Howard Carter

Howard Carter is most famous for discovering the tomb of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun (King Tut) in November 1922. Located in the Valley of the Kings, this tomb was nearly completely intact, containing thousands of artifacts. It remains one of the greatest archaeological finds in history.

Carter's excavations were primarily financed by Lord Carnarvon, a wealthy British aristocrat with a deep interest in Egyptology. Carnarvon held the digging concession for the Valley of the Kings and hired Carter to lead the meticulous searches. The discovery of the tomb finally justified years of expensive, fruitless digging.

After discovering the first steps to the tomb in 1922, the clearance and cataloging of the four main chambers took nearly a decade. Carter worked meticulously alongside his team, photographing and preserving thousands of artifacts. The excavation and analysis were not fully concluded until around 1932.

Following the exhausting excavation process, Carter spent the rest of his life heavily involved in the academic and touring aspects of his discovery. He never worked on another major excavation, choosing instead to lecture and curate the artifacts. He passed away from Hodgkin's disease in 1939 at the age of 64.