Howard Carter Biography

(Archaeologist)

Birthday: May 9, 1874 (Taurus)

Born In: Kensington, London, England

Howard Carter was a British archaeologist best remembered for the excavation of King Tut’s tomb in 1922. Carter was born in Kensington, England. He had an interest in art from an early age. When his father painted a portrait of a well-known Egyptologist, his interest in art increased further. The British occupation of Egypt in the late 19th century brought a lot of interest in Egyptology, the study of ancient Egypt. This led many British scientists and archaeologists to start excavating the ancient sites. With his father’s connections, Howard got a job working for an archaeologist who needed an artist to draw his findings. This led him to Egypt at the young age of seventeen. He was praised for his innovative and modern methods of drawing wall reliefs and other findings. He became famous when his crew found a secret chamber that housed King Tut’s (Tutankhamun) tomb. Howard Carter later returned to London to work as a collector for several museums. He also toured the United States, giving lectures about Egypt and King Tut.
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Quick Facts

British Celebrities Born In May

Died At Age: 64

Family:

father: Samuel John Carter

mother: Martha Joyce Carter

siblings: Amy Walker, Edgar Carter, James Carter, Samuel Carter, Vernet Carter, William Carter

Born Country: England

Archaeologists British Men

Died on: March 2, 1939

place of death: Kensington, London, England

City: London, England

Cause of Death: Hodgkin Lymphoma

Career
Howard Carter’s artistic talent brought him to Egypt at the early age of 17. He helped Egyptologist Percy Newberry draw tombs from 1892 to 1893. He also worked at Tell el Amarna with the well-known archaeologist William Flinders Petrie. He worked as a draftsman as well, for the Swiss Egyptologist Edouard Naville, on the exquisite mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, female pharaoh, at Thebes. Carter was eventually employed by Lord Carnarvon, an English aristocrat, to supervise the excavations of the tombs of the nobles in Deir el-Bahri, near Thebes. In 1914, Lord Carnarvon received the requisite concession to dig in the Valley of the Kings, and Carter was asked to lead it. However, as World War I broke out, their work was interrupted. During these years, Carter worked for the British government as a diplomatic courier as well as translator. By the end of 1917, he was able to resume his excavation work.
By 1922, Lord Carnarvon had become dissatisfied as he had not been able to excavate any major findings.
He told Carter that he only had one more season of funding to find something important in the Valley of Kings. In November 1922, a water fetcher on the excavation site was digging in the sand with a stick when he found a stone step, about which he informed Carter. This led Carter to a flight of steps, which led to a sealed door, and then to a secret chamber. After some days, they eventually entered the tomb, where they found a huge collection of treasures. Eventually, Carter opened the innermost chamber, where they found the sarcophagus of King Tut. Though it was the biggest archaeological find of his time, Carter didn’t receive any honor from the British government. However, he received the Order of the Nile in 1926 from King Fuad I of Egypt.
Carter spent the later years of his life working as a collector for various museums in London. He also gave lectures on Egypt and King Tut on his tours of US. During this time, he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Science by Yale University. He also received an honorary membership to the Real Academia de la Historia of Madrid, Spain. Carter had authored several books on Egyptology as well.
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Family & Personal Life
Howard Carter was born in Kensington, England, on 9th May 1874. He was the son of Samuel John Carter, an artist, and Martha Joyce Carter. His father helped him develop much of his artistic talents.
He passed away in his London flat on 2nd March 1939, due to Hodgkin’s Disease, at the age of 64. He was buried at Putney Vale Cemetery in London.

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Article Title
- Howard Carter Biography
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- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
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