One: the curse of Pharaoh-the Millennium mystery of the Egyptian pyramids

Tutankhamun was the 12 Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty in ancient Egypt. In BC 136 1, he took over the scepter of the sun god and ascended the throne of Pharaoh at the age of 9. At the same time, Ankshanamen, the youngest daughter of the 8-year-old former Pharaoh Okhennathan, became his queen. Tutankhamun is widely known for his rich and complete funerary objects, and more importantly, it is accompanied by his mysterious story-the curse of the Pharaoh. The young Pharaoh Tutankhamun died suddenly after only nine years in office at the age of 18. He was buried in the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile, and then he went into darkness and fell asleep for 3274 years. Until February 1923, an unexpected guest from Wan Li disturbed his sleep. The Egyptian-born Englishman's name is howard carter. Howard carter was very interested in the history of ancient Egypt since he was a child, and always dreamed of discovering a Pharaoh's tomb by himself. After years of in-depth investigation, he found that the Egyptian cultural relics unearthed in various countries always lacked Tutankhamun's objects, so he decided that Tutankhamun was still hidden in a corner of the Valley of the Kings.

19 15 years, Carter found a person who was willing to sponsor himself to dig funds-the owner of Highbury Castle in England and the explorer Earl Carnavan. After seven years of digging and searching, good luck finally came to Carter on 1922: a worker who delivered water to the excavation team accidentally found a stone ladder leading people to the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. 1922165438+1October 26th, Carter's excavation team arrived at the front hall of the mausoleum, where a large number of treasures were piled up. There are two tall statues guarding the hall, and the first warning is written on the back: "I am the guardian of King Tutankhamun, and I use desert fire to drive away grave robbers." Carter didn't take the curse seriously. He kept digging. The Death Will Spread its Wings 1923 17 In the early morning of February, a cobra entered Carter's home and hung his lucky bird canary. Legend has it that cobra is the guardian of Pharaoh, which is not a good sign. Carter was not intimidated by the snake, and it was certainly impossible to stop. A few days later, the inner chamber of Pharaoh's tomb was opened. The scene of this day is like a grand party. The dignitaries and tourists sat on the cany chairs in front of the tomb, staring at the scene. Count Kanafeng, the patron, smiled at the people around him: "It's like watching a concert in a grave." Arthur Wigel, an Egyptian scientist present, was shocked by this unbridled joke. He thinks this is beyond the language of an archaeologist who respects the dead. He whispered to the people around him, "If he enters the grave like this, I bet he won't live for six weeks." King Tutankhamun's inner chamber was opened and people were dumped by the huge golden altar. They entered the room in groups of three, and no one cared about the inscription in front of the back room. A few days later, the content of the inscription was translated, which was the second terrible curse: "Whoever disturbs Pharaoh's sleep, death will spread its wings over his head." In the subsequent excavation, Carter found two more curses, warning disrespectful people to give up their graves, but neither Carter nor Carnarvon cared. Seeing off the fanatical crowd, they began to prepare to open the coffin. Just then, a mosquito bit Count Carnarvon's face, which seemed to make Carnarvon extremely frightened. He was ill and had a high fever, and his teeth fell out one by one. At the beginning of March, Kanafeng's neck was swollen and he got pneumonia. Later, the high fever of Mount Kana soared to 40 degrees and lasted 12 days. According to the doctor, the count cut himself while shaving, which caused a serious infection, but he couldn't explain why the count kept calling, "I heard his voice, so I'm going with him." In the early morning of April 5, the whole Cairo suddenly lost power, and the city fell into the night like 3000 years ago. The 57-year-old Earl of carnarvon passed away silently. At the same time, his dog in England also died suddenly. This strange scene of birth, illness and death has filled many people with doubts. For a time, "Pharaoh's curse" became the most popular topic for everyone.

But this did not stop Carter's curiosity. He insisted on opening the sarcophagus. In autumn, the face of the young Pharaoh at his last rest appeared in front of the world. Tutankhamun's coffin is divided into three layers, and the innermost layer is actually made of pure gold according to the shape of the human body. Open this last luxurious coffin, and you will see a lifelike gold mask covering the mummy's face. This pair of golden chrysanthemum has also become a focus of people's discussion, and has since become a masterpiece of ancient Egyptian culture. Its black eyes are still burning after more than 3,000 years, as if seeing the soul of a grave robber. There is nothing wrong with saying that Carter is a grave robber. In order to get the jewels attached to the mummy, Carter and a doctor named Douglas Derry cut the well-preserved Pharaoh's mummy into three pieces, which was extremely disrespectful to Pharaoh. During the cutting process, Dr. Delhi made an amazing discovery: there was a wound on the mummy's left cheek formed by a pre-death ulcer-the same position as the mosquito bite wound of Count Carnarvon, which seemed to be an important basis for confirming the curse. In the following years, dozens of people related to Tutankhamun died suddenly, including diggers, tourists and researchers. For a time, the "Pharaoh's curse" caused a sensation around the world. A series of mysterious accidents, spells about ancient Egypt abound in ancient books. Many Egyptians also believe this. However, what is the truth, scientists have been constantly pursuing. The key factor that makes people doubt the "curse" is howard carter. The first person who opened Tutankhamun's tomb was also the initiator of the excavation of Tutankhamun's tomb. After the excavation of Tutankhamun's tomb, he lived peacefully for 27 years. During these 27 years, Carter also excavated the tombs of Queen Hatshepsut and Thutmouth IV. However, the Pharaoh's curse can be believed, and it is not groundless. Because long before Tutankhamun's tomb was excavated, there had been a series of deaths related to the remains of ancient Egypt. 1823, Italian archaeologist Belsani led an archaeological team to Africa, but he also suffered from a strange disease like Count carnarvon. He has a high fever for a long time and talks nonsense all day. He often shouts "Death's hand touched me". In this inexplicable nonsense, he died on February 3, 65438 at the age of 45. 1832, French archaeologist champollion successfully deciphered the ancient Egyptian characters-it is said that while deciphering the ancient Egyptian characters, he was in a coma for five days, chanting the name of Pharaoh in his mouth-and died suddenly after returning to France on 1827, at the age of 42. 1862 In the summer, a German scientist, vice president of the Egyptian Society, led a duchess who was visiting Egypt to visit Luxor and the pyramids in the Valley of the Kings. On his way back to Cairo from his visit, he suddenly had a high fever and was unconscious. Two weeks later, he died at the age of 37. Professor Dumichen, who is also a German, is also an expert and scholar who is addicted to ancient Egypt and keen on first-hand information. So he often went in and out of the ruins of ancient Egypt, mainly the pyramids and temples where words were preserved, and eventually he died in madness. 194 1 year, after completing a series of archaeological work, the British archaeologist Filidel Piccho returned home from Cairo via Jerusalem, but he died in the holy city. There are more accidents directly or indirectly related to Tutankhamun. Shortly after Count carnarvon's death, his old friend, American railway magnate George Jagger, also went to Egypt because he suspected his old friend's death. Carter led the millionaire into Tutankhamun's mausoleum and took a closer look. On the morning after the visit, Jagde had a high fever for no reason and died suddenly that night. 1926 March, French-Egyptian scientist George Benedit. Like the last George, he fell down after visiting the tomb of King Tutankhamun who killed him. In the same year, Professor Le Vermeer died in his sleep the night after visiting King Tutankhamun's mausoleum. Professor Qi Bolt Douglas Reed, the first expert who untied the shroud and made an X-ray examination of Pharaoh Tutankhamun's mummy, just took a few X-rays and began to have a high fever, and his body weakened sharply. Professor Reid, who has always been dismissive of curses, seems to feel a little uncomfortable. He soon returned to London sick and died in his hometown the next year. 65438+April 0928. Carter's most important assistant, archaeologist Arthur Mays. He is the man who helped Carter get through the last thick wall of Tutankhamun's mausoleum. After finishing his work, his health went from bad to worse. This year, he inexplicably fell into a deep coma and died in the hotel, which was the last one that Count carnarvon stayed in. ..... By the end of 1930, 22 people who directly or indirectly participated in Tutankhamun's tomb had died, and 13 of them directly participated in the excavation of the tomb-this is the most taboo and scary figure in Europe. Under the influence of the increasingly developed media, the "Pharaoh's curse" once spread around the world, which made people panic. In this case, the study of Tutankhamun's mausoleum has to be slowed down. Soon after, Pharaoh Tutankhamun's mummy was reassembled and properly preserved, and it was no longer exposed to many curious people. Since then, the death toll seems to have decreased. Until 1966, Egypt agreed to France's request and decided to hold an exhibition of ancient Egyptian treasures in Paris. In order to satisfy people's curiosity, the treasures in Tutankhamun's mausoleum are also included in the exhibition. Muhammad Abraham, an official in charge of cultural relics in Egypt, had a dream in the relevant discussion. In this strange dream, he was warned that if Tutankhamun's treasure was far away from Egypt, he would die. As a native Egyptian, Muhammad has a natural fear of the "Pharaoh's curse". After this dream, he made many representations to the high-level government, trying to prevent Tutankhamun's treasure from being transported away. However, the decision of the upper level has been made, and his reasons are pale and powerless. Finally, he must sign the document. After the signing ceremony, he was knocked down by a car when he left the venue, causing serious injuries and coma, and died two days later. Tutankhamun's treasure hunt plan was shrouded in shadow from the beginning, but the decision of the authorities could not be changed. Muhammad is dead, and the work is still going on step by step.

Conjecture of Curse 1989, American archaeologist Kent Venice presided over the excavation of a tomb numbered K-V5 in the Valley of the Kings. This mausoleum buried 48 princes of Ramses II in the19th century. The ancient tomb has been ransacked for a long time, but it still left an unexpected harvest for the digger: it is a dark and damp ancient tomb, and strange things can be seen everywhere in the tomb. They ate mummies and food buried with them, and the infiltration of the Nile flood brought them more food. More importantly, these guys don't need oxygen. The discovery of these deadly fungi is very consistent with the information in the excavation records of Tutankhamun's mausoleum, that is, when Tutankhamun's mausoleum was just opened, many "inexplicable things" were found in the tomb. This led to the first speculation about the Pharaoh's curse: deadly fungi were an important cause of the death of Sir Carnaveen and more victims. Why didn't an archaeologist who excavated K-V5 die? That's because modern technology has made people understand the importance of isolation. Archaeologists will wear protective clothing, masks and gloves when they enter the tomb for the first time. People didn't realize this when excavating King Tutankhamun's tomb and other earlier excavations. Professor Dumichen, a German who died in a frenzy, just tied a layer of orange peel under his nose to dilute the smell of some graves, so it was impossible to isolate deadly fungal spores from himself. The second explanation: poison. The priests in ancient Egypt were the earliest known in human history and were also the best at using poison. As early as 3000 BC, the earliest pre-dynasty period in Egypt, the first Pharaoh in Egypt had assigned people to grow poisonous plants. Recently, people have discovered the documents of the period of the Pharaohs of Manis, and recorded the use of many poisons, not only opium, arsenic, aconite and so on. And some cyanide. In addition, in ancient Egypt, poisonous toads still occupied the supreme position and were regarded as sacred objects. Therefore, some people think that the ancient Egyptians probably used poison as a means to protect the Pharaoh's tomb. Of course, the use of poison is not necessarily intentional. Because in the murals that can be seen everywhere in the mausoleum, those bright colors contain all kinds of highly toxic ingredients. In addition, "ptomaine" is also a terrible toxin, which can induce incurable diseases such as meningitis in contacts. These toxins are mixed together and piled up in the closed Pharaoh's tomb, which cannot be dissipated. Of course, it may also cause irreparable harm to the body of the intruder (especially the original intruder). The third explanation: radiation. Take a closer look at those cases that died because of the "Pharaoh's curse". Besides high fever and stroke, there are more madness and damage to the blood circulation system. Therefore, the interpretation of radiation is also under consideration. Now, uranium ore has been found in central Egypt, which seems to further confirm the possibility of this speculation. It is speculated that part of the pyramid is made of radioactive stones. More precisely, the ancient Egyptians had discovered the function of radioactive uranium and used it to protect the peace behind the Pharaoh. Those amulets that are tightly attached to mummies or placed in graves are made of high-purity uranium-bearing ore, or at least "processed" by radiation. 191April 15, the worst and most far-reaching shipwreck occurred on the route from Britain to new york. The protagonist of the tragedy is called Titanic. In addition to more than 2,000 passengers, there is also a mummy of an ancient Egyptian priestess who lived in the 18 dynasty, that is, the Tutankhamun era. The mummy is decorated with many ornaments, the most conspicuous of which is an amulet placed on her chest, with a portrait of Osiris, a god of death, and a line: "When you wake up from a deep sleep, your eyes can overcome everything that hurts you." In order to ensure the safety of the mummy, it was placed in the captain's cockpit. It is said that many people who have dealt with this mummy are insane. So, did the captain of the Titanic become one of the victims? Edward smith, an experienced captain, made some incredible decisions on the last day of driving the Titanic, including excessive speed and choosing an abnormal channel. Other crew members also made some mistakes similar to those of the captain, such as sending a distress telegram too late. When studying the cause of the sinking of Titanic, someone raised the question: Is the frequent contact between the captain and crew and the priestess mummy affected by the curse? If the curse is too vague, is it affected by the radiation on the ornaments worn by the mummy? Of course, with the sinking of the ship, there is no way to find out the real reason. However, the question about mummies will definitely become a mystery in many people's minds, further deepening their yearning for mysterious ancient Egypt. The fourth explanation: psychological stress. This situation mostly happens among non-professionals who are new to the pyramid. They are often just driven by curiosity to visit, but similar "curse" incidents frequently happen to them. 1866, China scholar Zhang Deyi visited pyramid of khufu. Afterwards, he described his feelings when he entered the tower, saying that he had a feeling of being driven out of his mind and could not control his dizziness. When he left the tower, he realized that he had broken out in a cold sweat. "I am afraid when I think about it so far." For the guide of the pyramid and the residents around, Zhang Deyi's feelings are nothing. Because compared with many visitors, his state is already very good. 1972, a Spanish female tourist screamed and fell down like an electric shock at the entrance to the inner tomb in pyramid of khufu. When people moved her out of the pyramid, she quickly returned to normal. What's more, another woman fainted and died when she tried to quit after seeing a doctor. Among other tourists, the proportion of feeling uneasy is also extremely high, and there are not a few people who die of other diseases caused by mental stress. Researchers believe that this situation is a typical psychological factor. The structure of the pyramid is very special. For example, in the pyramid of khufu, the Pharaoh's tomb was built in the center of the tower. From the entrance of the tomb, you have to bend a narrow and deep ramp. After sweeping the grave, you can only quit step by step, which is a physical test for many people who are physically exhausted. In addition, the air in the pyramid is turbid and makes people feel suffocated. In addition, the mysterious legend of the pyramids has long been deeply rooted in people's hearts, and the structure of the mausoleum has further deepened some people's fears. For people with weak will, psychological pressure is self-evident. Of course, researchers have not reached a unified view on the "Pharaoh's curse" so far, and various explanations may be established. The mysterious ancient Egypt has great attraction to people. Even in today's prosperous science, there are still many people who are willing to believe in the "Pharaoh's curse", which adds a strong color to this long-lost mysterious ancient civilization. At the strong request of people, the researchers reassembled Tutankhamun's mummy, put the young Pharaoh back in his grave, and let him get rid of the noise of the world and start his journey of rebirth again. Influenced by the "curse" theory, 1977, when the French government held the ancient Egyptian cultural relics exhibition again, it greeted the distant visitors in an almost pious way-the French sent a special plane to pick up the mummy of Ramses II. When the monarch who lived in13rd century BC visited French land, the French government fired a 2 1 salute for Ramses II with the highest courtesy of receiving the head of state. It seems that people are willing to accept the magical hypnosis of "Pharaoh's curse", look for the yearning for mystery in the lost years, and pin their curiosity on human childhood.

Second: "The pyramids in Egypt were not built by slaves."

Egypt's cultural relics management department said on June 10 that archaeologists have found some tombs of pyramid builders, indicating that the pyramids were not built by slaves. Zahi, Chairman of Egypt's Supreme Council of Cultural Relics? Hawass said in a statement that these tombs were built during the fourth dynasty of ancient Egypt, from 2575 BC to 2467 BC. Similar to the tombs of pyramid builders previously found in this area, the distribution of these tombs proves that the pyramids were built by hired workers rather than slaves. "These tombs are built next to the king's pyramid, which shows that these people are by no means slaves." Hawass said, "If they are slaves, they can't build their own graves next to the king's grave." Archaeologists speculate that the pyramids in this area were built by about 1000 workers in turn. In order to meet their dietary needs, local farms need to provide more than 20 cattle and sheep every day. Unlike the surface of the King's Pyramid covered with limestone, the graves of these workers are usually made of mud bricks, tapered and covered with white gypsum. Salima, Professor of Egyptian Studies at American University in Cairo, Egypt? Ekram said that the graves of these workers showed the "other side" of ancient Egyptian society composed of the lower classes.

Fruits unearthed from the pyramids of Egypt 3,000 years ago

Recently, archaeologists unearthed eight baskets of fruits from the pyramid of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun, which have been preserved intact for 3000 years. Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities announced that Egyptian archaeologists had unearthed these fruits in the Tutankhamun Pyramid in Luxor Valley, the ancient city of Thebes and the religious and political center of ancient Egypt. Hawass, the head of the archaeological team, said that most of the eight baskets of fruits are Egyptian ginger fruits, which are well preserved. The fruit basket is about 50 cm high and the name of Tutankhamun is engraved on the outside. Ginger fruit is a kind of fruit in southern Egypt, which is pink and sweet, and is traditionally used as a funeral sacrifice. Archaeologists found these objects in the storage room next to Tutankhamun's main tomb. In addition, archaeologists also found 20 pear containers in the pyramid, each about one meter high, with the official seal of Pharaoh Tutankhamun affixed to them. Hawass estimated that these boxes should be full of things necessary for Pharaoh to live in the "other world".

During the first dynasty

More than 9,000 years ago, people settled in the Nile Valley and began to build houses on the shore and carry out agriculture and animal husbandry activities. [3] More than 7,000 years ago, Egyptians began to use bronzes, which laid the foundation for the formation of civilization. After that, ancient Egypt entered the pre-dynasty period, also known as Amrat period, when private ownership and class sprouted. In the second period of pre-dynasty (namely Grce period), Egyptian private ownership and kingship were established, and the image of Horus Eagle God symbolizing kingship can be found in unearthed cultural relics. The country appeared in the later period of Grce, but it was small in area and population. Then the countries continued to struggle and gradually unified into two countries: upper Egypt and lower Egypt in the upper Nile valley and the Nile estuary delta. Hieroglyphs also appeared at this time and have been used for more than 3500 years.

Around 3 100 BC, it is said that King menes of Egypt unified upper and lower Egypt and established the first dynasty, with its capital in Memphis (now the western suburb of Cairo), becoming the first Pharaoh in ancient Egypt. The dynasty period began in ancient Egypt. At this time, Egypt already had several basic characteristics of civilization, such as administrative officials, soldiers, religion, writing and so on.

Ancient Egypt was stable for a long time after the unification of the early dynasty, the ancient kingdom and the first middle period. There were six dynasties in this period from the first dynasty to the sixth dynasty, and the time was about 3 100 to 2270 years ago. Maneteau, an ancient Egyptian historian, called it "the period of ancient kingdom". This is the first great era of all-round development of agriculture, handicrafts, commerce and construction in ancient Egyptian history. The autocratic rule based on bureaucracy and monarchy was established, and the pyramids appeared. After the Sixth Dynasty, the royal power declined, the Pharaoh lost control of all parts of the country, and the country began to split. This period was called the "first intermediate period" (2270-2060 BC). This form of division was reunified in the 1 1 dynasty.

After the Middle Kingdom period, the second intermediate period and the New Kingdom period, Egypt entered the second period of political concealment, namely the Middle Kingdom period (2060- 1785 BC). Egypt moved its capital to Thebes (now Luxor, Egypt) in the 12 dynasty and began to use bronzes. During this period, Egypt's ties with Syria and Crete expanded. During the thirteenth dynasty, the regime collapsed again and the "second intermediate period" began. During this period, Egypt was invaded by foreign countries for the first time. The invaders were Hixotes who fought by car. They occupied most of the northern part of Egypt and established the "rule of absence of the sun god" for more than 100 years (from 1720 to 1570). During this period, the Egyptians learned the tactics and weapons of the Hicks. 1570, Amouz I of the 17th dynasty deported the Hicks, unified Egypt, and started the 18th dynasty, which was later called the New Kingdom Period (1570- 1070). The 18th dynasty was powerful and frequently waged wars abroad. /kloc-in the 0 th and 9 th centuries, the Battle of Kadesh took place between Egypt and the Hittite Empire. After 16 years of war, Ramses II finally signed a peace treaty with Hattulisi, the Hittite king. At this time, Egypt became a great empire, with its rule ranging from Syria in the north to the fourth waterfall of the Nile in the south, spanning North Africa and West Asia.

In the third intermediate period, after the end of the 20th dynasty in Egypt, a series of slave uprisings led to the exhaustion of national strength, and the third intermediate period (65438 BC+0070 BC-664 BC) spanning five dynasties began, during which there were the 2nd1,22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th dynasties. Egypt entered the late ancient Egypt from the 26th dynasty, and was finally destroyed by the Persian Achaemenid Empire in the first 525 years. The era of ancient Egypt is over. The Persians established the 27th and 3rd1dynasties in Egypt. Descendants of the 26th dynasty in Egypt rebelled against the Persian success and civil war, and established the 28th, 29th and 30th dynasties. 332 years ago, Egypt was ruled by Alexander the Great. After Alexander's death, his Ministry and Ptolemy I Soter occupied Egypt and established the Ptolemaic Dynasty, also known as Pharaoh, but Egypt was completely under the rule of foreigners.