Curse Of Pharah Research Paper
Theresa M. Nash
Strayer University
World Cultures I
Professor Caren Stayer
10/19/2013
The Curse of the Pharaoh The Curse of the Pharaohs is a strong belief that anyone who disturbs a mummy or a Pharaoh’s tomb will be cursed. Hollywood has long propagated this theory, using fantastic treasure and horrible “accidents” to frighten and entertain movie goers. King Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter and the world succumbed to Egypt mania (Sayre, H., 2011). People became infatuated with all things Egyptian and remain so to this day. According to Dominic Montserrat, an Egyptologist working for National Geographic, the concept of a Curse of the Pharaoh began long before the discovery of Tutankhamen’s Tomb. After an extensive comprehensive research process, he determined that the theory of a Pharaoh’s Curse has been in existence since the 19th century (Handwerk, 1996). …show more content…
Salima Ikram
Salima Ikram is an Egyptologist that is affiliated with the University of Cairo.
She maintains that the concept behind the Curse began in ancient Egypt. The “Curse” began as a low- tech security system (Handwerk, 1996). In some instances, tomb walls were inscribed with these curses. These hieroglyphs were meant to frighten away anyone who would disturb a royal resting place. In some cases, the curse promised retribution by the council of the gods. In other cases, the disruption of the dead or looting of a tomb was protected by a curse designed to promise death by crocodile, lion, scorpion, or
snakes.
Mark Nelson
Mark Nelson is an epidemiologist. He is associated with Monash University in Australia. Professor Nelson maintains that the Curse of the Pharaohs is nothing more than a sensational story. According to Bob Hirshon of Science NetLinks, Mark Nelson used a scientific approach to debunk the legend. Nelson assembled a cohort study, in which he compared the group of Westerners that were present at the various tomb openings to a control group. There were 25 people exposed to the curse. The control group was comprised of 19 Westerners. They were also in Egypt in 1922. They were not however at any of the tomb openings. Nelson was not able to find 25 people that met the criteria. Prior to analysis, the study appeared to show that those people at tomb openings died 8 years earlier than those people who did not attend a tomb opening. This data however did not account for the fact that the members of the exposed group were older and primarily male. This accounts for the fact that they would die sooner. Based on this analysis, Nelson determined that there was no difference in survival. Therefore, there was no curse (Hirshon).
Theresa Nash
After concluding my research, I concur with Professor Nelson. The primary reason that I feel there is no Curse of the Pharaohs is that Professor Nelson evaluated the situation using scientific method and determined that the curse in fact did not exist. The death rate of those at the opening of the tomb was the same as the death rate for those not at the opening of the tombs. My secondary reason for believing that there is no curse, is that the story behind the curse really appeals to the fans of science fiction. Therefore, the writers like to develop and grow the stories about the curse. According to www.allmovie.com, there are over 70 movies about mummies and the mummy’s curse. These stories sell screenplays, movies, and books, but do not have a basis in fact.
References
Handwerk, B.(1996). Curse of the Mummy. National Geographic. Retrieved from http://www.science.nationalgeographic.com/science/archaeology/curse-of-the-mummy/
Hirshon, B. (n.d.). Mummy’s Curse. Retrieved from http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/science-news/science-updates/mummys-curse/ Sayre, H. (2011). The Humanities: Culture, Continuity, and Change. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall
http://www.allmovie.com/characteristic/theme/mummies-d1604/hot-desc/40
Strayer University
World Cultures I
Professor Caren Stayer
10/19/2013
The Curse of the Pharaoh The Curse of the Pharaohs is a strong belief that anyone who disturbs a mummy or a Pharaoh’s tomb will be cursed. Hollywood has long propagated this theory, using fantastic treasure and horrible “accidents” to frighten and entertain movie goers. King Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter and the world succumbed to Egypt mania (Sayre, H., 2011). People became infatuated with all things Egyptian and remain so to this day. According to Dominic Montserrat, an Egyptologist working for National Geographic, the concept of a Curse of the Pharaoh began long before the discovery of Tutankhamen’s Tomb. After an extensive comprehensive research process, he determined that the theory of a Pharaoh’s Curse has been in existence since the 19th century (Handwerk, 1996). …show more content…
Salima Ikram
Salima Ikram is an Egyptologist that is affiliated with the University of Cairo.
She maintains that the concept behind the Curse began in ancient Egypt. The “Curse” began as a low- tech security system (Handwerk, 1996). In some instances, tomb walls were inscribed with these curses. These hieroglyphs were meant to frighten away anyone who would disturb a royal resting place. In some cases, the curse promised retribution by the council of the gods. In other cases, the disruption of the dead or looting of a tomb was protected by a curse designed to promise death by crocodile, lion, scorpion, or
snakes.
Mark Nelson
Mark Nelson is an epidemiologist. He is associated with Monash University in Australia. Professor Nelson maintains that the Curse of the Pharaohs is nothing more than a sensational story. According to Bob Hirshon of Science NetLinks, Mark Nelson used a scientific approach to debunk the legend. Nelson assembled a cohort study, in which he compared the group of Westerners that were present at the various tomb openings to a control group. There were 25 people exposed to the curse. The control group was comprised of 19 Westerners. They were also in Egypt in 1922. They were not however at any of the tomb openings. Nelson was not able to find 25 people that met the criteria. Prior to analysis, the study appeared to show that those people at tomb openings died 8 years earlier than those people who did not attend a tomb opening. This data however did not account for the fact that the members of the exposed group were older and primarily male. This accounts for the fact that they would die sooner. Based on this analysis, Nelson determined that there was no difference in survival. Therefore, there was no curse (Hirshon).
Theresa Nash
After concluding my research, I concur with Professor Nelson. The primary reason that I feel there is no Curse of the Pharaohs is that Professor Nelson evaluated the situation using scientific method and determined that the curse in fact did not exist. The death rate of those at the opening of the tomb was the same as the death rate for those not at the opening of the tombs. My secondary reason for believing that there is no curse, is that the story behind the curse really appeals to the fans of science fiction. Therefore, the writers like to develop and grow the stories about the curse. According to www.allmovie.com, there are over 70 movies about mummies and the mummy’s curse. These stories sell screenplays, movies, and books, but do not have a basis in fact.
References
Handwerk, B.(1996). Curse of the Mummy. National Geographic. Retrieved from http://www.science.nationalgeographic.com/science/archaeology/curse-of-the-mummy/
Hirshon, B. (n.d.). Mummy’s Curse. Retrieved from http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/science-news/science-updates/mummys-curse/ Sayre, H. (2011). The Humanities: Culture, Continuity, and Change. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall
http://www.allmovie.com/characteristic/theme/mummies-d1604/hot-desc/40