Chapter 10 10

In 1902, American Theodore Davis was approved by the Egyptian government to engage in archaeological excavation in the Valley of the Kings. He dug there for 12 consecutive winters.Davies found very valuable tombs, such as those of Tomis IV, Siptach, and Hollenheb.He also found the tomb of the famous "pagan king" Amenophis IV. Amenophis IV once advocated sun worship to replace the traditional religion of Egypt, so he named it Iknaton.Amenophis is famous for two things, one is his famous saying in praise of himself: "He who is the favorite of the sun god"; the other is the beautiful colored bust of his wife Nefertiti, which is the most famous in Egypt. sculptures.

In the first year of the First World War, Davis transferred the excavation rights to Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter, and since then began the most important stage in the history of Egyptian archaeological excavation.In a later biography of Lord Carnarvon's sister, he said that the excavation "began like Aladdin's lamp and ended like the history of the Nemesis family in Greece." The discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb is the pinnacle of successful archaeological work and an important turning point in the history of archaeology.Since Winkelmann, how many taxonomists, methodologists and various specialists have set the basic direction for archaeology.The first batch of archaeological masters were Champollion, Gorotefend and Luo Linsheng.Subsequent archaeologists who made significant contributions were Mariette, Lepsias, and Bittery in Egypt, Botha and Leyard in Mesopotamia, and Stephen in the Yucatan Peninsula. Smith and Thompson.Later, Schliemann excavated the city of Troy, Evans excavated Knossos, Koldevi and Woolley excavated Babylon and Ur, the hometown of Abraham, which was the culmination of successful archaeological activities.Schliemann was the last of these notable amateur archaeologists.By the time Lord Carnarvon and Carter became active, a large number of experts had been working on Knossos, Babylon and other ancient ruins for a long time.Governments, kings, and wealthy people in many countries around the world, universities and archaeological institutions with strong financial resources, and many wealthy private archaeologists have sent archaeological teams to carry excellent equipment to various ancient cultural sites for research.However, all these investigations and researches were carried out in a scattered and sporadic manner, and all these works had achievements, and the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb was the result of the synthesis of these achievements.This is a triumph of the scientific method.Riyadh suffered from superstitious ignorance, Evans from bureaucratic jealousy, and Carnarvon and Carter, with the full support of the Egyptian government, avoided such interference altogether.In the past, Luo Lin was insulted and Schliemann suffered hardships, all because of the jealousy of his peers; now these things don't exist, and there are international cooperation and enthusiastic support from the scientific community.So far the pioneering phase of archeology came to an end.Howard? Carter is a student of Bitterly, of course, it is impossible to completely break away from tradition.However, under his influence, Egyptology has since ended the previous loose and blind novelty-seeking activities, and has truly become a step-by-step cultural research activity according to strict methods.

Yet it was Carter's constant passion not only for the big picture, but for the rigorous scientific method to take full advantage.On the one hand, he has courage and insight, on the other hand, he is patient and responsible in his work, and finally became an outstanding figure in the history of archaeology.Excellent scholars often devote their lives to unraveling cultural mysteries, and Carter is such a person. Lord Carnarvon is a character that can only be produced in England. He likes sports and collects cultural relics. He is a gentleman and a traveler who travels around the world.When he was studying at Trinity College, Cambridge, he saw that the wainscoting in the dormitory room was badly painted, so he paid for it to be repaired and restored to its original appearance.Since his youth, he has often participated in races, practiced good marksmanship, and is known for driving speedboats. At the age of 23, he inherited a rich inheritance, and then sailed around the world.His car is the third licensed car in the whole of the UK and he likes to drive fast.Later this habit of driving fast brought a decisive turning point in his life. Around 1900, he overturned while speeding on the road and was seriously injured. Since then, he suffered from dyspnea and could not spend the winter in England.So he went to Egypt for the first time in 1903 in search of a pleasant climate.After arriving in Egypt, he visited the excavation sites of several archaeological teams.At this time he immediately discovered that archeology was an activity that could combine his penchant for collecting cultural relics with his love for sports. In 1906 he set out to excavate the work himself.In the winter of the same year, he found that he lacked knowledge in this area, so he went to ask Professor Maspero for advice.Maspero immediately recommended the young Howard Carter as his archaeological assistant.

The cooperation between the two men was very harmonious; what Lord Carnarvon lacked in knowledge could be supplemented by Carter. Carter was a profound scholar who later served as Carnarvon's Director of Excavations.Carter had worked with Beatrie and Davis before this.At the same time, he attaches great importance to having evidence for what he says, so some people even criticize his works, saying that he is too pedantic.In fact he has a way of doing things.He is very aggressive, even sometimes desperate. An incident in 1916 reflected his character. That year, Carter was on short-term vacation in Luxor. One day, the leading figures in the village came to him, looking very anxious, and specifically asked him for help.At that time, even a place like Luxor was not immune to the impact of the World War, and the number of government agencies and police was greatly reduced. Therefore, outlaws like the descendants of Abd al-Rasul began to rob tombs again. These Egyptian tomb robbers A batch of antiquities was discovered in the southwest of the hillside outside the Valley of the Kings.After another group of gangsters learned about it, they used force to force them to share the results. What happened next was like a movie.After the two groups of thieves fought, the first group was defeated and forced to withdraw from the scene, but bloody fights could still occur.Carter decided to intervene.

"It was very late that day," he wrote later, "and I hastened to find some workmen, all of whom were dodgers from the military service. We prepared the necessary things and set off to the scene.It was midnight when we climbed the 1,800-plus-foot Kellner Peak.After arriving, the guide pointed me to a rope hanging down the cliff, and I could hear people moving below.I first cut the rope, and cut off their retreat, and then fastened a strong rope which we had carried ourselves, and I followed it down to the bottom of the cliff.I thought it would be quite an interesting game, rappelling late at night among a gang of burly grave robbers.There were 8 of them, and they were busy there, and they were very embarrassed by my presence.I pointed out two ways for them to choose, either follow my rope and leave quickly, or stay where they are and never try to get out, because they have no rope.In the end they came to their senses and left, and I just spent the night there..."

■Intuitive Faith Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter set to work, and it was not until the autumn of 1917 that the scale of their activities became more certain of success, but at this time a situation often encountered in archaeological activities occurred.At the beginning, they selected a small area in the Valley of the Kings for excavation. It should be said that they were lucky to choose the right place; however, the excavation project was immediately hindered by objective factors: many people made critical comments on the work plan, They themselves lack decisiveness and confidence. What's more, some experts are also rushing out ideas. As a result, things that could have been successful are postponed or even failed.

It is also worth mentioning here that this has happened before. On April 6, 1748, a Neapolitan named Cavalier Alcubier conducted an archaeological excavation, which happened to be in the very center of Pompeii.It's a pity that he was eager to excavate another site at the same time, and as a result, he hurriedly covered it without continuing to dig deeper.It took him many years to realize that the first dig was the right place. Carnarvon and Carter stood on the hill overlooking the Valley of the Kings.Dozens of people had already excavated there before, but unfortunately these pioneers did not leave a detailed map or even a sketch for later developers to use as a reference.The valley is full of piles of excavated rubble, and the entire valley floor looks a bit like the surface of the moon.Among the piles of rubble are the entrances of the mausoleums, and these are all tombs that have been developed long ago.The only way out now is to dig systematically and comprehensively.Carter suggested that the excavation area be defined as the triangular area between the tomb of Ramses II, the tomb of Memeb Tah and the tomb of Ramses Cave.He said: "I am going to tell people that our purpose is clear, which is to find Tutankhamun's tomb; but some people may say that I am an excuse to find after the fact."

Exactly 100 years before this, Belzoni unearthed the tombs of Ramses I, Hisos I, Oye and Mentukpesh.He later wrote: "From the monuments I have recently discovered, I am fully sure that there are no other ancient tombs in the Biban Ermuluk Valley except those that have been discovered. Before I left I have tried my best to find another ancient tomb before going, but I have never found it. Another incident that has nothing to do with my research can also prove this: After I left, the British Consul Salter lived there for 4 months. In 1844, 27 years after Belzoni left, the famous Prussian archaeological team came to the Valley of the Kings and carefully measured the entire tomb. area.When the archaeological team left, the captain Lepsias expressed the same opinion, thinking that the ancient sites here have been completely developed, and there will be no new things to be found.Still, at the end of the nineteenth century, Laurent found several more tombs, and Davis found several more soon after.At this point, it seems that the sand in the Valley of the Kings has also been turned over and sifted out one by one.When Maspiro, director of the Egyptian Antiquities Authority, signed the document approving Lord Carnarvon's development of the Valley of the Kings, he stated frankly that he believed that the tomb area had been excavated and that it would be a waste of time to investigate and study it now.As an expert in this field, he can be sure that nothing will ever be dug up in the Valley of the Kings.

After hearing these negative statements, Carter still believes that it is possible to discover the ancient tomb and know whose tomb is there. What is the basis for it? He personally observed the antiquities found by Theodore Davis, among them was a faience cup with Tutankhamun cast on it.The cup was discovered by Davis from under a rock. Davis also found a small ancient tomb at the same location. In the tomb, he found a broken wooden box with a gold leaf inside, which also had Tutankhamun's name on it.Davis immediately determined that this small stone tomb was the tomb of Tutankhamun. In fact, this was wrong. Carter's idea was different; another artifact from Davis was correctly identified, which confirmed Carter's opinion.They were pottery shards and rolls of linen that seemed of little value, packed in several large earthen vases, the mouths of which were sealed, and hieroglyphs cast on the shoulders of the vases.Later, after research by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, it was believed that these vases and the contents in the vases were probably sacrificial objects in Tutankhamun's tomb.In addition, Davis later found several clay seals of Tutankhamun in the tomb of the "pagan king" Iknaton.

All this can prove that there is indeed a Tutankhamun's tomb.Carter, against all odds, believed that the location of the mausoleum was in the center of the Valley of the Kings, and that it was approximately near the site of the above-mentioned artifacts discovered by Davis, which seems to be well-founded.However, when one considers that the burial area has experienced 3,000 years of devastation, things are not so optimistic. Over the past 3,000 years, countless tombs have been excavated by thieves and monks, and early archaeologists unearthed them in a rather brutal way. The damage caused by all this is immeasurable.Carter had only four things in his hand as physical evidence, namely a few pieces of gold, a clay cup, a few earthen vases, and a few clay seals.This is all their basis. In addition, they only rely on their belief that they will find Tutankhamen's tomb. Their actions can be said to be very bold.

■The seal of the royal family Carnarvon and Carter began to dig.After working for a whole winter, they basically cleared the surface pile of rubble on the selected triangular land, and dug to the tomb of Ramses VI. "We found that many of the houses of the workers who built the mausoleum were built on huge rocks; and tombs can often be found near such rocks in the Valley of the Kings." What happened next is the most extraordinary part of the entire process of developing Tutankhamun's tomb.After digging for a while, if you continue to dig in the original direction, you will block the entrance of Ramses' tomb.Because this is a tourist attraction, it is necessary to stop digging and wait for a period of time before it can proceed smoothly.After continuing to dig in the winter of 1919, a batch of cultural relics were excavated at the entrance of the tomb of Ramses VI. Although the number is limited, they have archaeological value."This is the first step we're really getting close to," Carter said. In Bitterly's words: At this time, Carnarvon and Carter had finished "struggling" the triangular area, leaving only the site of the house left by the workers who built the mausoleum.In order not to disturb tourists, they left this area and moved to dig elsewhere.Excavations continued for another two winters in the small valley where Tothemis III's tomb is located, but "without real results". They summed up why they had worked so hard in the past few years but achieved little, and began to consider simply opening up a new area.Only the part of the ancient workshop and the big stone was not excavated, and as mentioned above, this place is located in the tomb of Ramses VI.The archaeological team hesitated, and after overturning the established plan several times, they finally decided to excavate the last winter in the Valley of the Kings. The place Carter excavated this time was actually the target he should have concentrated on excavating six years ago.They demolished the workshop, cleared away the soil, and immediately saw the entrance of Tutankhamun's tomb, which is the most luxurious mausoleum in Egypt.Carter wrote: "This sudden discovery really left me speechless, followed by months of uninterrupted gains that I was too busy to even think about." Carter started demolishing the ancient workshop on November 3, 1911, when Lord Carnarvon was in England.The next morning, when the first workshop was demolished, a stone staircase cut into the rock was exposed underneath.By the afternoon of November 5th, the Fushi had been cleared up to the point where it was certain that a mausoleum had been discovered. However, it is entirely possible that this is a tomb that has not yet been built, or it has not been used after it was built.Even if the tomb contains a mummy, it is likely to be stolen like many ancient tombs.If you make a pessimistic estimate, even if the mummy is still there, it may be the remains of a high-ranking official or monk. Excavation work is intensifying.The day passed slowly, and Carter became more and more excited.When night fell suddenly in Egypt, the twelfth stone steps had been dug, and at this time "the upper part of a door was blocked with stones and sealed. A closed tomb door was found." —that is to say, a real find! . . . This is the most exciting moment for the archaeological excavators." Carter carefully inspected the seal and determined that it was for the king's tomb.Since there is a seal of the royal family, there must be very important figures buried in the tomb.Above the population are the houses of the workers who built the mausoleum, which can prove that the mausoleum has not been looted since at least the 20th dynasty.With his hands trembling with excitement, Carter drilled a hole in the door of the tomb, which was "just big enough to fit a flashlight in."He saw that the corridor in the door was tightly blocked by large and small stones, which further proved that various careful protection measures were taken after the mausoleum was built. Carter left a few of his most reliable workers to guard the gate of the tomb. He took advantage of the moonlight to ride a donkey out of the valley and return to his residence. He tried his best to control his excitement.Afterwards, Carter recalled how he felt after peeking into the tomb from the hole. He wrote: "What is hidden at the other end of that tunnel is really elusive! I tried my best to control myself, and I didn't open the tomb door immediately to start investigating." On the way back to his residence on the donkey, he was still very anxious, as if a voice was telling him that the greatest discovery was close at hand.Carter has worked hard for 6 years and has been fruitless. Now he is finally in sight of victory. However, he can restrain himself and stop digging forward. Instead, he temporarily covers the tomb and waits for Carnarvon to return. Carter sent a telegram to Lord Carnarvon on the morning of November 6. The message was: "There have been major discoveries in the valley, the giant tomb has been completely sealed and covered, and we are waiting to return. Special congratulations." Received by Carnarvon on November 8 Of the two replies, the first one said: "We will return after appointment." The second one said: "Arrive in Alexandria around the 20th." Lord Carnarvon, accompanied by his daughter, arrived in Luxor on November 23.Carter had been standing guard near the carefully built opening, and he had been waiting patiently for two weeks.As early as two days after the stone steps were dug out, congratulatory letters came like snowflakes, but what are the specific congratulations?What is hidden in the tomb?Carter couldn't tell at the time.In fact, he only needed to dig down a few inches to find the seal of Tutankhamun's tomb.He later said: "If I had known this, I would have kept digging, and I could have a good sleep that night, and I would be free from the countless torments in my heart for nearly three weeks." ■Exciting moment On November 24, the workers cleared the last stone steps.Carter walked down the 16 stone steps, facing the closed tomb door. At this time, he clearly saw Tutankhamun's seal, but at the same time he also saw the situation that Egyptologists often encountered-the tomb had been dug up, and tomb robbers had tampered with it here. "After all the doors of the tomb were cleared," Carter said, "we could see that a part of the door had been opened twice and then reclosed. In addition, the jackal-shaped and nine captive-shaped seals found at the beginning were bells that were reclosed. part of the door, while Tutankhamun's seal was printed on the original part of the door, which is the original seal. It can be seen that this tomb is not untouched as originally thought. Tomb robbers walked in, And more than once; the workshop on the tomb shows that the tomb was looted no later than the reign of Ramses IV. But the traces of re-sealing prove that the tomb was not looted by the tomb robbers.” However, as discoveries continued, Carter felt more uncertain.After he asked the workers to remove all the gravel that blocked the stone steps, he found some pottery fragments and several boxes. Some amulets, and another amulet bears the name of Menofis III.Do these many names indicate that this mausoleum is actually a joint burial tomb rather than the original intended special mausoleum? Only by opening the door of the tomb can these mysteries be solved, so people have been preparing for it for days.When Carter peeked in through the small hole on the door for the first time, he had already seen that the passage inside was blocked with gravel. It can be clearly seen that these gravels are divided into two types, and the tomb robbers dug only enough for a person's shoulders. The small hole is blocked with a kind of black tunnel stone. After days of intense excavation, workers cleared a 32-foot-long tunnel that ended with a second door.This door also bears the seal of Tutankhamun and another tomb, and it can be seen that it has been opened. Carnarvon and Carter found that the overall layout here was similar to a crypt at Iknaton recently discovered nearby, which led them to believe that this was just an ordinary tomb rather than the original burial mausoleum of an Egyptian king.If it really is a cellar, and it has been stolen, what more is there to discover? Anyway, they've been discouraged for a while.However, as the second tomb door was cleared, the atmosphere became tense again."The moment of decision came," Carter later recalled. "With shaking hands, I drilled a small hole in the upper left corner of the door." Carter stuck an iron rod through the hole and felt the door was empty.He lit a few candles to test, and after confirming that there was no poisonous gas, he had the hole in the door enlarged. At this time, all those who cared about the project crowded over: Lord Carnarvon, his daughter Lady Aveline, and the Egyptologist Callender who heard the news and came to assist the work, and others were watching around.Carter struck a match, lit a candle, and moved it toward the doorway.As his head approached the doorway--then Carter suddenly blew out the candle with high excitement and eagerness.Carter stuck the candle into the hole, and turned his eyes to the opening.He couldn't see anything at first, but when his eyes gradually got used to the flickering light, he could see some shapes, see their shadows, and initially distinguish colors.He clenched his lips tightly, too shocked to say a word.The people next to him waited impatiently, and finally Carnarvon couldn't help asking, "Can you see anything?" Carter turned his head slowly and said excitedly: "I saw a lot of great things." Afterwards, Carter recalled the scene when everyone took turns to observe from the entrance of the cave. He wrote: "The scene we saw by candlelight is unprecedented in the history of archeology. After the door of the tomb was officially opened on the 17th of that month, it proved that this was not true. Without the slightest exaggeration. Under the light of a moving bright light, people saw several golden lounge chairs, a gold-covered throne, two huge black statues, some alabaster bottles, and several grotesque gods. The shadow of a strange animal head is reflected on the wall. A divine door is open, and a golden snake is protruding from the inside. The two statues stand facing each other like guards, wearing golden skirts, golden shoes, and scepters in their hands. , with a protective cobra coiled on his forehead." All this is really magnificent and beautiful; however, traces of human invasion are also found here.Beside the door was a container half full of mortar, and beside it stood a sooty oil lamp.There were a few finger marks in one place, which could be seen from the freshly applied paint, and there was a garland of flowers left on the threshold when he left. Carter and Carnarvon were dumbfounded, but after gathering their minds, they discovered another strange thing: there is no sarcophagus and mummy in such a luxurious underground palace!Is this a mausoleum or a cellar?The question popped up again in their minds. After examining the walls carefully, they found a third closed door on the wall between the two statues. "At this point we had a picture in our minds of one basement after another, each filled with the things we had seen, and we were breathless with excitement thinking about it," Carter later wrote .On the 27th of that month, they inspected the sealed door by the light of powerful electric lights that Callender had temporarily installed.They found a hole had been pierced near the bottom, which was then resealed.It was evident that the robbers had moved on through the vestibule—they called the first chamber the vestibule.What was in the room or passage ahead?If there is a mummy in the door, is it whole and undamaged?The situation is incomprehensible.Not only is the specific situation different from all the ancient tombs in the past, but also a question arises: Why did the tomb robbers spend so much effort to pass through the third gate instead of transporting the treasures at hand?Now that they walked through the front hall and saw a large number of treasures without being moved, what would they want to get? Carter calmly appraised the significance of these treasures, realizing that the historical and aesthetic value of the fixtures in the vestibule far outweighed the vast amounts of gold that went into making them.Although these things can't speak, what a wealth of archaeological data they contain!A large number of ancient Egyptian living, cultural objects and luxury goods are found here, each of which is worth spending a whole winter digging.They are extremely vivid and powerful representations of Egyptian art in a period. Carter glanced at it briefly, and decided that it was absolutely certain that a serious study of this collection of cultural relics would "bring a change and even a complete revolution to all our old ideas." After a while, I discovered something new.Someone, looking under one of the three deck chairs, found a small hole, and told others to look.Through the hole one could see a room, which might be called a side room, which was smaller than the vestibule, but filled with various objects and decorations.The grave robbers did not appear to have searched the room as thoroughly as they had in the vestibule.The thieves who looted the tomb "did it like an earthquake," leaving the room in a mess.It could be seen that they took a number of items from the side room and then littered and smashed some items in the vestibule.However, in fact, they stole very little. After breaking through the second door, many things were already in their hands, but they did not take them away.Maybe they were also surprised by what they did? The discovery of the side chambers woke people up.Previously, they observed in a state of euphoria, which resulted in a sense of confusion about the overall situation.At this time, they began to think more calmly, and knew that there might be more precious things behind the third sealed door.At the same time, they also realized that they were facing a heavy scientific research task, which required a lot of organizational work and a large number of manpower.Even if it is not counted as yet to be discovered, it is only the cultural relics that have been discovered, and it cannot be processed in the next winter.