NARRATOR: Over a thousand years before the birth of Christ,
a young pharaoh died.
His burial was carried out in a hurry
and his name would shortly be erased from the monuments he had built.
All memory of his reign would soon be lost.
He was to vanish from history for 3,000 years.
His name was Tutankhamun.
The story of the boy king Tutankhamun
would eventually become inextricably linked with the life of an Englishman,
Howard Carter.
Carter first came to Egypt as an artist,
hired to sketch and paint the ancient monuments.
He quickly also became a knowledgeable archaeologist.
A freak storm in the winter of 1898 brought Carter
to the temples of Western Thebes near Luxor
to assess the damage and record the wall reliefs.
But it was his journey home one morning that was to change his life.
Morning.
(Horse neighing)
Found anything?
Leonard. No, no, horse tripped. Ground was slippery.
- Looks like you've found something. - No.
Oh, well, allow me.
Thank you. They're from the temple.
The reliefs have been washed away by the thunderstorm.
- I wanted to record them. - You're very keen, aren't you?
Oh, well, I suppose you could always flog them. Toodle-oo.
NARRATOR: Carter knew his discovery could be important,
but without funding he could do nothing.
- By Deir el Bahri you say? - CARTER: Yes, sir.
- I thought that whole area was dug out. - So did I.
I suppose the flash flood must have loosened the dirt.
So this is a drawing of a...
The step my horse tripped over. It's part of a tomb.
- So it could be a royal tomb? - Exactly.
- And no sign of tomb robbers? - All the evidence suggests not.
My God!
You really think this could be it, eh?
Yes, sir. I really do.
When can we start?
NARRATOR: Theodore Davis, a retired Boston lawyer,
financed a number of Carter's excavations,
and he liked to put on a show.
Ah, Carter.
Allow me to introduce Lord Kromer,
British Counsel General of Egypt.
Pleased to meet you, sir.
- All set? - Yes, sir, all set.
Good. Let's take a look. Lead on.
CARTER: Mind your heads.
There is often evidence that a tomb has been resealed after a robbery.
But the really exciting thing here is that I can find absolutely no sign
that tomb robbers have been here before us.
Excellent.
- Well, let's open it up. - Yes, sir.
That's enough.
- After you, sir. - No, no.
You first. You're the expert.
Very well. You might find the air is very bad.
These chambers haven't been opened for 3,000 years.
It would appear to be empty.
Is this some kind of joke?
KROMER: You were right about the smell.
You told me you were sure!
You've made a fool of yourself, Carter, and, what's worse, you've made a fool out of me!
Bad luck, old boy.
(Leonard whistling God Save The Queen)
MAN: Hello! Hello!
NARRATOR: Four years later, in 1905,
a British aristocrat arrived in Luxor
to convalesce after a serious road accident.
Lady Carnarvon.
I hope that you and your husband will have a very pleasant stay with us.
My name is Anton Badrutt. I am the manager.
If there is anything, anything at all, that you require, please let me know.
I may require you to find a less pretty nurse.
Ah.
Yes, I might be able to do something with the price,
but if you're not entirely happy with that one why don't...
Take a look at those. I'll be back in one second. Excuse me.
Mr Davis.
Ah, Carter. Been a while.
I hear that you're putting together the team for the dig in the Valley this season.
That's right. Maybe this time I'll find that elusive intact pharaoh's tomb.
One that hasn't been robbed.
I was just wondering if you'd chosen your field director yet.
I have engaged the services of Mr Leonard.
Leonard?
But he doesn't know the ground as well as I do.
I feel I'm in safe hands with him.
Carter, Egypt is full of archaeologists for hire
but there are damn few really good artists.
A man should do what he does best in this life.
LEONARD: Davis!
Davis!
Look at that.
Jesus, what the hell is that?
It's a gold pectoral. It's what the pharaohs wore across their chests.
My God, will you look at that.
- We know who it belongs to? - I'll have to check.
Hey, Carnarvon!
- Davis. - Come and take a look at this!
- This is absolutely magnificent. - Isn't it?
- What is it? - It's a pectoral.
What the pharaoh wore around his neck.
Pure gold. You won't find many of them in Tiffany's.
You see, pharaohs were considered semi-divine
by the ancient Egyptians and gold represented the flesh of the gods.
Something like this, I guess, must have reminded them that
they were kind of holy.
Hmm. How interesting.
So does this mean you've found a complete pharaoh's tomb?
I wish. No, most of it's empty like the others. Huh, Leonard?
Yes, these tombs have been here for over 3,000 years.
Unfortunately, the tomb robbers got here before we did.
The pectoral and the other things we've found are a rare achievement.
So there's no chance of finding a full tomb?
Well, you're talking about the Holy Grail. We keep trying but...
No one's found one yet.
This valley was the pharaonic burial place for over 500 years.
- Thirty-six pharaohs... - Twenty-six.
Yeah, 26 pharaohs are buried around here.
So far, I have found over half
of the 27 major tombs yet discovered,
and all of them have been robbed.
Did find one last year.
Yuya and Tjuyu hadn't been touched.
Had lots of stuff in it, but it wasn't a pharaoh.
Wasn't the whole deal. That's the thing that we're all looking for.
Have some tea.
Thank you.
Thank you, no.
- So how many are there left? - Three.
- Three? - That we know of.
We intend to find them all, don't we, Leonard?
- May I? - By all means. Help yourself.
I found that under a rock.
Bear's the cartouche of someone called Tutankhamun.
- Is he a pharaoh? - Leonard seems to think he is.
Well, the references we have to him are few and far between, I'm afraid.
But he's buried here?
Probably. Most of them are, but then again, he could be in another valley or, well,
anywhere, really. We don't know.
Well, wherever he is, this is very pretty.
- I hope you find him. - DAVIS: Hmm, we will.
Tutankhamun was just eight years old when he became king.
These were dark times.
His father had been a heretic, defying the traditional gods.
Temples lay in ruins. The empire was under threat.
Now Egyptians looked to the new pharaoh to return their land to greatness.
He would have a new name.
Tutankhamun was given to him after becoming king.
It means "the living image of Amun",
in honour of the greatest of Egypt's gods.
This sent a clear message.
Egypt's ancient religion and culture would be restored.
Tutankhamun's reign promised to be a glorious new beginning.
Fascinating those things Davis showed us, didn't you think?
Hmm.
You know, I wouldn't mind doing a little digging.
No, you're here to get well and recover.
Digging's hardly driving a car. There won't be an accident.
Besides, looks like fun.
Then you better hurry up before Mr Davis finds everything.
DAVIS: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome and thanks for coming.
I have invited you all here today to watch the opening
of some jars I've recently discovered in the Valley of the Kings.
I don't know what's in them, maybe nothing at all,
but Leonard here seems to think they're worth opening.
He says they may have been stolen...
from a royal tomb.
We can't be sure of that until we actually open them, sir.
DAVIS: Let's take a look.
(Davis grunting)
Now, they may be 3,000 years old,
but they're still pretty strong.
Ah!
Got it.
Mr Leonard, if you please.
A decorated collar of papyrus.
Beautiful.
Some bags...
of what appear to be salt.
And...
linen bandages.
Linen bandages, eh? A load of old rubbish.
Anything else in there, Leonard?
Nothing that would be of any interest to you, sir, no.
I was given to understand that Mr Davis
had made a valuable contribution to archaeology in Egypt.
Mr Davis is an amateur and a fool.
May not the amateur and the professional both make a contribution?
Yes, but all he cares about is showing off.
For him, archaeology is about ensuring that the name of
Theodore Davis isn't forgotten by history.
Is that such a terrible thing?
We'd all like to be remembered, wouldn't we?
You wouldn't by any chance be Mr Carter, would you?
Yes, I am.
How did you know who I was?
I was told to look out for the rudest man in Luxor.
(Carter chuckles quietly)
Tell me, how does one go about getting started on this digging business?
- Are you serious? - Yes, I rather think I am.
LORD CARNARVON: It seems to me that archaeology is a fine, scholarly pursuit,
with all the excitement of gold prospecting.
I suppose there's something in that.
MAN: Hello, sir. LORD CARNARVON: Hello.
Would the gentleman buy something?
A very nice piece from the tomb of a pharaoh.
- Looks good. It's original. - That is very nice.
- It's a fake. - MAN: What?
No, sir. It's not fake.
(Speaking Arabic)
How could you tell it was a fake?
The paint is barely dry.
Ah!
It's not always so easy.
Sometimes you have to live with something for a while
before you can assess its true value.
If it's genuine then,
like all really good art, it will appear better every day.
If it's fake,
familiarity will certainly breed contempt.
Look up there.
Can you see the beauty of the line in the relief?
The wonderful thing about Egyptian art is its immense dignity and restraint.
Only the ancient Egyptians could have produced it.
A sense of the sacred that was in their everyday lives and their art,
was made with eternity in mind.
You can't fake that.
I'm sorry. I can be a bore on the subject.
Would you like to come and work for me, Mr Carter?
Careful!
(Speaking Arabic)
It's not a bloody garden.
Ali.
This is a good place, is it?
Unfortunately, Davis has the only permit to dig in the Valley of the Kings,
so that's off limits to us.
But Carter says this is a very promising spot.
MAN: Mr Carter!
(Man speaking Arabic)
Beautiful, isn't it?
Beautiful.
What is it?
Davis said he intended to uncover every tomb in the Valley of the Kings.
Do you think it's possible he might succeed?
As far as we know, there are only two royal tombs left in the Valley,
the Pharaohs Horemheb and Tutankhamun.
So, yes, I suppose it's possible.
He also said Tutankhamun might not even be in the Valley.
I doubt that.
I wonder if Davis could be persuaded to share his permit
- to dig in the Valley of the Kings. - I doubt that, too.
But he's an old man. Hopefully he'll drop dead one day.
- Found anything, Leonard? - Could be, sir, take a look at this.
What is it?
A pharaonic cartouche.
- Look. - What?
Hor...
em...
BOTH: Heb.
Horemheb, my God, Leonard.
You know what this means, don't you?
And then there was one.
(Chuckling)
DAVIS: All we need now is Tutankhamun.
As Pharaoh, Tutankhamun had to perform one vital task.
He had to take a queen.
Ankhesamun was considered the perfect choice.
She was his sister.
An incestuous marriage would ensure that power remained within the family.
It also suited Egypt's military leader, Ay,
who effectively ran the country.
He would have been keen to see that no other officials
gained undue influence through marriage.
To mark the dawn of the new era,
Tutankhamun's government began the restoration of Egypt's great temples.
But for the King,
the most important new building work would be his tomb.
First, a site had to be found in the Valley of the Kings.
Ay himself may have selected it.
He was probably familiar with the Valley,
having already started to build his own tomb here.
(Man grunting)
Well, what have we got?
Not sure.
- Got to be Tutankhamun. - Yeah, could be.
Let's get in.
Ali, I want some further left. I told you.
(Speaking Arabic)
- Ali. - Yes, sir.
Bring me up ten more feet. Thank you.
(Speaking Arabic)
What?
What's happening? What did he say?
He said that Davis has found a new tomb.
They think it's Tutankhamun.
- Hey, Carnarvon. - Teddy.
What news?
The Valley of the Kings is history, pal. We got him.
- Tutankhamun? - Tutankhamun, you bet.
I said we'd get him and we got him.
- Well, congratulations. - Thank you.
DAVIS: Thank God, now I can retire. I need a drink.
- Is it him? - Well, it's too soon to tell, but, yeah, it could be.
I see.
I don't believe him.
What we saw today was not a tomb.
It was a pit. They turn up all the time.
Davis said he found some material bearing the name of Tutankhamun.
Maybe he did, that's perfectly possible, but that does not make it a tomb.
It looked like a tomb to me.
Of course it did, but there were no hieroglyphs,
no carvings, no cartouche, none of the things
that have pointed out every single royal tomb that's ever been found.
- So why would Davis say it? - I don't know.
He's sick, he wants to go home, and most importantly,
he wants to be the man who found the last pharaoh's tomb in the Valley.
What about Leonard? What does he think?
He wouldn't say. He doesn't want to deny his boss.
I promise you, sir,
what you saw today was not a royal tomb.
- So you think he's still out there, do you? - Yes, I do.
- In the Valley? - In the Valley.
Morning, Carnarvon.
- Teddy, how are you? All done? - Yep.
Glad to be going.
I thought I might take up your concession.
Oh, don't waste your money. Take it from me,
the Valley of the Kings is dug out. There's nothing left.
- Not much left of me either. - Carter doesn't agree with you.
Carter is chasing rainbows.
He still believes there's an intact royal tomb out there.
- Lf there was, I would have found it. - He seems so sure.
Carter once told me he was sure of something, made me look a fool.
Don't be taken in by him, George.
The man's a daydreamer.
Safe home.
Been a pleasure.
Lady Carnarvon.
Perhaps you should listen to Mr Davis.
I saw Davis this morning.
He was leaving.
Well, you know my thoughts there...
no great loss.
So, how are you doing up here? All settled in, are you?
Yes, yes, it's most pleasant. Thank you.
Good.
What do you make of this?
- You bought this? - I have it on approval.
- What do you think? - It's a fake.
I thought as much.
I took your advice. I've been living with the thing for the last few days
and it just didn't seem quite right.
You know, I really think I'm beginning to get a feel for this Egyptology business.
Good. I'm pleased.
I think we should apply for the concession to dig in the Valley.
(Muezzin calling)
So, you do not believe the Valley is empty?
That's correct.
Davis claimed to have found everything.
If you don't mind me saying so, Mr Davis is a fool.
Lord Carnarvon doesn't believe that Davis found the tomb of Tutankhamun.
- But Lord Carnarvon is an amateur, is he not? - Maybe so.
But I agree with him.
Well, I am very happy to grant you the permit.
One year with an option to renew for five years, subject to our approval.
Good. Let's hope it won't take that long.
Indeed. These are the usual terms and conditions.
There has been a small increase in the annual fee, but I understand
His Lordship is a wealthy man so...
I don't think there'll be a problem, as long as Lord Carnarvon is allowed
to recover his costs through the sale of antiquities.
That may not be possible.
Things have changed since you worked here. It would require negotiation on each item.
You must understand, Monsieur Carter,
this country is no longer a playground for European treasure hunters.
- I'm not a treasure hunter. - Of course not.
I may be French but my job is to safeguard the heritage of Egypt.
Return the contract when you are ready.
I hope the Valley will reward your efforts.
You have waited a long time for this, have you not?
Yes. Almost 20 years.
Let us hope it will be worth the wait.
This is a map of the Valley.
As you can see, the whole area that we're interested in
is covered in the debris from other digs.
So, first of all, what I've done is to divide the entire area into grids.
That way we'll know exactly what we've looked at and where.
Then, what I propose is that we clear away the old debris,
get right down to the rock floor, and only then can we begin to excavate properly.
That way we'll stand the best chance of finding something that others may have missed.
- Then I think we should get started, don't you? - Yes, sir.
Ali!
(Ali speaking Arabic)
- Morning, Carter. - Morning, sir.
Hello.
Carter!
Lady Carnarvon!
My husband asked me to come and see you. We've got to leave.
Leave?
War, with the Germans.
- What? - Everything has to stop. Government orders.
During the war, Carter was attached to British Intelligence in Cairo as a translator,
and he returned to painting.
(Lively jazz music playing)
Ah! Lord Carnarvon, Lady Carnarvon, it is so good to see you back.
For years I have seen nothing but soldiers. So many uniforms.
Now at last, the world returns to normal.
Oh, darling, don't hurtle.
Anton, this is my daughter, Evelyn.
Enchante, mademoiselle.
I'm going to see Howard to give him his present.
- Hello. - Hello.
(Jazz music playing on gramophone)
Oh!
I'm sorry.
Howard, I've come to the conclusion that
musically, rhythmically, anatomically and spiritually,
you are just not made for dancing.
I did warn you I was no good at this.
Thank you for the gramophone.
Everyone should have music in their lives.
Do give me a cigarette.
Does your mother know you smoke?
Really, Howard. You're the last of the Victorians.
I make no excuses for being old-fashioned.
Pops is very excited to be back in Egypt.
He can't wait to start digging again.
Are you going to find tons of gold?
- I don't know about that. - Isn't that why you do all this digging?
No. No, that's not why I dig at all.
Then what is it about?
Everything I've learnt about the ancient Egyptians tells me that theirs was a culture unlike any other.
I want to know more about them.
I want to know... everything about them.
Obviously, I can't, I won't, but...
if I could just dispel the shadows a little,
see a little further into the darkness.
That is why I dig.
Shall we try again?
- I'm really not sure I'm worth the effort. - I'll be the judge of that.
CARTER: Oh, no, no, it's all gone again. Okay, start again. Start again.
EVELYN: Ready? CARTER: Yes.
No, it's no good.
- Let's keep going on that one. - Okay, sir.
(Speaking Arabic)
LADY CARNARVON: How much longer can you afford to pay Carter
to move rocks from one place to another?
He has a system.
And as a means of redistributing rocks, it is second to none.
Most of the excavations carried out in the Valley have been very sloppy.
Carter wants to be thorough.
Well, he certainly leaves no stone unturned.
Ali!
- Morning, Carter. - Morning.
A word if I may.
- LADY CARNARVON: Did you tell him? - Yes.
What did you say?
That we were leaving.
That I couldn't afford this any more, what with the war and everything.
What about thinking that perhaps people were right,
that his tomb might not even be in the Valley?
I told him that, too.
He was good enough to admit that it could be true.
So when will he stop?
I gave him another month, till the end of the season.
You did the right thing, George.
(Telephone ringing)
- Hello. - Leonard, is that you?
- Herbert, here. - Herbert, hello, how are you?
(Knocking at door)
- Leonard. - Sorry, old bean, bit out of puff.
I just had a call from Winlock at the Met.
The Met?
Metropolitan Museum, New York. Winlock is their Egypt man.
Do you remember those jars that Davis and I dug up?
Well, apparently they've been lying around in the cellar for years.
He finally gets an opportunity to take a look at them,
and he tells me that they definitely contain embalming materials.
Oh, and part of the funerary feast of Tutankhamun.
Which means his tomb must be in the Valley.
Exactly.
Oh, my God.
I thought you should know.
Sorry.
Would you like a drink?
I thought you'd never ask.
Why did you come and tell me?
Well, I had a good run with Davis, didn't I? It's your turn now.
You always were the best of us.
If you can't find him, nobody will.
Good luck.
It was essential for Tutankhamun's tomb to remain undisturbed
if he was to have a successful passage into the afterlife.
The plan was that beyond a concealed entrance,
a tunnel would lead deep into the rock to a series of magnificent chambers
which would be filled with treasures for his final journey.
Work on the tomb would be carried out in secrecy until the day of the pharaoh's death.
For the young Tutankhamun, the need for a tomb must have seemed remote,
but it was to prove more urgent than either he or his queen could have imagined.
You understand the significance.
Those jars contain the debris from the mummification process,
natron and linen bandages.
It means that he must be buried there.
I see.
There's still six or seven grid sections left.
I know, but he must be there.
He must.
I'm sorry, old man.
I'm not sure I have the same appetite I once had.
I know that the last few years haven't delivered much in the way of results,
- but... - It's an expensive game,
one I can no longer pursue.
Would you allow me to continue the dig by myself, using your permit?
I will finance the excavations, but obviously anything that we do find
will still belong to you under the terms of the concession.
- You're not a rich man. - I have enough.
You're that confident?
No. No, I wouldn't say that I'm confident exactly.
I need to finish what I started.
I couldn't accept such a one-sided arrangement.
One final season, then.
But I shall pay the bills. In fact, I insist upon it.
(Speaking Arabic)
Come on.
LEONARD: One square left?
Yes.
Right next to where you and Davis thought you'd found him.
- The workman's huts? - Yes.
LEONARD: Have you ever wondered how old those workman's huts are?
They date back to Ramesses VI, don't they?
I'd always thought that they'd been built for his tomb builders.
Yes, me too, but...
Ramesses came 200 years after Tutankhamun, didn't he?
Which would mean that...
There was nothing there when Tutankhamun was buried.
And whatever lies underneath must be untouched.
Mr Carter! Mr Carter!
(Speaking Arabic)
Show me.
- LORD CARNARVON: Morning, Carter. - You've arrived.
LORD CARNARVON: Is it all dug out?
We're ready.
Marvellous, just marvellous.
And only a spit away from Teddy Davis's last tomb in the Valley. Ha!
Well done, old chap. So much for American know-how, eh?
- Don't be so sure. - What do you mean? Tomb robbers?
It could be, yes.
Come on.
This is what troubles me.
The fill's a different colour,
which means the tomb robbers probably got through here.
Why would they bother plastering it over and filling the tunnel up again?
I can't stand this. For God's sake, break it.
Ali.
(Tool clanking)
Ali.
LORD CARNARVON: What can you see?
Can you see anything?
Yes.
Wonderful things.
LORD CARNARVON: Let's open it up, shall we?
Ali.
My God.
I don't believe it. Look at it.
What are they?
Beds, tables, I'm not sure.
- They look as though they were made yesterday. - They're over 3,000 years old.
It's incredible.
- There's only one thing. - What?
Where is he?
There's no other doorway. You don't think this is just a storeroom, do you?
- Some storeroom, Pops. - There must be another chamber.
Yes, look, there's a doorway here.
LORD CARNARVON: Is that it? Let's break through.
- We're not allowed, it's against the rules. - What?
(Speaking Arabic)
Look, it's quite straightforward.
We are not allowed to break through unless Lacau or one of his inspectors is here.
Oh, to hell with the rules.
I'm damned if I see why we have to wait for some pipsqueak French bureaucrat.
He could revoke your permit. We could lose the tomb.
Howard's right, Pops.
- Well, why tell him, then? - What?
Look, all I'm asking is that we have a quick peek to see what's there.
After all the money and effort I've put into this place,
I'd say it's the least I'm entitled to.
- What if he finds out? - We deny it of course.
Have a look, cover up the hole, say nothing.
I daren't make it any bigger.
You first.
No, let Evelyn go.
Look at this.
This is it.
This is the shrine.
How on earth did they get it in?
- We're not the first. - There's no seal.
Open it up.
- Oh, my God. - There's another set.
It's intact.
The seal's unbroken.
My goodness, he's in there.
We've really hit the jackpot, Howard.
- Congratulations. - Thank you.
We should go now.
Of course.
(Doors creaking)
I've found you.