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SCOPE.SCHOLASTIC.COM • FEBRUARY 2017 9
The (possibly) true story of a mummy’s wrath BY SPENCER KAYDEN
DRAMATIZATION
a story inspired by
true events
Drama
Luxor, Egypt, five months earlierN3: A team of archaeologists and workers is gathered in
the Valley of the Kings.
N1: It is a desolate place full of sand and rock.
N2: The men sweat profusely in the heat.
N3: Two workers talk to Mr. Howard Carter.
Gerigar: You have
been searching
in this valley
for years,
Mr. Carter.
What makes
you think
this spot will
be any different?
Carter: This is the one
place in the valley
where I have not yet
looked.
Moussa: Fair enough.
Gerigar (loudly):
Gentlemen, let’s clear
away all this debris.
N1: The crew gets
to work.
N2: Before long,
Gerigar finds a large,
smooth stone under
the sand. He keeps
digging and uncovers
another stone.
Gerigar: Mr. Carter, I
think I’ve found
something unusual.
N3: Carter brushes off
the stones, then
gently probes the sand around them.
Carter: It seems to be part of a structure.
N1: The crew continues to dig.
Worker 1: Look!
Worker 2: What is that?
Gerigar: It appears to be a staircase.
Carter (excited ): Keep going! Keep digging!
Worker 1: The staircase leads to a door!
Worker 2: Look! There are royal symbols on the door.
Moussa: Mr. Carter, what do you make of this?
N2: Carter studies the door carefully.
Carter: I must summon Lord Carnarvon from England
before we go any further. He and I should make this
discovery together.
Carter’s tent, later
that dayN3: Carter
walks into his
tent. Moussa is
waiting for him.
Carter: You look as if
you have seen a ghost!
Moussa: I just came
from your house. I am
afraid a cobra crawled
inside and killed your
beloved canary.
Carter: Oh my. I am
quite sad to hear that.
Moussa: The cobra is
a symbol of
protection for the
pharaoh. Mr. Carter,
don’t you see? This is
a warning.
Circle the character you will play.
*Starred characters are major roles.
*Narrators 1, 2, 3 (N1, N2, N3)Lord Carnarvon: a wealthy Englishman who is
funding Howard Carter’s archaeology project
Lady Evelyn Herbert: Lord Carnarvon’s daughter
Doctor: Lord Carnarvon’s physician
*Ahmed Gerigar: an Egyptian worker
*Howard Carter: an English archaeologist and Lord
Carnarvon’s business partner
Workers 1 and 2Tarik Moussa: an Egyptian worker
Alan Gardiner: a hieroglyphics specialist
Arthur Mace: a member of Carter’s team
Georges Bénédite: a curator from France
Tony: a truck driver
Angela: a truck driver
N1: Many centuries ago in Egypt, there lived a pharaoh
named Tutankhamen.
N2: Tutankhamen became pharaoh around 1333 b.c.
N3: He was only 9 years old.
N1: Ten years later, he died. Mysteriously.
N2: Tut was buried in a secret tomb said to hold
untold riches.
N3: Some believed that the tomb was cursed—that
opening it would unleash a powerful evil.
N1: Still, for thousands of years, men searched for the
tomb—lured by its treasures.
N2: But the tomb was never found.
N3: Until now.
Cairo, Egypt, April 1923N1: Lady Evelyn Herbert sits at the bedside of her
father, Lord Carnarvon. Books and clothes are strewn
about the dimly lit room.
N2: Carnarvon looks thin and frail in the large bed.
Carnarvon: I will be fine, my dear.
Herbert: But Father, your skin has turned so pale. And
that red mark on your cheek looks like it’s on fire.
Carnarvon: It is nothing. Just a mosquito bite.
Herbert: Are you sure? You seem to be having trouble
breathing.
Carnarvon: I’m euphoric!
Herbert (taking his hand ): I know, Father. Your
archaeology team has just made the discovery of the
century. Your name will live forever in history books.
N3: Lord Carnarvon begins to cough. A doctor arrives.
Herbert (quietly): Doctor, what is wrong with him?
Doctor: I cannot say. This is a very mysterious illness.
Herbert: He must get well. Haven’t you heard?
Doctor: Ah yes, the discovery of the tomb of
Tutankhamen. All of Egypt has been speaking of it.
Herbert: The treasures inside have been hidden
for more than 3,000 years.
Doctor: Forgive me, my lady, but perhaps they
should remain hidden.
Herbert: What do you mean?
Doctor: Many believe that the final resting place
of a pharaoh is sacred—and that those who enter a
pharaoh’s tomb will be cursed.
N1: CLAP! Thunder echoes outside. Lady Herbert and
the doctor both jump.
Herbert (whispering): Father did fall ill soon after he
entered Tutankhamen’s tomb.
N2: Lord Carnarvon’s body begins to tremble. He
reaches for his daughter’s hand.
Carnarvon: Dearest Evelyn, tell Carter he must . . .
N3: Carnarvon gasps for breath.
Herbert: Father?
N1: The lights flicker—and go out.
N2: CLAP! Thunder sounds again.
N3: The room is dark, save for a sliver of moonlight
peeking in through the window.
N1: The doctor checks Carnarvon’s pulse.
Doctor (to himself ): It seems the curse has claimed its
first victim.
Herbert: Is he . . . ?
Doctor: I am so sorry, my lady.
N2: Neither the doctor nor Lady Evelyn notices the
cobra that slithers out from under Carnarvon’s bed
and disappears into the shadows.
As You Read
Characters
Hear these names pronounced
at Scope Online.
10 SCHOLASTIC SCOPE • FEBRUARY 2017
SH
UT
TE
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TO
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SH
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TO
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(B
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TH
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TIM
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(H
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DL
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); R
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HIV
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/TH
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GR
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(H
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LO
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PR
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CO
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N/A
LA
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(L
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Why do people believe in curses?
In the 1920s, Americans and Europeans had a fascination with ancient civilizations, especially Egypt. Explorers and archaeologists like Howard Carter traveled the world in search of ancient treasures. In this photo, Carter brings artifacts up from King Tut’s tomb. Though Egyptian law stated that the artifacts had to stay in Egypt, many ended up in museums and private collections around the world. Today, most have been returned to the Egyptian Museum in Egypt’s capital, Cairo.
11
Lord Carnarvon was obsessed with ancient Egypt. He funded Howard Carter’s search for the tomb of King Tut.
12 SCHOLASTIC SCOPE • FEBRUARY 2017
Carter: A warning about what?
Moussa: You must not disturb the pharaoh’s tomb.
Carter: My good man, that is nonsense.
Moussa: But . . .
Carter: Just think of it. If we were to find the tomb of
Tutankhamen, we’d be able to show the world a
perfectly preserved piece of ancient Egypt. And we’d
be famous for doing it! What could be bad about that?
A few weeks laterN1: Lord Carnarvon stands next to Carter as the crew
finishes digging out the staircase.
Carnarvon: You were right to wait for me to arrive from
England. Carter, old chap, this is the moment we have
been waiting for.
N2: Carnarvon claps Carter on the back while the crew
breaks through the door at the bottom of the staircase.
Carnarvon: After you, Carter.
N3: Carter leads the team through the door
and into a dark stone passageway.
N1: The men are silent, their faces full of
wonder. The sound of their steps echoes
off the walls.
N2: At the end of the passageway, they
come to another sealed door.
Carnarvon: This door has hieroglyphs on it.
Gardiner: Let me have a look. (leaning in
closely) Tut . . . an . . . khamen!
Carnarvon: By Jove, Carter, we’ve found it!
Carter (in awe): No human being has set
foot here in thousands of years.
N3: With trembling hands, Carter makes a
small breach in the
door. Holding a
candle before him,
he pokes his head
through the hole.
N1: A sudden blast
of hot air escapes
from the chamber.
The candle flickers.
Carnarvon: Can you
see anything?
King Tut’s tomb, May 1923N2: Carter and his crew are identifying and cataloging
everything in Tut’s tomb.
N3: Inside the burial chamber, the workers use pulleys to
lift a coffin out of a stone sarcophagus.
Carter: Careful now. Steady. Don’t jostle the mummy.
Mace: Why is it so heavy?
Carter: The coffin seems to be solid gold! Just think—
soon we will be looking into the
face of an ancient king. If only
Lord Carnarvon were here to
see it . . .
Mace: Can someone take this
rope? I feel weak.
Gardiner: I’ll get it.
N1: Gardiner takes the rope just
as Mace collapses.
Carter: What happened?
Gardiner: I am not sure. One moment he was fine, the
next, he fainted.
Carter: He must be overheated. Get this man to a tent
and give him water.
Gerigar: Mr. Carter, the curator from France is here.
N2: Carter follows Gerigar out of the tomb to his tent.
Carter: Good afternoon! I trust this heat has not got the
better of you?
Bénédite: Ah, it is a small price
to pay for such a magnificent
find. Carter, what are the
chances we can bring some of
these marvelous treasures to
France?
Carter: Men have come from
museums all over the world to
see Tut’s tomb. Its treasures are
magnificent, as you say. But
though I want to share this
extraordinary discovery with the
world, it does not belong to me.
Bénédite: Would it really matter
if one or two artifacts were
missing?
Carter: The contents of the
tomb must stay in Egypt. Say,
are you quite all right? You look
rather flushed.
N3: Bénédite suddenly
collapses. Gerigar takes his
pulse.
Gerigar: Mr. Carter . . . he is . . .
he is dead.
A market in Cairo, the next dayN1: Gerigar sees Moussa in the market.
Gerigar: Mr. Moussa, why haven’t you been working at
the tomb?
Moussa: I will not go back there.
Gerigar: Why not?
Moussa: I heard that a tablet was found in the
tomb that says, “Death will come to those who
SCOPE.SCHOLASTIC.COM • FEBRUARY 2017 13
Carter: Yes . . . wonderful things!
N2: The crew widens the hole, and the men slip
through.
N3: They find themselves in a room overflowing with
glittering treasures: statues, jewelry, and gold—
everywhere, the glint of gold.
N1: Gardiner picks up a gilded wooden cobra.
Gardiner: Carter, I can’t help but wonder if these
serpents have real power. People have warned me that
a curse will be unleashed if we enter this tomb.
Carter (whispering): Keep your superstitions to
yourself, Gardiner. If the workers believe there is a
curse, they won’t help us excavate. And we can’t do it
alone.
Gardiner: You have studied ancient Egypt most of your
life. You don’t believe the curse could be real?
Carter: I think it is hogwash.
Gardiner: I do hope you are right.
CR
ED
ITS
TK
Ancient Egyptians believed that they would need their bodies in the afterlife, so it was important to preserve their corpses through mummification. It was an expensive process—only the wealthy could afford it—that took at least 70 days. At left, Howard Carter examines King Tut’s mummy, which is encased in the burial mask (above). According to rumors at the time, Tut’s mummy had a mark on its cheek in the same place as Lord Carnarvon’s mosquito bite. Wwwooooooo . . .
Cairo
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14 SCHOLASTIC SCOPE • FEBRUARY 2017
disturb the sleep of the pharaoh.”
Gerigar: That is a rumor. And if such a thing were found,
it would probably have been written to scare away tomb
robbers.
Moussa: Did you not hear about Sheik Abdul Haman?
Gerigar: No.
Moussa: He went to visit the tomb. The next day, he got
a high fever. Now he is dead. So is the French curator
and Lord Carnarvon. And
what of Mace?
Gerigar: He just got
overheated. He is fine now.
Moussa: We have not seen
the end of this curse.
Gerigar: Mr. Carter works in
the tomb every day. He is
nothing if not robust.
Moussa: Others are paying
for his greed with their lives.
Entering the tomb was bad
enough, but Mr. Carter is
removing every last one
of the 5,000 artifacts that
have been found inside.
Gerigar: Mr. Carter is
taking them to the
museum in Cairo. Is that so
wrong?
Moussa: If Mr. Carter is
willing to desecrate
Tutankhamen’s tomb, he
does not truly respect the
pharaoh or our people.
Gerigar: Our ancestors believed that their souls were
kept alive when their names were remembered. You
must admit: Because of Howard Carter, Tutankhamen
will live forever.
Texas, 2017N2: A man and a woman drive down a dark and empty
highway in an 18-wheeler.
Tony: Thanks for giving me a ride to Houston, Angela.
What are you hauling tonight?
Angela: Ancient treasure. I’m bringing it to a museum.
Tony: Are you kidding me?
Angela: Nope. It’s stuff from the tomb of that mummy
guy, King Tut.
Tony: Doesn’t that give you the creeps?
Angela: What do you mean?
Tony: Well, would you want someone digging you out of
the ground thousands of years after you died?
Whatever happened to
“rest in peace”?
Angela: It’s funny you
should say that. When I took
this job, they told me that a
bunch of other drivers had
already turned it down.
Tony: Why?
Angela: People say there’s a
curse on anyone who
disturbs King Tut or
anything that was buried
with him. They believe that
what’s in the back of this
truck should never have
been taken from his tomb.
Tony: What do you think?
Angela: I think it’s getting
late. Let’s stop for coffee.
N3: Angela steers the truck
onto the exit ramp.
N1: Just then, the truck’s
headlights catch something
stretched across the road.
Angela: What is that?
N2: Angela and Tony see a flash of yellow eyes.
Tony: Watch out!
N3: Angela hits the brakes.
Angela and Tony: Aaaaaah!!!
N1: The truck skids into a ditch and comes to a violent
stop.
Angela: What was that thing?
N2: They peer out the window.
N3: An enormous cobra slithers across the road. It turns
its head and flicks its tongue at them before slinking
away into the night. • SH
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If most people believe that superstitions are malarkey, why did superstitions have so much power during the excavation of King Tut’s tomb? Why do they still have power today? Send your answer to TUT CONTEST. Five winners will get The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan.
WRITING CONTEST
GET THIS ACTIVITY ONLINE
Experts have been studying Tutankhamen for decades. They’ve figured out what he may have
looked like (rendering above) by studying his mummy (left). They’ve also found a few possible
explanations for the so-called curse. One is that there were toxic mold spores inside Tut’s tomb. These can be deadly for someone with a weak immune system—someone like Lord Carnarvon, who had an infected mosquito bite.
SCOPE.SCHOLASTIC.COM • FEBRUARY 2017 15
Essay
Last November, the
world went nuts when
the Chicago Cubs won
the World Series. It was
a historic moment: The Cubs
hadn’t won it in 108 years.
Why? The Billy Goat curse, of
course. Or at least that’s what
some fans believe.
According to legend, in 1945,
William “Billy Goat” Sianis tried
to bring his pet goat to a Cubs
game. When informed that his
goat would not be admitted, the
offended Sianis cursed the team,
saying: “The Cubs ain’t gonna
win no more!”
So last year when the Cubs
beat the Indians in the final game
of the World Series, it seemed the
curse was over at last.
Why It RainedMost of us understand that
curses are malarkey—no more
than leftover beliefs from the
distant past, when people did not
have the scientific understanding
that we have today.
Ancient humans didn’t
know why storms
happened or how
diseases spread or why
crops failed. It was widely
believed that the way to
deal with such problems
was to win favor from the
gods. That usually meant
sacrificing animals (or people).
Faith in ritual sacrifice must have
been reinforced each time it seemed
to work. Say animals were sacrificed
because of a drought. Then it rained.
What better proof could you ask for?
All these years later, many of us
still have at least a few superstitious
beliefs. Think about buildings that
don’t have a 13th floor, because the
number 13 is considered unlucky.
Or tennis star Serena Williams, who
wears the same socks to each game
during a tournament; she says it
brings her luck. Or sports fans who
wear their team’s jersey throughout
the season without washing it—to
avoid jinxing their team.
Sense of Control Why do we hang on
to such superstitions?
One reason could
be that they give us a
sense of control. There’s
a lot in this world that
we can’t do anything
about; it’s comforting to
think that we can help
ourselves by carrying a lucky
penny, knocking on wood, or
avoiding black cats.
In fact, superstitious rituals
can have an effect. If Serena’s
sock ritual boosts her confidence
and helps her focus, wearing the
same socks for two weeks
straight might really help her
win. The same goes for the Cubs,
but in reverse: If the players
believed their team was cursed,
their performance could have
been negatively affected.
One thing is certain, anyway:
After more than a century of
failure, the Cubs waited long
enough for their victory. •
The Power of CursesWhy superstitious beliefs take hold BY KRISTIN LEWIS
Apparently the Billy Goat curse applied only to the World Series. The Cubs have won many
games since 1945.
The Chicago Cubs celebrate their World Series victory.