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The mummy's curse: historical cohort study.

Mark R Nelson¹

¹Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Alfred Hospital, Prahran 3181, Australia. mark.nelson@med.monash.edu.au

BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.)

|December 21, 2002

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This study found no evidence of a "mummy's curse" affecting survival after the opening of Tutankhamen's tomb. Survival rates were similar for those exposed and unexposed to the alleged curse.

Area of Science:

Egyptology
Medical History
Epidemiology

Background:

The opening of Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922 fueled popular belief in a

Observation:

A retrospective cohort study analyzed 44 Westerners present in Egypt during the tomb's opening (1923-1926).
Twenty-five individuals were potentially exposed to the alleged "mummy's curse".

Findings:

No statistically significant difference in mean age at death or survival duration was observed between exposed (mean age 70) and unexposed (mean age 75) individuals.
Female sex was identified as a predictor for survival (P=0.02).

Implications:

This study provides no scientific evidence to support the existence of a "mummy's curse".
The findings suggest that popular myths surrounding historical events lack empirical support.

Related Experiment Videos

Further research could explore other factors influencing survival in historical cohorts.