SCIENCE 1923: With The Diggers: Howard Carter Excavates TutankhAmen’s tomb

With the Diggers

Work in the Valley of the Kings at Luxor proceeded with painstaking slowness incomprehensible to the layman who would prefer to tear the secrets of the ages from TutankhAmen’s breast in a day. Howard Carter and his staff have removed large quantities of highly decorated treasures, many of which are on exhibition in Cairo. Aided by 10,000 candlepower lights in the tomb, telephones and all the paraphernalia of civilization and modern archeological science, they are patiently removing and restoring the canopies and accessories surrounding the sarcophagus of the Pharaoh. But the casket itself will probably not be opened this year, nor will two other chambers crammed with rare objects. The chief problem of the investigators is to keep the material reasonably intact. The golden screen is in momentary danger of crumbling to dust.