Howard Carter

Hello! My name is Howard Carter. When I was a boy, long before I ever saw a pyramid, I loved to draw. I would sketch animals and all sorts of things I saw near my home in England, where I was born on May 9th, 1874. I didn't know it then, but my love for drawing would lead me on the greatest adventure of my life.

When I was just 17 years old, in 1891, I was given an amazing job. Because I was a good artist, I was asked to travel to a faraway, sunny land called Egypt. My job was to copy the beautiful pictures I saw on the walls of ancient tombs. I fell in love with Egypt's history. I wanted to be more than just an artist; I wanted to be an archaeologist—someone who digs for history!

I met a friend named Lord Carnarvon. He loved Egypt, too, and he gave me the money I needed to search for something special: the lost tomb of a young pharaoh named Tutankhamun. For years and years, starting in 1907, my team and I dug under the hot sun in a special place called the Valley of the Kings. Many people said we would never find it, but I just knew we had to keep looking.

Then, one amazing day, on November 4th, 1922, one of our workers found a step hidden in the sand! We dug and dug and found a whole staircase leading to a sealed door. My hands were trembling as we made a tiny hole in the door. Lord Carnarvon asked me, 'Can you see anything?' I held up my candle, and as my eyes adjusted to the dark, I saw glittering gold everywhere. I could only whisper, 'Yes, wonderful things!'

Opening that tomb was the most exciting moment of my life. Inside, we found golden chariots, sparkling jewels, and King Tutankhamun's famous golden mask. It took me and my team ten years to carefully record and remove every single treasure. I lived to be 64 years old, and I am so happy I could share my discovery with the world. Because of our hard work, people everywhere can learn about the amazing world of the ancient Egyptians.