Biography of Howard Carter

A historic discovery

9 May 1874
March 2, 1939
Howard Carter was born in Swaffham, in the County of Norfolk, England, on day 9 May 1874. If his name isn't universally and widely known worldwide, it is surely that of the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun, which Carter has the merit of having discovered the Tomb: it is made of the greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century. Howard Carter was born into a very rich family in which the father Samuel John Carter, earns a living by painting portraits of family for the magazine "Illustrated London News".
Thanks to the artistic talent sent Howard learn to draw and paint in watercolour but develop a real art in this field. Through the knowledge of the artist's father, meets and deepens the knowledge of Baron William Amhurst Tyssen-Amherst, who lived in a neighbouring country, and who was known in England as one of the greatest collectors of Antiquities.
Thanks to this friendship even Howard Carter starts to get fond stories of ancient Egypt and glorious civilization. The Baron has to present the young Carter to the Egyptologist Percy Newberry, Professor of Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, who immediately takes a liking to the boy. On the occasion of a forthcoming expedition in Egypt funded by the British Museum, Newberry advised Howard as draughtsman: his task is to reproduce watercolours tomb paintings along with other archaeological finds. Howard Carter arrives in Cairo where he meets the archaeologist and Egyptologist Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie, who takes on his team. The shipment of Flinders Petrie lasts long, six years: during this time Carter has the opportunity to study, learn and assimilate in a precise way the techniques with which they are carried out archaeological excavations.
Among the sites they visit and where it operates include those of Beni Hassan (site of the Middle Kingdom), Hatnub, Tell el-Amarna and Hatshepsut temple at Thebes. In 1899 Howard Carter only has 25 years but is already appointed Chief Inspector of southern Egypt and he became head of the important sites of Karnak, Luxor, Thebes and the Valley of the Kings, all places that now constitute some of the most popular destinations for tourists. These are the peak years of Carter, who dig the tombs of Seti I and Nefertari, the Temple of Abu Simbel, the site of Aswan, as well as many others. The golden age ended in 1905 when a group of French visitors his excavation lights a brawl with Egyptian guards. At the diplomatic level it follows that the French Government demands a formal apology: Carter, disguised as responsible, refuses: the British Government acquitted him from Office would be squashed by the fact his promising career.
Carter decides to stay in Egypt: to sustain itself financially sells his watercolors. Happens then a fact lucky: Lord George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, fond of Antiquities who have recently started to deepen these themes, arrive in Luxor in the year 1908; granted concession of digging but you know that you must be a person with experience in the field for dirigiere and solve the difficulties of the search. Turns then to Gaston Maspero, Director-General of antiquities-which in the past had appointed Howard Carter Chief of southern Egypt--that in response, advised him to hire the unemployed Carter. The agreement between Herbert and Carter is just as big that experience together will last for seven years: during this time Carter directs numerous excavations in Egyptian sites that will enrich the private collection of the English Lord.
The ambitious and dream of the archaeologist and Egyptologist is to dig in the Valley of the Kings, in search of the graves of two Pharaohs of the Eighteenth dynasty undiscovered: Amenothep IV/Akhenaten, the heretic pharaoh, and his successor Tutankhamun. The granting of excavation in the Valley of the Kings is in the hands of the American lawyer Theodore Davis; Thanks to his diplomatic skills, Lord Carnarvon is able to obtain another concession allowing the draft Carter left. The idea of inglese was to dig in a systematic way the entire Valley, carefully divided into sectors, each of which would have then been explored in succession; the operation began in the fall of 1917.
The lack of success and the huge costs incurred during five long years, put a strain on the enthusiasm--and perhaps even the patience-by Lord Carnarvon; These in the summer of 1922 decided to conclude the operation. Howard Carter however still believes strongly in her design so much that he manages to persuade Carnarvon to fund one more season of excavations, the time it takes to explore the last remaining sector. On 3 November resume so the excavations, opposite the tomb of Ramesses VI.
On the second day of excavation already resurfaces a step that soon turns into a staircase, which leads to a door with preserves intact the seals of the necropolis, a sign that this, during thousands of years, had never been violated since its closure. The joy of Carter at this point is irrepressible. Lord Carnarvon is immediately called back from England to Egypt, so that he can attend the opening of the door. Arrives in Alexandria, Egypt and six days later, on 26 November, Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon are both facing the door untouched since the 14th century b.c. A hole is made to inspect inside: archaeologists can thus appreciate how the funeral has remained intact. The following day is finally open the door: turns out so all the grandeur of the outfit still intact including the sarcophagus and Canopic jars. Now begins the work of cataloging of all finds, before they are sent to the Cairo museum where, according to the agreements made during the concession, would have been exposed to the public.
This takes many years during which journalists from around the world come to witness what is considered in all respects the greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century, not so much because of the richness of the finds and the discovery of a pharaonic Tomb still untouched. On 16 February 1924, attended by Howard Carter (but not by Lord Carnarvon, unfortunately died the previous year), the sarcophagus is opened revealing inside intact mummy of Pharaoh child contained in a solid gold sarcophagus weighing about 110 kilograms; the face is in turn covered with a solid gold mask depicting the likeness of the deceased. Carter takes over the following years to catalog the more than 2,000 artifacts found: it is still possible to visit at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, where he was kept on inventory policy assigned by the English.
As a result of this immense and historic archaeological discovery, Howard Carter withdraws from excavation activities, to become a simple-or rather extraordinary-collector. He died in London on March 2, 1939 at the age of 65 years, without ever having had the opportunity to present to the British Royal family his sensational discovery.
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.