Curse of the Mummy

Movie mummies are known for riches and a nasty curse. However, Hollywood didn't invent the curse concept.

• Egyptologist Dominic Montserrat believed that a lively stage show in which real Egyptian mummies were unwrapped inspired writers to pen tales of mummy revenge.
• Egyptologist Salima Ikram believes the curse concept did exist in ancient Egypt as part of a primitive security system. Some early non-pyramid tomb walls (mastaba) in Giza and Saqqara were inscribed with curses meant to terrify those who would desecrate the resting place.

Some suggested that the pharaoh's curse was biological in nature.

• Lab studies have shown some ancient mummies carried mold, including Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus, which can cause congestion or bleeding in the lungs.
• Bacteria such as Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus may also grow on tomb walls, causing lung problems.

However, the idea that an underground tomb, after 3,000 years, would have some microorganism in it that would kill somebody weeks later is highly unlikely.