The mummy's curse: historical cohort study

OBJECTIVE: To examine survival of individuals exposed to the “mummy's curse” reputedly associated with the opening of the tomb of Tutankhamen in Luxor, Egypt, between February 1923 and November 1926. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: 44 Westerners identified by Howard Carter as present in Egypt at the specified dates, 25 of whom were potentially exposed to the curse. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Length of survival after date of potential exposure. RESULTS: In the 25 people exposed to the curse the mean age at death was 70 years (SD 12) compared with 75 (13) in those not exposed (P=0.87 for difference). Survival after the date of exposure was 20.8 (15.2) v 28.9 (13.6) years respectively (P=0.95 for difference). Female sex was a predictor for survival (P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant association between exposure to the mummy's curse and survival and thus no evidence to support the existence of a mummy's curse.