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- So Davis was wrong after all? - Well, I never did believe him.

And only a few yards from where he thought the tomb was.

- That's right. - Well, you deserve it, Monsieur Carter.

I shall come and inspect the tomb tomorrow.

This is a most excellent day for our department and for the country.

I shall arrange storage facilities at the Cairo Museum.

No. It's far too early to involve the museum.

Whatever we do, nothing must be rushed. These things are precious.

I understand. All care will be taken.

I'm putting together a team of experts.

I've already contacted the Metropolitan Museum as well as our own British specialists.

This is a huge task.

Please do not forget there are national interests to be considered.

That may be so but this must be preserved for all posterity.

That is far more important than the concerns of any single nation.

And as His Lordship's field director, I intend to ensure

that the correct procedures are followed at all times. I hope that's clear.

This is an Egyptian tomb, Monsieur Carter.

- Good morning. - Good morning.

Follow me.

And if I may remind you,

please don't touch the walls or any of the objects inside the tomb.

Oh!

Extraordinaire. Quite extraordinary. I do congratulate you.

Thank you.

So, this is what, do you suppose?

It would appear to be the first of one or more antechambers.

As you can see, there's another small chamber through a hole near the floor here.

Ah, oui.

And at the far end, the entrance to the remainder of the tomb.

- But you have not looked through? - Of course not.

You are sure this is indeed a tomb and not just a cache?

This is remarkable, but for a royal tomb it does seem quite small.

I'm not sure of anything yet.

Please don't touch. At least not until it's been photographed.

I'm sorry.

I'm glad to see that the instincts of the scholar

have not been overtaken by those of the treasure hunter.

I was never a treasure hunter, Monsieur Lacau.

Very well, you may proceed.

I shall leave my inspector, Monsieur Ibrahim Mohammed,

to attend on my behalf.

You'd be so kind as to give your reports to him.

And please, let me know when you are ready to break through.

Of course.

I would also be most grateful if you would arrange for a steel gate with a lock

to be placed at the entrance of the tomb.

We do not want any tomb robbers, do we?

NARRATOR: Tutankhamun's tomb was to bring to the world

the story of a dark age in the history of ancient Egypt.

After a time of revolution, a boy king had come to the throne.

In Tutankhamun's name, Egyptians were promised a new beginning.

Old monuments were rebuilt, traditional religion restored,

and the new king was given a queen, his sister, Ankhesamun.

In keeping with tradition,

a site in the Valley of the Kings was selected for the pharaoh's burial,

an event that was to come sooner than the young king could have imagined.

Good afternoon, gentlemen.

- Good afternoon. - Good afternoon, Howard.

First of all, thank you all for coming.

Now...

as you can see, what we know about the tomb so far is limited.

We have no idea what lies behind this wall

and before we make an opening, I propose that each item in this chamber

be individually numbered and annotated.

Harry Burton will then take a photograph in situ.

Sorry to drag you away from Italy, Harry.

A brief description will then be made either by myself

or by Arthur Mace, who has kindly agreed to join us from the Met.

I wouldn't miss this one for anything.

Then, and only then, will removal begin.

This is where we need to be particularly careful, gentlemen,

and that is why I have called upon Pecky Callender's engineering skills

to help us with the dismantling of the larger objects.

Once outside, everything will be brought here.

I would ask you all to pay particular attention

to any papyrus rolls that we might find.

Now, I understand that they may not be as glamorous as many of the other objects,

but their writings will tell us far more about who these people actually were.

Alan Gardiner will be in charge of that material.

Any idea how long you think all this will take?

The rest of our lives, I should imagine. Why?

No reason, just...

The task before us is prodigious, gentlemen.

There is no precedent for how we should proceed, but the world and future generations

will not easily forgive us for our mistakes.

Right you are. Off you go.

(Speaking Arabic)

(Yelling in Arabic)

It's crowded enough in here as it is.

Bloody man. Sooner or later he's going to make somebody drop something.

Back, keep back.

Come on, make way. Come on, move back.

(People clamouring)

Back! Come on, move!

Keep back! Come on, move.

Back!

HOWARD: Get out of the way!

Keep back and don't touch anything!

- Adamson, get these people back! - Yes, sir.

This is ridiculous, sir.

They're all behaving as if this was some sort of bloody fairground attraction.

Have you any idea how many people were here yesterday?

12,000. 12,000!

I mean, where in God's name are they all coming from?

It's making work quite impossible

and it's only a matter of time before there's an accident.

I think it's something we have to put up with, old man.

The amount of interest this thing has generated is quite extraordinary.

I've been giving interviews all morning.

We're front page news, Howard.

Hmm. Well, no one's spoken to me. If they had, I'd have told them to bugger off.

Did I tell you His Majesty has asked me to Buck House for lunch to tell him all about it?

What's this, do you suppose?

It's a shabti figure. There should be a number on it.

Ask Mace to look it up.

Pretty, isn't it?

(Sighing)

Stop worrying, Howard. There's hundreds of them.

And don't forget who's paying for all this.

That's right, yes. I'm suggesting exclusive rights to it all.

I'm sorry, can you speak up?

No, I'm not going to sell them individually.

One moment.

- We do want the world, don't we? - Of course we do. And don't forget America.

Yes, the world. And America as well.

Yes, good.

What?

Oh, yes, splendid. That would be grand.

Goodbye.

Well, that should take pressure off Carter.

- Did they say yes? - And at a very good price.

Oh, Pops, you are clever. Howard will be so pleased.

Let's have a drink.

LACAU: It is outrageous. They are behaving as if they own this country.

How dare they give exclusive rights to The Times?

What about the Egyptian press? What about the rest of the world?

They are colonialists.

I don't care if they have an agreement.

These things are for Egypt, not for the amusement of a British aristocrat.

Yes, monsieur, I understand.

Very well. As you wish.

They say we must wait.

Go back to the tomb and watch them.

If they break the terms of the concession in any way whatsoever, call me immediately.

The slightest infringement and we shall take control of the tomb.

You understand?

HOWARD: We've counted over 600 objects in this room alone.

Everything has to be wrapped and protected.

So far, we've used over half a mile of cotton wadding

and 16 bales of calico, and we're only halfway through.

- Good morning, gentlemen. - Good morning.

- Good morning, Howard. - This is Harry Burton.

If you need any photographs, speak to him. I won't allow any other photographers in here.

Oh, my God. It's extraordinary.

Carter, look at this.

Oh, my God!

Evelyn, come and see this.

Oh, that's beautiful.

Aren't they lovely?

HOWARD: This must be his wife.

She's anointing him with oil.

CARNARVON: Now, mind your heads on the way in, it's rather low.

Morning, Carter. How's it all going?

We're very busy now. If you could just keep clear, I'll be with you when I can.

Right, yes, of course. Shall we come back later?

HOWARD: Yes. It is beautiful, isn't it?

As soon as Tutankhamun was old enough, his queen was expected to produce a child.

The future of Egypt depended on it.

Without an heir, the empire could be flung into chaos on the death of the king.

Incestuous marriage between royals might have made political sense,

but producing a healthy child from a union between sister and brother

was fraught with risk.

Tutankhamun's queen, Ankhesamun, miscarried at least twice.

But even dead babies were considered precious. They were of royal blood.

Each was mummified for eventual burial with their father.

ADAMSON: Would you make space? Go back, come on.

Move out of the way there. Make space.

Move out of the way. Come on.

Make way. Make way there.

Move out of the way. Come along now, make way, please.

You down there, move.

Move out of the way.

You.

Yes, you. Get out.

This is private property, get off it now.

Move!

Who let him in here?

Do you have any idea who that is?

That's Vigol from The Daily Mail.

All he's responsible for is stirring up trouble

and writing malicious gossip like that bloody curse story.

Communication with the press is only allowed with The Times.

I will not tolerate any exceptions. Do I make myself clear?

Yes.

- Where are you going? - Home, Howard. I'm not a schoolboy.

CARNARVON: Are you looking forward to the opening?

Everything's ready.

I've emptied it all out apart from the two guardian statues.

- I thought they should stay. - Why not?

You will cover up our little hole, won't you? I wouldn't want Lacau seeing that.

I wish we could get rid of that bloody man.

But we have to deal with him, we mustn't forget that.

Try a little flattery. Always works with the froggies.

You know you should never have signed that deal with The Times.

It's only made matters worse.

I thought it was what you wanted.

I must say, it's been rather a good deal for me.

Oh, did I tell you I was thinking of having a little cinema film made?

No.

No, I'm sorry, I can't allow that.

- Allow what, Howard? - Nothing. Nothing.

I was just leaving.

Good night, sir. Good night, Evelyn.

- I mentioned the idea of a film. - I told you he wouldn't like it.

What Howard would or would not like is beginning to irritate me.

First of all, the King congratulated me on our magnificent discovery

and then the Queen, whom I sensed was somewhat less excited said,

"But can it be quite right?

"Breaking into a tomb and digging up a royal personage?"

(Crowd chuckling)

I say, Mace,

I hope you're not falling victim to the curse of Tutankhamun?

No, no, excuse me,

I think I've been breathing in too much mummy dust over the years.

Yes, well, I dare say we're all a little nervous about what we shall find

when we knock through the wall behind me.

So, first, I'd like to ask our chief excavator,

and my field director, Mr Howard Carter, to say a few words.

Howard.

Morning, everyone.

This is a great moment in my life.

Already this tomb is the single biggest find

in the history of archaeology in Egypt, and even if we find nothing more,

it will enrich beyond measure

our knowledge of what was once a forgotten but mighty culture.

No one knows what lies behind this wall.

It may be another antechamber,

it may be empty.

Or, if we're lucky,

it may be a burial chamber with an intact royal tomb.

If it is, I trust that we will respect the pharaoh

who has lain in peace here for over 3,000 years

and that he will forgive our intrusion

made in the name of science, the only possible justification,

and not, as some have suggested, in the name of profit.

Whatever we find, I shall, of course, expect the same standards

and procedures that I have employed in the clearance of this chamber

to be maintained at all times.

Let's open it up, shall we, Howard?

You know there is a rumour that you and Carter have already broken in?

Really?

(Insect buzzing)

Ali, hammer.

Can you see anything?

What do you see?

I see a shrine of blue and gold.

(Murmuring)

It would seem to be an intact tomb, with a sarcophagus and a body.

It would seem so, yes.

Then you are aware of the rules of the concession?

If intact, the government is entitled to deny to the excavator

any claim to the objects recovered.

I intend to enforce this condition.

- That's outrageous. - One moment, Howard.

I understand the rules perfectly, Monsieur Lacau,

but a court of law might well disagree with your interpretation.

The rules are notoriously badly written after all.

Besides, although the tomb seems intact, we don't actually know that yet, do we?

I suggest we leave things as they are

until Howard's had a chance to open up the sarcophagus and see what's inside.

Then we can decide what's best, don't you agree?

Very well.

Until the sarcophagus is opened.

Now, steady.

Take it easy, be careful on the steps.

MACE: Carter.

- What is it? - Look at this.

Poor man.

The more we go on, the sorrier I feel for him, you know.

MAN: Careful!

It looks like there are four of these shrine covers before we get to the sarcophagus.

We still can't really work out how they ever got them in.

Getting them out without damage is proving to be the devil's own job.

Excuse me one moment.

- So, can we repair this thing? - Well, I'd like to see what Lucas thinks.

What's this?

Oh...

We found those yesterday in the treasury.

Mace thinks they're almost full-term.

The one on the left is a little girl.

You can still make out some of the hair on her scalp.

I think they're the saddest things I've ever found.

HOWARD: I'm sorry.

(Operatic music playing)

- Mr Adamson. - Mr Carter.

- You like Verdi? - Not particularly, sir.

But I find he's more effective than any guard dog.

The locals like him even less.

A lot of men would be nervous about sleeping overnight in a tomb.

Yeah, the dead are dead.

I don't bother them and they don't bother me.

Going well, sir?

To be honest, I'm a little disappointed.

Oh, yes, sir?

I thought I'd found him.

(Exhales deeply)

Up to now, all I really found are things.

Wonderful things, sir?

Yes.

But nothing written.

No papyrus.

If I went to your house, walked through each room,

how much would I actually learn about you just from looking at your possessions?

Not much, I think.

But if I read your diary,

came across some household bills, found letters that had been written to you,

then, I think, I'd begin to understand who you really were.

Well, I think my wife might have something to say

about you wandering about her house and rummaging around, sir.

Yes, I expect she might.

Well, I'll say good night.

Good night, sir.

(Operatic music playing)

Evening, Carter.

Sorry, door was unlocked. Let myself in.

I thought you'd be here sooner.

- Helped myself to a drink. Hope you don't mind. - Of course not.

What can I do for you?

Why don't you pour yourself a drink first?

What's the problem?

I gather Hauser and Hall have resigned and are leaving?

Yes, I believe so.

With Gardiner, that makes a third of our team who've walked out.

So?

Gardiner's a personal friend of mine.

He's one of the finest brains in England.

He came here at his own expense as a personal favour to me.

Hauser and Hall, as you well know, are here courtesy of the Metropolitan.

I had a call this morning from New York. They want to know what's going on.

Tell them that they chose to leave. They weren't working properly.

That may be so,

but these men gave our team international validity.

- I can withstand Lacau if I can convince him... - Lacau is an incompetent meddler.

Whose boss was previously imprisoned by the British.

They will try anything to get rid of us.

I will not have him in my tomb and that's final.

It's not your tomb, Howard. It's mine.

The point is, you're the best excavator in the world.

Without you, this tomb would never have been discovered.

Your achievement is unique.

But your public relations skills are somewhat lacking, if I may say so.

And unless we're very careful, I shall lose this tomb.

- Are you questioning my leadership? - Not at all.

But I would ask you to be more careful,

both with members of our team and with Monsieur Lacau.

I will not grovel to that bloody Frenchman.

Where did that come from?

It comes from the treasury.

Mace asked me to have a look at it.

Ask Evelyn. She was there.

I don't think this has anything to do with my daughter.

And frankly, I must tell you, I don't like your intimacy with her.

- My intimacy? - Your feelings for her are quite inappropriate.

You're old enough to be her father apart from anything else.

What you mean is I'm not a gentleman.

- Don't put words in my mouth. - But that's what you mean, isn't it?

I think you should leave.

I don't think you should come here again.

Very well.

For most of Tutankhamun's reign,

the real power was wielded from behind the throne

by a military council run by the young king's advisor, Ay.

But when Tutankhamun reached the age of 18,

he would have claimed his inheritance to rule Egypt as a divine pharaoh.

The king's newfound power would not last long.

In his tenth year on the throne, Tutankhamun died.

Exactly why remains a mystery.

Some believe he was murdered by his own advisors,

or perhaps he just had an accident.

Examination of his body using modern scientific techniques

showed a leg injury which could have been fatally infected.

Tutankhamun was still a teenager.

And lift!

Lift slowly, very slowly.

(Workers speaking Arabic)

Down, Pecky. Pecky, down.

And tilt. Tilt it.

Lift!

All right, lower, lower, lower.

Slowly.

Go slowly.

- Afternoon, Carter. Where have you been? - Packing. I have to go to Cairo.

- Oh, yeah? - I've had a telegram. Carnarvon is ill.

- Nothing serious I hope. - I rather think it is.

Carter.

Forgive me, I... I've been foolish.

No. It was my fault that we argued.

No.

- There's something I want to say to you. - Please, don't tire yourself.

My affection for you has never changed.

You must believe that.

I...

I thought you might like to see this.

It's part of a lamp that we found in the tomb.

There were two cups, this is the inner,

which when lit would cast its picture on the outer.

It shows Tutankhamun and his queen.

It's beautiful.

Even I can tell it's the real thing.

Tell Evelyn not to worry.

I'm prepared.

(Evelyn sobbing)

For an Egyptian Pharaoh, death was not the end. It was a beginning.

Tutankhamun now embarked

on his most important journey into the underworld.

There, he would be united with the gods

and complete the cycle of resurrection and regeneration.

But first, Tutankhamun's body must be preserved with salt.

All of his internal organs except the heart and kidneys were removed.

His brain was withdrawn through his nose and discarded,

while other organs were preserved in an alabaster chest.

Finally, Tutankhamun's mummified body was wrapped in bandages

and placed within a series of golden coffins for transportation to the Valley of the Kings.

Tutankhamun's young widow, Ankhesamun, had produced no heir,

so the former advisor, Ay, now came to the throne.

To cement his power, he married Tutankhamun's widow,

probably another incestuous marriage.

There is evidence that Ankhesamun was Ay's own granddaughter.

What saddens me the most is that he won't be at my wedding.

- Your wedding? - I'm engaged to be married.

We haven't announced it yet.

Father said it was an awful comedown for an earl's daughter to marry a mere baronet.

He was joking of course.

He didn't care about things like that.

- Congratulations. - Thank you.

Lady Carnarvon.

The carriages are ready.

Goodbye.

This is for you.

It's the terms of the concession.

My husband was very keen that you continue with your work.

He agreed with the government that you remain in charge

of the clearance of the tomb, no matter whether it remain intact or not.

- I won't let him down. - No.

- Goodbye, Howard. - Goodbye.

MACE: I think we're going to have to lift this frame up a couple of feet

to get the right angle of leverage.

Ali, Ali, can you give me the rope?

- How's it going? - Good.

If you're looking at the damage, don't blame us.

They must have just banged it into position.

They don't seem to have taken much care.

It took us 12 hours to get the last one out. We should be able to restore it.

When are you going to be ready in there?

I don't know. There's a crack across the lid. They've filled it with gypsum.

We're going to need angle irons and differential pulleys to lift it.

Tutankhamun had died but his tomb was unfinished.

Now a new site had to be found in a hurry.

His body was probably placed in the tomb

his chief advisor, Ay, had already built for himself.

It was not designed for a king but it could be made ready in time.

Tutankhamun's coffin was placed inside a stone sarcophagus

at the centre of the burial chamber,

to be surrounded by four gold-covered shrines,

one within the next,

each covered in sacred writings to protect the king on his journey.

The small tomb was crammed

with everything Tutankhamun would need in the afterlife.

There were beds, chairs, couches, musical instruments,

magical charms, chariots, jewellery,

swords, daggers, shields, torches, cosmetics

and boats to carry him on his long journey.

Tutankhamun was not buried with the care one might expect for a king.

The golden coffin was too big and part of it had to be sawn off

to make way for the lid of the sarcophagus.

Tutankhamun's final resting place was in a tomb built for a commoner,

and assembled in a rush.

Good.

LACAU: Good afternoon, Monsieur Carter.

Monsieur Lacau.

Have you come for the opening of the sarcophagus?

I have.

- My only regret is that Lord Carnarvon isn't here. - Indeed.

Though I would have had to remind him that all the usual rules still apply.

- I hope you understand that? - Yes.

- Of course. Arthur, are you happy? - Yes.

- Pecky, you happy? - I'm ready, Howard.

All right, gentlemen, we lift on three. Very, very gently.

One, two, three and lift.

Come on, men, we can move this. Lift.

Pull, gentlemen, pull.

Come on, gentlemen, put your backs into it, we can move this.

Pull. Lift it!

- Come on, gentlemen. - Pull!

Pull!

That's it. That's it.

Go! Go! She's coming.

- She's moving. That's good. That's good. - Yes.

It's moving. Now, gently, slowly, slowly.

That's good. That's good.

Excellent work. Keep it going, keep it going. Pull. Pull.

HOWARD: Good work.

Keep lifting it, Pecky, come on. Another foot and we can tie it off.

Now tie it off. Tie it off.

Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?

There would seem to be a coffin inside the tomb, Monsieur Carter.

You looking forward to seeing what's inside?

Yes and no.

I wish people would stop interfering.

They just... Well, they just get in the way, don't they?

I know what you mean.

Sometimes it's hard to keep in mind what we're all here for, isn't it?

No. I know exactly why I'm here.

I never forget it for a second.

And why do you think that is, then?

I want to find him, Arthur. I want to know who he was.

I want to talk to him.

Well, you may well find him.

But at the end of it, all he will be is a mummy.

He's not going to talk to you, is he?

And if I can also ask you to be careful on the steps into the tomb.

They are very steep.

Ibrahim.

This letter is for you, Mr Carter.

Gentlemen, I have an announcement to make.

Today I was forbidden by letter from Monsieur Lacau

from escorting friends and wives of my team into the tomb to show them the sarcophagus.

This follows a number of discourtesies shown by the Egyptian Public Works Department

and its Antiquities Service.

The level of interference is now intolerable

and shows a total lack of respect

for the late Lord Carnarvon and his extraordinary generosity

and affection for this country over the last 10 years.

As a protest, myself and my collaborators refuse to continue our work in the tomb

until such impossible restrictions have been removed.

That's all I have to say.

I've been asked to go and lecture in America.

You'll like it there. They'll treat you like a king.

(Coughing)

You should see a doctor, Arthur.

Too much sand in the lungs. That's the real curse of the pharaohs.

I'll be fine once we're away from Egypt.

I shall miss it dreadfully.

(Soldier shouting orders)

Monsieur Carter.

I am sorry that it has come to this. I must ask you for the key to the tomb.

The refusal to work is in contravention of the terms of the concession.

My department will now take responsibility

and overall control of the tomb and the excavation.

You mean you're kicking me out?

I warned you, Monsieur Carter.

I've already spoken with the minister. He's in full agreement with me.

The key, if you please.

The soldiers were hardly necessary, you know.

Have I done the right thing, Arthur?

You did what you believed to be right.

(Phone ringing)

Carter.

OPERATOR: Mr Carter, I have Monsieur Lacau for you from Cairo.

HOWARD: The situation in Egypt has changed.

The nationalist campaign of violence has backfired.

The government are concerned.

The hotel trade is vital to them and they're worried about losing tourists.

Lacau is keen to reopen the tomb.

But he needs an international team to do it

and he's asked me to go back.

Under his proposal,

I see that I remain responsible for the costs of the excavation.

Yes.

And I am to renounce all claims on the contents of the tomb?

Yes.

Duplicate pieces that the Cairo Museum feel they can spare

will, of course, be ceded to you.

At the discretion of Monsieur Lacau, I suppose.

I will do everything in my power to make sure that you receive a fair selection.

My husband would have wanted you to return to your work.

Will Mr Mace be returning to Egypt?

I'm sorry, I thought you knew.

Mace died recently.

Oh, dear. I'm so sorry.

I expect the newspapers will say he is another victim of the curse of Tutankhamun.

Arthur always laughed at the idea.

There are times when I wonder.

(Shouting instructions in Arabic)

(Speaking Arabic)

Lift. Stop. Stop!

You, stop. You, stop.

You, lift. You, start.

Everyone.

That's good.

Very nice.

Good.

Okay, let's get the planks in. Planks in.

Good. And lower. Lower it very gently, lower it.

(Boards creaking)

Very nice. Tie it off.

Tie it off.

My God, that was heavy.

Good work.

I don't understand it.

It took nine of us to lift it, we've taken two of the three coffin lids off,

yet the whole thing still weighs a ton.

- Mummy must be made of lead. - HOWARD: Here's your answer.

The first two coffins were made of wood covered in gold foil.

The third coffin isn't wood.

It's solid gold.

And they said this might not be a royal tomb.

There is one thing that's bothering me.

Look at Harry's photographs.

The physiognomy of the second coffin is completely different from the other two.

Mace always said these shrines were botched up.

I think this one was made for someone else.

I think they buried our friend in a hurry.

And I think it's time we had a look, don't you?

HOWARD: Ready? Lift.

(Grunting)

Pecky, tell me when you have it.

PECKY: I'll take it now. Behind me, behind me, go behind me.

Behind me.

PECKY: Good, you've got it.

All right, good.

PECKY: Now, low, low, lower, lower.

(Ali speaking in Arabic)

Yes, he does.

Every inch a king.

Who are you?

(Exclaiming)

With the ceremonies complete, the tomb was sealed.

Tutankhamun was finally left alone in the silent valley.

Pharaoh Ay reigned for just four years, leaving no heir.

When a new dynasty began,

Tutankhamun's name was removed from the monuments he had built.

With his records erased, his memory was allowed to wither away.

Goodbye, old chap.

- All done? - All done.

So, was it worth it?

I think so, yes.

Oh, yes.

And did you find him?

A bit, yes.

A bit.

During his lifetime,

Howard Carter received no official honour in Britain or Egypt

in recognition of his unique achievements,

and when he died in March, 1939, his funeral was poorly attended.

But Tutankhamun's tomb

remains the most famous archaeological find of all time.