Howard Carter Finds King Tut's Tomb
Howard Carter was only 17 years old when he first went to Egypt in 1891. His father was quite successful as a portrait painter in England. Howard had a great deal of artistic talent, but he did not want to become a portrait painter like his father. He wanted adventure. With his father's help, he got a job with an archaeologist who was on his way to Egypt. This was an exciting opportunity for young Howard Carter.
In Egypt, Howard Carter worked as an artist for some of the best Egyptologists(埃及古 物学者) of his time. An Egyptologist is an archaeologist whose focus is learning about ancient Egypt. It was not long before Howard Carter was quite well known among Egyptologists, not only as an artist but also for his knowledge about ancient Egypt and archaeology.
Howard Carter wanted to hunt for King Tut's tomb, but that took men and money. Howard Carter finally got lucky. Lord Carnarvon was a very rich man. Lord Carnarvon allowed Howard Carter to hire 50 men to help him search for Tut's tomb.
In November 1922, by the light of a candle, Howard Carter cut a hole in a secret door. Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter carefully looked through the hole. What they saw through the peephole (窥视孔) was amazing! They could not believe their eyes! The room was filled with treasures—couches shaped like animals, jeweled chests, vases, statues, and even chariots (二轮战车), all glittering with gold. It took months to move the treasures they found in the first room alone before they could open the doors in that room that led to other rooms! In other rooms, they found the chair King Tut had used as a small child.
The tomb was an incredible discovery, not only for its monetary value but also for its history. Historians learned so much about the people who lived over 3,000 years ago, about their culture and beliefs and daily life, from the objects found in King Tut's tomb. Howard Carter became world famous.
