by Max Howell
“By the way, the diaries of early visitors record that there were countless thousands of mummified bodies surrounding the pyramids, and bits of bodies would fall off as they tried to get closer to them.
“Anyhow, the Egyptians are great tunnelers and robbers, and as the years went on nothing of value remained in the tombs. So they got the idea of putting the bodies of the Pharaohs in the granite hills opposite where we now stand. There would be less people around and the priests felt they had a better possibility of guarding against robbery and desecration. It was a great idea in theory, but as excavation followed excavation in the modern age, nothing of value was found. The robbers would tunnel from the back of the hills, take the treasures out and sell them on the open market. All that remained in the tombs were the elaborate wall paintings. Until Tutankhamen, that is. You already know a lot about it, but we will save that incredible story until we visit the site.”
There was much to occupy them on the east bank of the Nile, and they early on took a horse and buggy, an arabiyas, to the town of Karnak. As the horse jogged alongside the Nile River, they witnessed the graceful dahabiyehs expertly sailing across the River.
“You know”, said Henry, “the city of Thebes was here in ancient times, and it was a most important market city. The rulers of Egypt also lived here, and it was in the Eighteenth Dynasty that these gigantic temples and monuments that you can now see were built. Ever since, visitors have flocked here to view what remains. The modern Arab village where the temples are is now called Karnak. In ancient times it was heralded as ‘The Most Perfect of Places’.”
They walked all over the site, shaking their heads at the massiveness, the power it all. Joanne said: “You know, it is simply overwhelming. The Hypostle Hall is, believe it or not, the largest single chamber of any temple in the world, covering an area of 54,000 square feet. Someone said it would stretch from Piccadilly Circus to Hyde Park Corner, where we stayed in London. Each of the twelve columns is 69 feet high and approximately 12 feet thick. It all defies the imagination. The line of sphinxes which lead to the site are some 9 feet high. My neck is sore from looking up.”
“Yes”, replied Henry, “as we have said before, one wonders how the ancients could ever have erected such massive stones. The obelisks were carved out of a single piece of granite and weighed 140 tons. As you said, it defies the imagination.”
The next day they visited the Valley or City of the Dead, again admiring the skill of the turbanned boatmen who, in their seemingly battered and old boats, transported people such as themselves so expertly and smoothly across the Nile.
Henry observed: “You know, this site on the west bank is renowned as the burial place of the Pharaohs, but it was more than that, as priests, officials, nobles and average citizens would be buried over here as well. There were literally hundreds of burial places, and thousands upon thousands of mummies. I have the book one such visitor wrote, a Giovanni Belzoni, who came here in 1816. It is fascinating. Let me find a reference.” He turned the pages of Belzoni’s Narrative of the Operations and Recent Discoveries in Egypt and Nubia.
“Here it is”, he went on. “Belzoni made his way through ‘a passage twenty feet in length, and no wider than that a body could be forced through. It was choked with mummies, and I could not pass without putting my face in contact with that of some decayed Egyptian… I could not avoid being covered with bones, legs, arms and heads rolling from above.’ Pretty frightening as he went from area to area, to be met with much the same.”
“I hope that’s not what we’re in for?” enquired Joanne.
“No, they are all under lock and key now. We’ll simply look over the royal tombs that we are allowed into, and try to get into Tutankhamen’s tomb in the so-called ‘Valley of the Tombs of the Pharaohs.’ Remember, it was over three thousand years ago when all this happened.”
They wandered through the tombs that were available for viewing, and were particularly impressed with the Sethi tomb as they wandered into a corridor cut into the mountain by the ancients. They admired the paintings on the walls, and the bas-reliefs. They continued on through passages until they arrived at the empty sarcophagus where the Pharaoh would have lain. The robbers had done their work well, as all the artefacts had been taken by them. It was customary to include in the tomb all items, even furniture, that the Pharaoh might wish to use in the after life.
When they got out of the Sethi tomb, Henry told Joanne of one of the most amazing of the Egyptian discoveries. “Certain families”, he said, “had been grave robbers for centuries. It was somewhat of a tradition that was passed on. One such was the Abderrasul family, and in 1871, digging in the hills, they came across a deep shaft. Their son Ahmed was lowered down by rope, and to his great delight and astonishment he found a burial chamber absolutely bursting with mummies. When the family examined them in secret, they soon concluded that the mummies were all Pharaohs, an astonishing, unbelievable find.
“What had obviously happened was that the priests responsible for the bodies of the Pharaohs had arrived at the conclusion that they were not safe, so secretly removed them at night and placed them in this shaft, which had lain undisturbed for thousands of years.
“The Abderrasul family was smart, and knew that their financial future was assured by this remarkable find, so they would slowly release certain artefacts from the tomb for sale. It soon became obvious to the authorities that someone must have discovered a new tomb by the pieces that appeared for sale in the world market, and by clever detective work traced it back to the Abderrasul family. When the authorities were led to the shaft, and lowered down, they realized that it was one of the most significant finds in the history of Egyptology. There were some 36 coffins.
“These were the mummies we saw at the Egyptian Museum, the hair and teeth, as you remember, remarkably well preserved. A story often told is when the bodies were floated down the Nile to Cairo, the peasant women followed the boat with their distinctive, high-pitched, whistle-like wail. They were mourning the Pharaohs like in ancient times. Apparently it was an incredible scene.”
Joanne said: “It is an amazing story. Now let’s find King Tut’s tomb.” And they wandered through the tomb openings until they came across a sign which read: “The Tomb of Tutankhamen is Closed.” They found out that it was still being prepared for public display. It was a great disappointment to both of them.
She went on: “We must return when it is opened.”
“Somehow we will, Joanne, somehow we will. It was perhaps too much to expect, as it was not discovered until some eight or so years ago, and I have read that there were many problems that beset the excavation.”
“Like what?” she asked.
“Well for many years afterwards the matter was in the courts, as Howard Carter, who discovered the tomb in 1922, was himself refused entry to the site and was not allowed to see its treasures.”
“But why?”
“I’m not certain, but I think it amounted to a combination of professional jealousy and national politics. Carter after all was English, and the find captured the imagination of the whole world, as it was heralded as the greatest archaeological discovery ever. The Egyptians wanted to exert control, I think, it was as simple as all that. Eventually common sense prevailed and Carter was allowed to continue with his work.”
As Joanne and Henry could not go in, they instead sat on the rocks facing the famous tomb, laid out a lunch they had brought with them, and discussed where they were and what it was all about.
Joanne said: “Do you mind if I try to describe what happened here as best as I can?”
“I defer to your ability. As I recall, it was you who got me interested in all this stuff when you were a budding young Special Collections Librarian at Boston. So go ahead, my lovely and pregnant wife.”
“Howard Carter” she went on, “from what I can gather, was another amateur archaeologist. His father was a painter who specialised in painting animals, and Howard also seemed skilled in this dir
ection, and he became a draftsman. He got into Egyptology almost by chance, as the famous Professor Percy Newberry had come back to England after digging at Beni Hasan, and Carter was hired for three months inking in various tracings of Newberry’s. Incidentally, many of them were wrestling figures, the greatest collection of such a sport anywhere in the ancient world. Anyhow, he must have impressed Newberry, as Carter was invited to accompany him to Egypt, and he worked some eight years with him and Sir W. M. Flinders Petrie. He dug with Petrie, and yet kept up with his draftsmanship. My impression of him is that he was slight, bespectacled, diligent, dedicated, careful and meticulous in his work. I should add he was also single-minded.
“He must have been impressive in his manner, for when Sir Gaston Maspero was re-appointed head of the Antiquities Department of the Egyptian Government, he in turn appointed Carter Inspector-in-Chief of the Monuments of Upper Egypt and Nubia. He was housed here at Thebes.
“Luck seemed to follow his footsteps, as the wealthy and influential Englishman, Lord Carnarvon, came to Luxor and, as was popular among the wealthy at the time, he decided to winter here. He stayed in the grand old hotel where we are staying, I believe. He was recovering from an accident.
“With nothing else to do, Carnarvon got permission to excavate, and Maspero insisted that he should have an expert working with him. Carter was recommended, and all parties agreed. Thus began an historic association. Unfortunately, the Great War intervened, and Carter could not do any serious work until 1917.
“What is interesting is that the opinion of most experts at the time was that the area of the Royal Tombs had been completely excavated, that nothing else would be found. This opinion appeared to be verified, as from 1917 to 1922 nothing indeed was discovered. Carnarvon was discouraged as he was paying the bills, and called Carter back to England for discussions. Carnarvon was going to end his Egyptian digging rights.
“Carter prevailed upon Carnarvon in England, pleading for just one more season. He pointed out that he had meticulously mapped and gone over the complete terrain, and there was still a small area which needed investigating. Only then should there be closure to his search. In a world-shaking decision, Carnarvon agreed to pay for just one final season.
“Carter returned and examined the area under question. Almost immediately, which is almost unbelievable, he uncovered Tutankhamen’s tomb. Like the famous telegram Schliemann sent, ‘I have gazed upon the face of Agamemnon’, Carter’s to Carnarvon was just as powerful. It read: ‘At last you have made wonderful discovery in Valley; a magnificent tomb with seals intact; re-covered same for your arrival. Congratulations.’
“Slightly over three weeks later Lord Carnavon came down the Mediterranean by ship, eventually arriving at Luxor with his daughter Lady Evelyn Herbert.
“There was an error in Carter’s telegram, as with Lord Carnarvon and Lady Herbert by his side they observed that there were in actuality two seals to the tomb. Their hearts sank as they saw that one seal had been broken open and sealed again. A seal in those days was placed on a tomb by the priests to effect complete closure, forever. The re-sealing meant that the tomb had at one time at least been re-opened. Had it, like all the rest of the tombs, been completely looted?
“A tiny hole was drilled, to release the air of thousands of years previously, in case it was poisonous. Carter widened the hole, inserted a candle and looked in, getting his eyes used to the light. He fell back, and Carnarvon asked anxiously: ‘Can you see anything?’
“Carter replied: ‘Yes… wonderful things’!”
“What was there was in complete disorder, as if robbers had been interrupted in their work, but it was by far the most stupendous discovery in Egyptology, containing all the items we exulted over in the Egyptian Museum. It captured the imagination of the world. Diligent, patient, Carter did not rush in, but would methodically examine room after room, carefully categorizing each item in turn. All his original descriptions lie unpublished in the Griffith Institute at Oxford University. We must visit there if we go again. Anyhow, it was about three years later when he officially opened the tomb.”
“Amazing”, said Henry, “simply an amazing story. He must have been patience personified, going from room to room. I would have rushed in, checked all the rooms, opened the tomb, and then started with the first room.”
“Patient he certainly was.”
They went back to their hotel at Luxor, and as it was winter the climate was perfect, so they decided to stay a month. It was a time for reading, and other visits to the great sites, such as the funerary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the Colossi of Memnon, two gigantic seated statues, the huge Temple of Abu Simbel and the quarry where the granite stones were cut.
During their stay Howard Carter arrived on a visit, and stayed at the same hotel. Henry and Joanne introduced themselves, and as he was going to look at the tomb he had discovered, he invited them to go with him. So they had a first-hand tour of the tomb before it was ever opened to the public, and they were told stories of the find and its meaning that never found their place in any of the publications. They often dined with Howard Carter, again expressing to each other how fortunate they had been in their travels.
One time Carter told them: “You know, a little known fact is that after the discovery I had a violent argument with Lord Carnarvon. You have to understand that Lord Carnarvon had the sole rights to dig in the Valley of the Royal Tombs, and it had cost him a fortune for not only those rights, but all the cost of the excavations, salaries of myself and my workers, travel, equipment, housing. Only a very rich man could have afforded such an extravagance.
“He felt it was his due, and legally I believe his position was correct, that a proportion of the finds should go to him personally. Why else would he have got involved? I argued the moral case, or at least what I think was the moral case, and that was that all the finds should remain in Egypt, and this by the way was the position the Egyptian Government took. Lord Carnarvon would not relent, and we argued to the extent that I ordered him out of my house.
“I will ever regret that. After all, he was my benefactor, and it is possible that Tutankhamen’s tomb might never have been found if his financial support had not been forthcoming. He tragically died at 57 years of age, in fact but a few days after our argument. I will ever regret that, because I have the highest respect for him. He was a great man, my close friend. But I felt strongly, and I still do, that the treasures that Egypt yielded up should remain in Egypt.
“Carnarvon’s viewpoint was the traditional one. Koldewey had taken the Ishtar Gate at Babylon to Germany, Layard brought the Mespotamian finds back to England, as did Lord Elgin with the so-called Elgin Marbles. I believe that this was another age, another century at least. This find was in the late twenties. Attitudes had changed, as did the perceived rights of countries.”
Henry intervened. “I have to agree with you. The Greeks, for example, say that the Elgin Marbles lose their lustre in the British Museum, that they are sad to be away from the Greek sun. Yet it is easy to appreciate Carnarvon’s viewpoint. After all, it was his money that bank-rolled the find.”
“That’s the dilemma”, said Carter, “and the reason we quarrelled. I cannot say I won the argument. The Egyptian Government ultimately refused point-blank to let anything leave the country. So that ended the debate!”
“Another thing occurred as a result of Carnarvon’s early death”, went on Carter. “It stirred up the world presses in an unprecedented manner. His death was heralded as the curse of the Pharaohs, that all who participated in opening the tomb would have early and mysterious deaths. It’s absolute rubbish: Newberry, Gardiner, myself and a host of others are progressing in normal fashion to old age. But I fear the myth will persist. Myths are very hard to eradicate.”
They enjoyed their conversations with Carter, and indeed fell in love with the equable temperature and general tranquility of Luxor. When their time there was complete they went back to Cairo to spend a few more days in the Eg
yptian Museum, examining with even more delight the treasures of Tutankhamen and the mummies that had been discovered.
In a week’s time they were on a ship to Southampton and thence travelled to London. They could hardly wait to get to the British Museum once more, and the finds that had been purloined by the British now had much more meaning for them: the Mesopotamian collection, the Egyptian, the Greek and so on… it all came to life, more so because of the personalities behind the finds. They were real people now in their eyes: Heinrich and Sophia Schliemann, Margaret and Arthur Evans, Henry Layard, Lady and Sir Leonard Woolley, Lord Carnarvon, Howard Carter. They felt they had seen archaeology shift from the province of the rich and the amateur to that of a professional field, a science. Their wanderings had been of inestimable value to them, but as they reviewed it and looked at a map of the world they concluded that though they knew a great deal, they in fact knew very little.
What was for certain was that the ring that had fortuitously brought them together had more stories to recount if indeed it could speak, because of their travels.
They decided to stay at the small town of Eynsham in 1931, outside of Oxford, to await the delivery of their child. It was close to Oxford where they could read and examine the various libraries and museums to their hearts’ content, they would have occasional tea with Arthur Evans, and there was excellent medical help available.
Henry waited anxiously as Joanne’s time came. Eventually the doctor came out and said: “Your wife is well, and you are now the father of a daughter.”