Guided
Tour of Ancient Egypt
by Darlene Bishop, Kent
School District, WA
Original Text
© Darlene Bishop
Valley of the Kings
It's easy to understand why
the Valley of the Kings was not discovered until the 1800's.
It is located over a mountain ridge and in a secluded valley,
miles from civilization. The Valley of the Kings contains approximately
sixty-two excavated tombs, not all of which are royal. Some belonged
to the privileged members of nobility and were not decorated.
The earliest tombs of such kings as Thutmose I contained stairways,
corridors, and right-angle bends; whereas, the latter tombs of
such kings as Ramesses XI, were little more than huge sloping
corridors. One of the most recently discovered tombs, that of
the children of Ramesses II, fifty-four in all, is being excavated,
with eight or nine rooms thus far uncovered. The work is being
financed by Chicago House in the United States.
Depending on the power and length
of reign of a king determined the opulence of the tomb itself.
Most tombs were robbed thousands of years ago, but you can still
see the spectacular color-painted hieroglyphics lining the corridors
of some. The stories told are of kings bearing gifts to the gods
or perhaps stories of the king's travels or battles. Much can
be learned from these pictures concerning ancient life in Egypt.
Most tombs contained false entrances
or false burial chambers, etc. to confuse robbers and deter them
from finding the riches needed in the afterlife.
King
Tut's Tomb (Tutankhamun)
King Tut's tomb was not discovered
until 1922 by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon, as it was concealed
beneath the mud brick houses of the workmen who cut the tomb
of Ramesses VI. Most likely this tomb was not carved for a king,
but for a high official. But due to the fact that King Tut died
at an early age, the rooms were hastily converted. Items for
the afterlife were seemingly thrown into the various rooms. What
makes this particular find important is that the contents were
untouched by robbers. The real antiquities can be found in the
Cairo Museum. The pictures shown here are replicas indicating
how they were positioned when discovered by Carter.
Three coffins were found in
the tomb, the last of solid gold. King Tut's mummy was not in
very good shape and so is kept at his tomb. He was found with
15 rings of various sizes on his mummy fingers depending on the
amount of linen used to wrap his hands. He also had 13 bracelets
and assorted amulets and earrings. They also found among the
treasures 415 statues of servants complete with baskets and tools
(one for each day plus supervisors). These servants were to do
the chores expected of the king in the afterlife. The large beds
of gold leaf were probably beds to prepare the body for embalming.
The three found with the king were the lion, hippo, and the cow.
