today, google celebrates howard carter's 138th birthday with a doodle. new york times obit in 1939; guardian's coverage today.
Asked by Carnarvon: "Can you see anything?", archaeologist replied with the now-famous words: "Yes, wonderful things."
but was carter really the honest-to-goodness hero as portrayed commonly? matthais at der speigel investigates: did king tut's discoverer steal from the tomb? from the article:
All that is a lie. What really took place can be gathered from a report — to this day never published, but studied in detail by Hoving — that Lord Carnarvon wrote shortly before his death. Instead of waiting dutifully as regulations required, the party forced its way through the narrow opening right away. Using tallow candles and a weak electrical lamp, the interlopers first entered the antechamber. Golden beds and beautifully carved chairs were piled up in the narrow room, as well as gaming tables and precious vases. Oval basins held food for the dead pharaoh.
from the same article:
The grandeur of the find rubbed off on its discoverer. Carter was awarded an honorary doctorate and US President Calvin Coolidge invited him to tea. Horst Beinlich, Egyptologist at Würzburg University, calls him a "thoroughly honest man full of idealism." It appears, however, that this isn't quite true. Documents show that the hero of the tombs cheated on many counts, manipulating photographs, forging documentation on the discovery and deceiving the Egyptian Antiquities Service.
—-
howard's story (co-authored by his sponsor lord cornavon) in his own words: five years' exploration at thebes 1907-1911. (PDF of the print version at the internet archive)
burton's photographs at the griffith institute.
some more photos at a travelsite.
