George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon

George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon (1866-1923), British Egyptologist. George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, 5^th Earl of Carnarvon, was born near Newbury and educated at Eton College and the University of Cambridge. He traveled widely as a young man, and in 1903 he went to Egypt for the first time. Four years later, he and the British archaeologist Howard Carter began excavations at the ancient city of Thebes. They gave an account of their findings in Five Years' Exploration at Thebes (1912). Their work was interrupted by World War I, but they returned to Egypt after the war. On November 4, 1922, while digging in the Valley of the Kings, they discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamen of the 18th Dynasty. On February 17, 1923, they opened the tomb, which contained a magnificent collection of Egyptian art, as well as the mummy of the boy king. Carnarvon died two months later.