Carter vs. Egypt

TutankhAmen came a cropper. His friends fell to wrangling over his bones.

Howard Carter, of the Metropoolitan Museum, co-discoverer with the late Lord Carnarvon of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings, Luxor, had been growing increasingly restive under the restrictions put upon him by the Egyptian Government through the Antiquities Service of its Public Works Department. Finally he "struck," sealed up the tomb, refused to continue the excavations.

The root of the trouble was the same as in so many other historic complications. The last straw was the refusal of the Minister of Public Works, under whose jurisdiction the excavations fall, to admit to the tomb a number of ladies, wives of Mr. Carter's collaborators, who had been invited to attend the formal opening of the sarcophagus. But this was only the culmination of a long series of "harassing interferences and insults," according to Mr. Carter.

There are two chief questions involved: 1) Title to the treasures; 2) Rights of publication. The question of visitors is bound up with the latter. The great bulk of the visitors have been curious correspondents and press agents, to whom Carter reserved the right to refuse admittance. By the terms of the concession granted to Lord Carnarvon in 1915, before the tomb was discovered, all rights of publication were to be his. Upon the Earl's death, the agreement was continued with his estate and widow, Countess Almina. Exclusive rights were sold to the London Times and the Associated Press. The Cairo authorities have been fighting this provision ever since the long-sought discovery aroused world-wide furore.

The larger question of possession is very much unsettled. No permanent disposition has been made of any of the treasures so far discovered. The objects now displayed at Cairo are kept in a special collection until decision is reached. The articles of concession stipulated that "tombs which are discovered intact, together with all objects which they may contain, shall be handed over to the Museum (in Cairo) whole and without division." In the case of "tombs which already have been searched," the Egyptian Antiquities Service has the right to reserve objects of capital importance and share the remainder with the committee after appraisal. Carter claims that TutankhAmen's tomb was not found intact, had already been searched, and therefore falls in the latter category. The Egyptian lawyers claim it is a part of the public domain. Carter and Lady Carnarvon claim the right to examine all the contents before the Government takes them over. The hope of archeologists, of course, has been that representative collections would finally be lodged in the British and Metropolitan Museums.

Beyond these matters, there have been, apparently, constant dictation and meddling with the conduct of the work, the personnel of the party, etc., which have seriously cut down the working time. Four leading American and British Egyptologists on the scene: James H. Breasted, Alan H. Gardiner, Albert M. Lythgoe, Percy E. Newberry, wrote in protest to M. Pierre Lacau, Director General of Antiquities, at Cairo. The British press is unanimous in condemning the Egyptian attitude. It has been rumored that Cairo will assume responsibility for the actual work of excavation. But this, of course, would be opposed by the Carnarvon estate. The chances are that diplomatic pressure will be brought to bear to patch up the difficulties and persuade the Egyptian officials to adopt a more favorable attitude.

In the weeks just before the present debacle, Carter and his workers had penetrated farther and farther into the mysteries. The third shrine had been opened, and the occasion of the public view in the presence of distinguished guests, which precipitated the trouble, was the lifting of the lid of the great stone sarcophagus itself. There stood revealed a gilded wooden mummy case of colossal size, made in the image of a human being, flanked by protective goddesses and many rich objects, all of gold and faience. The head is one solid piece of gold, with eyes of crystal. Whether the mummy of the Pharaoh is preserved intact within this gorgeous shroud will not be known until the difficulties are composed. In the meantime special armed police (Egyptian) guard the tombs.