howard Carter with Lord Carnarvon.

Alan Gardiner, British Egyptologist.

Alfred Lucas, chemist, working in Tutankhamun's tomb during its excavation.

Arthur Mace, Archaeologist, working in Tutankhamun's tomb during its excavation.

Fuad I of Egypt.

Howard Carter and others at dinner.

Carter with workmen in the Valley of the Kings.

Howard Carter with some of his workers at camp.

Carter talking to Egyptian officials.

Carter and a worker with the mummy of King Tut.

Tutankhamun's mummy, as photographed in 1926 before being returned to the sarcophagus.

Getting ready to break through the seal of the tomb.

Breaking through the door.

Newspaper photo of (left to right) Lady Evelyn Herbert, Lord Carnarvon, Howard Carter and B.E. Callender.

Howard Carter and B.E. Callender at the doorway to the tomb.

Disassembling the lid of one of the shrines.

Howard Carter (squatting), Arthur Callender and an Egyptian workman, looking into the opened shrines enclosing Tutankhamun's sarcophagus in 1924.

Howard Carter in Tutankhamun's tomb, photographed by Harry Burton.

Douglas Derry makes the first incision in the examination of Tutankhamun's mummy, observed by several others including Pierre Lacau (far left), Carter (with magnifying glass) and Saleh Bey Hamdi (far right).

The Anubis Shrine in situ at the entrance of the Treasury.

Carter with a helper brings more artifacts out of the tomb.

The north wall of the burial chamber. On the left side, Tutankhamun, followed by his ka (an aspect of his soul), embraces the god Osiris. In the center, Tutankhamun greets the goddess Nut. On the right side, Ay performs the Opening of the Mouth for Tutankhamun.

Reconstruction of the scenes from the south wall of the burial chamber, based on the remaining wall decoration and photographs from Carter and Burton. On the right is Tutankhamun greeting the goddess Hathor, followed by Anubis. On the left is three figures behind the goddess Isis. The left side of the wall was painted on the partition wall and was demolished by Carter in order to remove the shrines from the burial chamber.

Layout of the chambers to the tomb.

Plan of the tomb.

The east wall of the burial chamber, showing court officials dragging Tutankhamun's mummy to his tomb.

The west wall of the burial chamber, portraying twelve baboons from the Amduat.

Inside Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb, 18th dynasty.

The outer coffin and sarcophagus in the burial chamber.

The sign outside of the entrance to tomb of Tutankhamun in Arabic and English.

Tourist crowds outside the tomb entrance in February 1923.

Arthur Mace and Alfred Lucas conserve a chariot from Tutankhamun's tomb, December 1923.

Stacked objects on the west side of the antechamber, with each object labeled with a reference number before being removed from the tomb.

The northwest corner of the antechamber, as photographed in 1922. The plaster partition between the antechamber and burial chamber is on the right.

Workmen move goods from the tomb along a Decauville railroad track to the Nile.

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The golden sandals of Tutankhamun have captivated the world with their stunning beauty and historical significance. Out of the 42 pairs of sandals found in the tomb, the golden pair was found on the king’s feet, protected by the embalming process.

A box from the treasury shaped like the cartouche of Tutankhamun's name.

A calcite model boat from the annex.

A chariot, reassembled from the pieces in the antechamber.

A painted chest from the antechamber.

A painting on wood depicting Tutankhamun defeating his enemies.

A pendant in the shape of a winged scarab carrying the Eye of Horus, from the treasury.

A round-fronted chest from the antechamber. The knob on the chest that contains Tutankhamun’s cartouche had been written over the name of Neferneferuaten.

A senet game-board from the annex.

Ceremonial shield from the annex.

Figurines of deities, found in the treasury.

Gilded wooden statue of Tutankhamun being carried by the goddess Menkeret. It was looted during the 25 January 2011 Revolution.

Imiut fetishes from the burial chamber.

King Tut's chariot after re=assembly.

The canopic chest from the treasury, with three of the four stoppers present.

Necklace.

One of the golden shrines, now on display in the Egyptian Museum.

Shabtis, many of which were found in the annex.

Statue of Tutankhamun from the antechamber, with an uraeus on its headdress.

The Anubis shrine, from the entrance to the treasury.

The backrest of the gilded and inlaid throne, portraying Ankhesenamun anointing Tutankhamun.

The canopic shrine from the treasury.

The gilded bier from the base of Tutankhamun's sarcophagus.

The iron dagger, found on Tutankhamun's body.

The shrines and the sarcophagus they enclosed, shown to scale.

The wooden bust of Tutankhamun.

This statuette of Tutankhamun standing on a panther closely resembles images from the tomb of Seti II.

Tutankhamun's gold crown or diadem with turquoise, lapis lazuli and malachite.

Tutankhamun's throne chair.

Two of the embroidered gloves found in the antechamber and annex.

Wishing Cup. Lotus chalice, Alabaster.

Diagram of shrines and coffins in the tomb.

The outer coffin, exposition in Dresden.

The middle coffin, from the burial chamber.

The inner coffin, from the burial chamber.

Wooden sculpture depicting Tutankhamun as a mummy lying on a bier with a ba-bird on his left side and a Horus bird on his right.

The gold funerary mask of Tutankhamun, one of the most symbolic artifacts representing ancient Egypt and Egyptology today.

The iconic burial mask of Tutankhamun was among the most popular pieces in the Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition.

The 'Sepulchres of the Kings of Thebes', Richard Pococke, 1743.

The central portion of the Valley of the Kings in 2012, with tomb entrances labeled. The covered entrance to KV62 is at center right.

The Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

A photographer of Tutankhamun's golden mask.

Advertisement in Vogue magazine, June 1923, for Ramsès perfume, touting 'scent-bases known and used since the days of Tut-ankh-Amen'.

Blue plaque, 19 Collingham Gardens, Kensington, London.

Carter's house in the Theban Necropolis, in 2009.

'King Tut as I know him' drawing by Howard Carter 1926 for Manuel Rosenberg.

Manuel Rosenberg autographed sketch of Howard Carter, 1924 for the Cincinnati Post.

Paramount Pictures 'King Tutankhamun' Egyptian Revival Prop Chair sold at auction for $8,125.

King Tut coffin bookcase. Pretty cool!

I don't have a lot of things but these are my Egyptian oriented items.

King Tut coffin.

Instead of Tut's remains, this one holds incense. That way we can keep the tomb smellin' sweet.

Another coffin.

This one has the mummy.

Caesars Palace ashtray. I have two of these. Who knows? Old King Tut may have smoked.

Trinket box. It's not made of alabaster, it's plastic!

And, instead of containing jewels, it holds my extra ink pens on my desk. I don't have any jewels. Maybe I'll have them put my ashes in it when my time comes.

So, beware! When I'm gone, don't try to break into my tomb. You'll really be disappointed.