Much Better Than Lucre!

When archaeologist Howard Carter descended a flight of steps in the middle of Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, he knew they led to something exciting.

It was November 1922, and Carter had just discovered the tomb of the young pharaoh Tutankhamun, who had died nearly 3,000 years earlier.

Carter and his team of excavators were amazed by the lavish splendor of the tomb, which included more than 100 gold items buried inside the mummy’s coffin and many other archaeological treasures.

Unlike robbers who had previously entered the chamber looking for lucre (see definition and hear pronunciation below), Carter led the expedition for historical purposes.

His team was the first to carefully document the items found in the tomb–a process that took 10 years!

Cool word vocabulary question of the day: Can you think of any other valuable historical items that could be claimed by thieves as lucre? Why do you think it’s important to prevent this from happening?

Lucre: Money, especially that obtained in a dishonorable manner.

Click to hear the pronunciation of lucre:

https://coolwordclub.com/wp-content/uploads/lucre.mp3