Lord Carnarvon Timeline |
| 1325 BC | Tutankhamun died in the year of 1325 at the age of 18/19. He reigned for just 9 years and the cause of his death still remains a mystery. He was buried in his hastily prepared tomb in the Valley of the Kings 70 days after his death, according to the death rituals of the Ancient Egyptians
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| 1133 BC | The entrance to the tomb of Tutankhamun is buried with rubble when work is being carried out on the tomb of Ramses VI (r.1141 BC – 1133 BC)
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| 1866 | 26 June, 1866 George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert was born to an aristocratic family at the family seat of Highclere Castle, Hampshire, England. He was the son of Henry Howard Molyneux Herbert, the 4th Earl of Carnarvon and a descendant of King Edward III and King Henry VII. His mother was Lady Evelyn Stanhope
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| | George Herbert was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge
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| 1890 | He succeeded to the Carnarvon title when his father died On June 26, 1895 Carnarvon married Almina Victoria Maria Alexandra Wombwell
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| 1895 | June 26, 1895 Lord Carnarvon married Almina Victoria Maria Alexandra Wombwell. They subsequently had a son called Henry George Alfred Marius Victor Francis Herbert and a daughter called Lady Evelyn Herbert
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| 1901 | Lord Carnarvon suffered a very serious motoring accident in Germany which left him significantly disabled and in poor health
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| 1902 | He established Highclere Stud to breed thoroughbred racehorses |
| 1905 | Lord Carnarvon was appointed one of the Stewards at Newbury Racecourse |
| 1907 | Lord Carnarvon had become a keen amateur archaeologist and in this year was introduced to Howard Carter by Gaston Maspero, the Director-General of the Department of Antiquities at Egypt's Antiquities Service. This meeting started their successful partnership excavating at Thebes in Egypt
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| 1912 | Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon decided to extend their digging at Thebes to include sites in the Delta
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| 1914 | Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon receive a licence to dig in the Valley of the Kings from the Egyptian Antiquities Service. Carnarvon acts as the financier
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| 1914 | Outbreak of World War I which prevented immediate excavations
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| 1917 | Howard Carter believes the tomb of Tutankhamun lies undiscovered in the Valley of the Kings. Lord Carnarvon agrees to finance his search for the tomb of King Tut
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| 1917 - 1922 | Howard Carter digs in the Valley of the Kings but is unable to find the tomb. The expenses are mounting
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| 1922 | Howard Carter visits Highclere Castle and Lord Carnarvon gives him just one more season of funding to find the tomb
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| 1922 | 4 November 1922: Carter finds the steps leading to Tutankhamun's tomb and asks Lord Carnarvon to come to Egypt
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| 1922 | 5 November 1922: Carter cables Lord Carnarvon: "At last have made a wonderful discovery in Valley; a magnificent tomb with seals intact; re-covered same for your arrival; congratulations."
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| 1922 | 26 November 1922: Carter makes the famous "tiny breach in the top left hand corner" of the tomb doorway accompanied by Lord Carnarvon and his daughter Lady Evelyn Herbert. Carnarvon asks him if he can see anything, Carter replies: "Yes, wonderful things" and goes on to say: "as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues, and gold--everywhere the glint of gold."
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| 1922 | 27 November 1922: Carter, Lord Carnarvon and Lady Evelyn Herbert explore the Antechamber and Annexe of the tomb. They find a sealed door to another chamber
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| 1922 | December: The press go into a frenzy about the discovery of the tomb, disturbing the work being conducted at the tomb.
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| 1923 | 9 January 1923: Lord Carnarvon then strikes an exclusive deal with The Times newspaper. Carnarvon had signed a £5,000 contract with the London Times, plus 75 percent of all profits from the sale of Times articles to the rest of the worldOther journalists are furious about the deal, especially Weigall from The Daily Mail.
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| 1923 | 16 February 1923: Howard Carter opens the sealed doorway leading to the burial chamber and the sarcophagus of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun
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| 1923 | 17 February 1923: The Burial Chamber is officially opened. Under the terms of Lord Carnarvon's agreement with the Egyptian Director-General of Antiquities, if the site contains an intact Pharaoh's tomb its contents have to revert back to the Egyptian Government but Carter and Lord Carnarvon are allowed to continue with excavation. Howard Carter, argues with key members of the excavation team and some are sacked. He then argues with Lord Carnarvon regarding his attitude and his 'friendship' with Lady Evelyn. Egyptian nationalists demand that the treasures of the tomb are sold to pay off Egypt’s national debt. Carter and Carnarvon again quarrel about their individual rights of disposal of the treasures. Carnarvon wanted to keep all rights. Carter wanted the contents of the tomb to be kept intact in the Cairo Museum although insisted that Lord Carnarvon should be generously compensated by the Egyptian government.
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| 1923 | 5 April 1923: Lord Carnarvon dies in Cairo of pneumonia and septicaemia after nicking a mosquito bite with his cut-throat razor. This sparks speculation by the press about the Curse of the Pharaohs.
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| 1923 | Lord Carnarvon is buried in a tomb located within an ancient hillfort overlooking his family seat at Beacon Hill, Burghclere, Hampshire.
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| 1924 | 12 February 1924: Women are banned from entering the tomb which leads to diplomatic problems with Great Britain and America. Howard Carter writes pamphlet to document interference by authorities and leaves the excavation and locks the tomb. Pierre Lacau, the French Director of Antiquities, demands the keys and Carter refuses to give them up or continue with his work
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| 1925 | A strange coincidence - When the mummy of Tutankhamun was unwrapped it was found to have a wound on the left cheek. The wound was in the exact same position as the mosquito bite which had led to the death of Lord Carnarvon
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| 1925 | January: The Ministry of Public Works in Egypt and the widow of Lord Carnarvon come to an agreement and she renounces her claims on Tutankhamun’s tomb. Carter then agrees to resume work at the tomb of King Tut
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| 1939 | 2 March 1939: Death of Howard Carter in London - of natural causes at the age of 65. He is buried in Putney Vale Cemetery, London Lord Carnarvon Timeline |
