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Egypt finds no evidence of curses within black sarcophagus… so far Relax! Egypt finds no evidence of curses within mysterious black sarcophagus…so far
(about 5 hours later)
A black sarcophagus in Egypt revealed neither the remains of Alexander the Great nor curses protecting it, authorities say. Folks in Russia know about great conquerors and curses – one may even have triggered the Nazi invasion. Much to the relief of superstitious people everywhere, archeologists in Egypt have said that the black sarcophagus discovered in early July has not revealed any world-ending curses or indeed any other sinister contents.
Many powerful people in the past were obsessed with their posterity, having items and servants buried along with them to serve in the afterlife and curses put on their tombs to strike whoever dared to open them and steal the treasures. The best known case of mysterious death attributed to such magic is the curse of the pharaohs, which supposedly struck the excavation team that unsealed the burial place of Tutankhamen.
The exhumation of a black 30-ton sarcophagus in Egypt this week was surrounded by speculation. Some said it could contain the remains of Alexander the Great, arguably the greatest conqueror of the ancient world, whose untimely death sealed the fate of the empire he carved out from the Mediterranean to India. Some said opening it would bring no good. Fears about what (or who) was inside the sarcophagus sent Twitter into a frenzy earlier this week with suggestions that perhaps opening the 9ft-long stone coffin would unleash some kind of ancient Egyptian curse. The discovery prompted arguments that if ancient mummy movies had taught us anything, the mysterious box was better left sealed and forgotten about, lest its opening unleash worldwide calamity and destruction.
The unsealing of the sarcophagus on Thursday involved a heavy police cordon and an evacuation from the area, but apparently brought no sensation. Archeologists said they found some floodwater inside, and after it was pumped out, the mummified remains of three people were revealed, probably belonging to a wealthy family in Alexandria. No curses befell the team, the report stressed. So it’s all good now, right? Some people even suggested that the tomb could have held the remains of Alexander the Great, arguably the greatest conqueror of the ancient world, whose untimely death sealed the fate of the empire he carved out from the Mediterranean to India. Others recalled how the opening of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 was followed by the unpleasant deaths of a number of people involved in its discovery, which some think was the result of the Curse of the Pharaohs.
Russia had its brush with a tomb-sealing curse, and it turned out to be far more devastating than that of the pharaohs. In fact, it claimed millions of lives, if the legend is to be believed. It started in 1941 in Samarkand, where an archeological expedition was working on the excavation of the family crypt of Timur the Lame, the 14th-century conqueror of Mongolian origin who started an empire spanning from Persia to the Caucasus Mountains, to what is now Turkey, with Samarkand as the capital. Appearing to heed the warnings from concerned citizens everywhere, the tomb was opened after an evacuation from the area and with a heavy police cordon and coordination between the Engineering Department of the Armed Forces and the Tourism Police.
Ignoring warnings from the locals, scientists exhumed the bodies of Timur’s descendants and then his own. Inscribed on the tomb were reportedly the words: “When I rise from the dead, the world shall tremble,” and inside the casket the scientists read: “Whomsoever opens my tomb shall unleash an invader more terrible than I.” The entire work lasted four days, and Timur’s remains were revealed on June 20. Two days later, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. But it turned out the hype was all for nothing and the reality was far less exciting than Twitter had anticipated. Archeologists opened the 2,000 year-old sarcophagus to find three decomposed mummies floating about in rancid floodwater — and none of the people involved have fallen victim to any kind of curses. So far, at least.
The legend does not stop there. It is said that the remains of Timur were reburied in November 1942, days before the Battle of Stalingrad, the bloodiest in history, was finally won by the Soviets, and the Nazi campaign started to crumble. Russia had its own brush with a tomb-sealing “curse” in 1941 — and if legend is to be believed, the ensuing chaos was far worse than a few floating skeletons.
Of course, Hitler’s generals launched their preparations for the invasion long before the expedition in Samarkand started. It is also well-known that the Nazi leader and some of his associates were obsessed with all things mystical, hunting for ancient artifacts of power throughout the world. Just ask Indiana Jones. When an archeological expedition was working in Samarkand on the excavation of the family crypt of Timur the Lame, a 14th century Mongolian conqueror, scientists ignored warnings from the locals and exhumed the bodies of Timur and his descendants.
Much to the horror of the archeologists, on the tomb were the words: “When I rise from the dead, the world shall tremble.” Worse still, inside the casket, they read the inscription: “Whomsoever opens my tomb shall unleash an invader more terrible than I.”
Two days later Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Timur’s remains were reburied just days before the Battle of Stalingrad, which was one of the bloodiest during the war and is considered by many historians to be the turning point in the war. Now, of course, history fans will know that Nazi Germany began planning for the Soviet invasion long before Timur’s body was exhumed — but no need to let that get in the way of a good legend.
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