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Was there a curse on King Tutankhamen's tomb? When the tomb was first discovered, there were reports of a message written in ancient hieroglyphics on the outside of the tomb. Translated, the message said, "Death Shall Come on Swift Wings to Him Who Disturbs the Peace of the King." This gave rise to great speculation in the newspapers and magazines of the time that there was a curse on King Tut's tomb. A few months after the tomb was open, a British Lord began ill from a mosquito bite. He was there when they opened the tomb. A few months later, he died. Rumor said a mark similar to the mosquito bit was found in the exact same position on King Tut's cheek. You can imagine the media frenzy! The ancient Egyptians believed that if their mummy was stolen or destroyed, their spirit would not be able to return to their mummified body at night, and they would disappear forever, no longer able to dwell in their Afterlife. Adding a curse or two to scare robbers into leaving their mummy alone was probably a common practice. Howard Carter, the man who discovered King Tut's tomb, lived to be 65. He died of natural causes. He never believed in a curse. But how to explain the deaths? Illness and death have been linked to the opening of ancient tombs. Archaeologists have discovered that there are poisonous plant molds in the tombs in many ancient tombs. Today, archaeologists wear masks when exploring tombs, to protect themselves from these dangerous plant molds. Just the same, Hollywood continues to have a great deal of fun with "the mummy's curse!" The Persian Wars Greece vs. the Persian Empire (in green) (10:00) Greece was not alone in the ancient world. Other civilizations were developing around the Mediterranean. One of the largest and most powerful was the Persian Empire. The Greek world was tiny. It covered a small area at the southern tip of the Greek peninsula. The Persian Empire was huge. It stretched from the Mediterranean Sea all the way to the Indus River Valley. Remember all those towns the ancient Greeks built in early times? Some were still flourishing. The Greek towns located along the Turkish coast had fallen under Persian rule. The Greek colonists were unhappy about it. Athens sent supplies to help them out. Those supplies included weapons. Persia would have noticed the Greeks sooner or later, but this activity most definitely caught their eye. The Persian army had no doubt that the Greeks would be easy to conquer. The Greeks were outnumbered - what chance would they have? The Persians laughed at the thought of the battle ahead. What the Persians forgot, or perhaps they just did not know, was that the Greeks were incredible warriors. Athens had a highly capable navy, with ships that were tiny and easy to maneuver. The Spartan army was terrifying. The Persians came three times, and fought three huge battles. Each time the Persians were convinced they could easily conquer the Greeks. Each time, the Greeks drove them away. Xerxes, the Persian King, was furious at the result of the first two battles with the now hated Greeks. For the third major battle, he sent an incredible number of Persian ships to wage war on Greece. He didn't want just to win. He wanted Greece to be totally destroyed. Xerxes was so confident of success that he had his slaves carry a golden throne from Persia, and set it up on a hillside overlooking the Greek harbor, so he could be comfortable while he watched the Greeks die. But the Greeks did not die. Their small ships could maneuver better. The Greeks were able to toss burning wood aboard the Persian ships and get safely away. The Persians had to abandon their burning ships. Those Persian sailors who made it to land were greeted by the Spartan army. The Spartans killed them all. When Xerxes saw how the battle was going, he ran away and left his army behind. While Athens burned the Persian ships, Sparta left some men on the beach to handle any Persians who made it to shore. The rest of the Sparta army marched north and defeated the Persian army coming in from that direction. The Greeks won. The few Persians who survived fled. But there was always the threat that the Persians might come back. In preparation, the Greeks created the Delian League - a treasury that would allow them to quickly prepare for war, should the need arise. The Crusades Three major religious groups all claimed Jerusalem in the land of Palestine as their holy city. To Christians, it was the place where Jesus was crucified and ascended to heaven To Muslims, it was the place where Muhammad ascended to heaven To Jews, it was the site of the ancient temple built by Solomon In 600 CE, Arabs entered the city and took control. The Arabs allowed Christian and Jewish pilgrims to visit Jerusalem. In fact, Jews and Christians could live in Palestine as long as they paid their taxes like everyone else. The First Crusade: The Problem: Around 1095, a new group of Arabs took control of Jerusalem. They closed the city to Jewish and Christian pilgrims. The Solution: The Pope acted. He called for a crusade - a volunteer army whose goal was to retake Jerusalem. Many people volunteered. About 30,000 men left Western Europe to fight in Jerusalem. For knights, this was a chance to use their fighting skills, something they enjoyed and did well. They were delighted to have such a worthy battle to fight. For peasants, this was a chance to escape from their dreary life in the feudal system. The pope promised that if they died while fighting a holy crusade, they would automatically be welcomed into heaven. For others, it was a chance to have an adventure, and perhaps even to get rich. Sign of the Crusade - The Red Cross: Each crusader had a huge red cross, made out of fabric, stitched onto their shirts or armor. It made all crusaders, irrespective of rank or background, appear to be a unified army. It reminded the crusaders that they were fighting a holy cause. The red cross was added to flags and banners The Results: After about two years of harsh traveling, hunger, disease, freezing weather, and quarrels amongst themselves, the crusaders finally arrived in Jerusalem. After a two-month siege of the city, the city fell. The crusaders had won back Jerusalem. Some men stayed. Some headed home. Those who returned brought back new foods and new forms of culture.