Over the years Assassin’s Creed has given players the opportunity to flirt with the allure of undeniable danger that made up history’s most intense moments. But when you’re messing with ancient history of the supernatural variety, even the Brotherhood of the Assassins won’t be able to necessarily save you. So, it’s time you ask yourself: do you believe in the pharaoh’s curse?
The question, one would think, is an easy one. Ghost stories are for camping trips and the idea of a curse is only believable when you’re a middle school student standing in front of your bathroom mirror. And yet it is one that Dr. Julia Troche, who got her Ph.D. in Egyptology and Assyriology from Brown University and works as a professor at Missouri State University, believes is shrouded in a mysterious history that points to a resounding “yes!” In other words, when it comes to Egyptian treasure, there’s always a catch.
As the above video explains, there is more than $3 trillion in undiscovered treasure buried in Egypt, just waiting for an unsuspecting traveler or explorer. That treasure isn’t necessarily up for grabs, though. Enter a tomb and take what you believe to be yours, and soon you’ll find yourself, and even your family, enduring untold horrors the likes of which you’ve never seen. At least, that’s what history tells us. Take Howard Carter, for example. The treasure-obsessed archeologist discovered King Tut’s tomb and, with it, a tablet engraved with a curse. Things didn’t exactly go well after that.
Of course, there are still pyramids, royal tombs, and dozens if not hundreds of non-royal, private tombs still to be discovered in Egypt, but with the threat of curses and real consequences hanging in the air, maybe it’s best if you leave the exploration to your character in Assassin’s Creed: Origins.