Howard Carter’s Team Finds the First Step to Tutankhamun’s Tomb

On November 4, 1922, Egyptian workers excavating under the direction of British archaeologist Howard Carter uncovered a stone step in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor. It was the first visible sign of the entrance to Tutankhamun’s tomb, a discovery that would reveal an extraordinary collection of ancient Egyptian objects.

A Staircase beneath the Debris

Carter’s search was financed by Lord Carnarvon. That November, the team was clearing the remains of ancient workmen’s huts near the tomb of Ramesses VI when the top of a staircase emerged from the bedrock.

By November 5, excavation had exposed a sealed doorway. Carter secured the site and contacted Carnarvon in England. Further clearance later revealed the complete flight of sixteen steps and seal impressions bearing Tutankhamun’s name.

The First Glimpse Inside

After Carnarvon arrived in Egypt, work continued. The first doorway was opened on November 25, revealing a passage filled with rubble. On November 26, the team reached another sealed doorway, through which Carter made a small opening and looked by candlelight.

Beyond it lay the antechamber, crowded with furniture, chariots, statues and chests. The burial chamber itself was opened later, on February 16, 1923. The discovery therefore unfolded over several months, rather than in a single dramatic opening.

More Than a Collection of Gold

Although the tomb had suffered robberies in antiquity, much of its contents remained. More than five thousand objects offered evidence of royal burial practices, craftsmanship and material life in ancient Egypt.

Recording and conserving the finds became a lengthy undertaking. Egyptian workers and specialists contributed to the excavation, while photographer Harry Burton, lent by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, documented objects and their positions before removal.

The surviving photographs, notes and object records preserve the context of the discoveries. November 4 marks the beginning of that work: the day a single uncovered step led the team towards Tutankhamun’s burial.