Valley of the Kings of Ancient Egypt and New Kingdom Tombs | Middle East And North Africa

VALLEY OF THE KINGS

Valley of the Kings is the burial ground of the pharaohs of the New Kingdom, which ruled around 1500 B.C. to 1100 B.C. Known to the ancient Egyptians as “The Great and Majestic Necropolis,” the valley is surrounded by barren mountains, with largest being Al-Qurn (the Horn). According to the Theban Mapping Project the earliest confirmed royal tomb in the valley was built by Thutmose I (reign 1504 to 1492 B.C.). His predecessor Amenhotep I (reign 1525 to 1504 B.C.) may also have had his tomb built in the Valley of the Kings, although this is a matter of debate among Egyptologists.

Made at a time when Egypt was at a peak in its wealth and influence, the tombs in the Valley of the Kings are carved deep into the rock faces of the valley walls and composed of several rooms and corridors leading down to the burials chambers. Artists and masons carved and decorated kilometers of underground corridors: not only for kings but also their wives, children and principal ministers. The tombs were once filled with unimaginable wealth, hinted at by the artifacts found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun (King Tut), who was a relatively minor king with a relatively modest tomb. The other tombs were all looted of their treasures millennia ago.

The tomb of Ramses II, arguably the greatest pharaoh of all, probably contained one of the greatest treasure hordes, but we will probably never know what those treasures were: his tomb was looted only 150 years after his death. Altogether more than 60 tombs are located in the Valley of the Kings. Archeologists have identified the probable resting places of 41 royals in 37 tombs (some tombs held more than one body) but in some cases the identity of the pharaoh that a tomb honors is unknown.

The Valley of the Queens is where most of the wives and children of the important New Kingdom pharaohs were buried. The tombs are similar to the tombs in the Valley of Kings in that they are carved into the rock faces of the valley walls of limestone cliffs and arid, eroded mountains, and are composed of several rooms and corridors leading to the burials chambers. Only five of the more than 70 tombs are open to visitors. The Valley of the Queens is closer to the ticket office than the Valley of the Kings. It is still a considerable distance from Luxor.

Books: “Complete Valley of the Kings” by Nicholas reeves and Richard Wilkinson (Thames & Hudson) and “Explorers and Artists of the Valley of the Kings” by Catherine Roehrig of Metropolitan Museum of Art (American University in Cairo-Press). Website: Theban Mapping Project: www.thebanmappingproject.com

History of the Valley of the Kings

José Lull wrote in National Geographic History: The Valley of the Kings was the burial site of many rulers of Egypt’s New Kingdom (circa 1539-1075 B.C.), when Egypt rose to new heights of power and influence. Building this great desert necropolis began during the reign of Thutmose I, third king of the 18th dynasty, whose rule marked the resurgence of Egypt following a long period of instability. A grand tomb was prepared for Thutmose, cut into the rock of the rugged desert valleys on the Nile’s west bank. The remote spot was chosen to hide lavish royal burials from tomb raiders. Other New Kingdom rulers placed their tombs there, and the necropolis grew. (Judicial power flowed from pharaohs — even after death.)[Source: José Lull, National Geographic History, June 26, 2020]

Nobody knows why the Valley of the Kings was selected as the burial place for the New Kingdom pharaohs. Scholars speculate it because of the pyramid shape of el Quum, the mountains at the head of the valley, and the fact that the valley is a box canyon with an easy-to-guard entrance. It is believed Egypt’s New kingdom pharaohs thought they would begin their journey to the afterlife in the Valley of the Kings.

Despite attempts to hide their contents by the use of concealed passages, most of the valley’s 64 known tombs were extensively looted over the centuries. But in 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter made an astonishing discovery of tomb KV 62 — the tomb of King Tutankhamun (King Tut)[Source: José Lull, National Geographic History, June 26, 2020]

Why Did the Pharaohs Stop Building Pyramids and Choose to Be Buried in the Valley of the Kings?

The last known royal pyramid in Egypt was built under King Ahmose I (r 1550 to 1525 B.C.) at Abydos at the very beginning of the New Kingdom. After that the pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings.It's not entirely clear why pharaohs stopped building royal pyramids, and opted instead for the Valley of the Kings, but security concerns could have been a factor. "There are plenty of theories, but since pyramids were inevitably plundered, hiding the royal burials away in a distant valley, carved into the rock and presumably with plenty of necropolis guards, surely played a role," Peter Der Manuelian, an Egyptology professor at Harvard University, told Live Science. "Even before they gave up on pyramids for kings, they had stopped placing the burial chamber under the pyramid. The last king's pyramid — that of Ahmose I, at Abydos — had its burial chamber over 0.5 kilometers [1,640 feet] away, behind it, deeper in the desert," Aidan Dodson, an Egyptology professor at the University of Bristol, told Live Science. [Source: Owen Jarus, Live Science, November 26, 2021

Own Jarus wrote in Live Science: One historical record that may hold important clues was written by a man named "Ineni," who was in charge of building the tomb of Thutmose I in the Valley of the Kings. Ineni wrote that "I supervised the excavation of the cliff tomb of his majesty alone — no one seeing, no one hearing. " This record "obviously suggests that secrecy was a major consideration," Ann Macy Roth, a clinical professor of art history and Hebrew and Judaic studies at New York University, told Live Science.

The natural topography of the Valley of the Kings could explain why it emerged as a favored location for royal tombs. It has a peak now known as el-Qurn (sometimes spelled Gurn), which looks a bit like a pyramid. The peak "closely resembles a pyramid, [so] in a way all royal tombs built in the valley were placed beneath a pyramid," Miroslav Bárta, an Egyptologist who is vice rector of Charles University in the Czech Republic, told Live Science.

For Egyptian pharaohs the pyramid was important as it was a place "of ascension and transformation" to the afterlife, wrote Mark Lehner.in his book "The Complete Pyramids: Solving the Ancient Mysteries". The topography of Luxor, which became the capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom (1550 to 1070 B.C.) may also have played a role in the decline of pyramid construction. The area is "far too restricted in space, with also lots of lumps and bumps," Dodson said. In other words, the ancient capital may have been too small and architecturally challenging to serve as the home for new pyramids.

Religious changes that emphasized building tombs underground are another possible reason the Egyptians ditched grand pyramids. "During the New Kingdom, a concept of the night journey of the king through the Netherworld became extremely popular, and this required sophisticated plans of the tombs hewn in bedrock below ground," Bárta said. The underground tombs hewn into the Valley of the Kings fit this concept well.

Royal Cache at Deirel-Bahri — Home of the Missing Pharaohs

Many of the great monarchs of the New Kingdom — Ahmose I, who expelled the Hyksos, the sacred queen Ahmose-Nefertari, Amenhotep I, Thutmose II, Thutmose III the great conqueror, Seti I, and the great Ramses II — and many others were taken from their original tombs and taken to a tomb near Deirel-Bahri near present-day Luxor where they rested unmolested until the 19th century. Around 1875 villagers in Kurna on the West Bank of the River Nile opposite Luxor found the tomb in the the Theban necropolis, found this pit. They guarded their secret with care until the summer of 1881 when it was discovered by Egyptian authorities. On July 5, 1881 the tomb was entered officers of the Bulak Museum who telegraphed what they found to Europe.

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Valley of the Kings Maite Mascort wrote in National Geographic: Royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings typically hold just one ruler. In 1881 a tomb near Deirel-Bahri in the Theban necropolis defied these assumptions. Rather than one royal mummy, a cache of mummies was discovered there. Among the dead, scholars identified no fewer than 11 pharaohs of ancient Egypt’s New Kingdom period, including Seti I, whose body was missing from his magnificent tomb, and Ramses the Great. [Source: Maite Mascort, National Geographic, June 15, 2023]

Nicknamed the Royal Cache, this tomb (known to experts as TT320 or DB320) originally housed the bodies of the high priest of Amun and his family, who lived around 960 B.C. When Egyptologists documented the tomb’s contents in 1881, more than 50 bodies were found there. Many of them, like Seti I and Ramses II, were kings and queens missing from the tombs that were built for them. Although the Deir el-Bahri discovery revealed the whereabouts of these missing royals, many more were still unaccounted for. Another impressive cache would be discovered in 1898, this time in the tomb of one of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs: Amenhotep II.

During the 21st Dynasty (circa 1077 B.C. to 950 B.C.), the mummies of monarchs from previous centuries were taken out of their original burial places in the Valley of the Kings and eventually hidden in a high priest’s tomb near Deir el-Bahri and in the tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35). Victor Loret discovered the KV35 cache less than two decades after French Egyptologist Gaston Maspero had stumbled on the mummy cache at Deir el-Bahri in 1882.

Rediscovering the Valley of the Kings

José Lull wrote in National Geographic In the first century B.C., the historian Diodorus Siculus, described the Valley of the Kings as a ruin. The centuries were not kind to the site as both natural and human causes had further degraded the site. The sincere academic interest of French scholars following Napoleon’s 1798 invasion of Egypt was matched by keen commercial interest in antiquities. In the early 1800s many objects across Egypt were pillaged for the European market.When Italian adventurer and former circus strongman Giovanni Belzoni arrived in Egypt in 1815, the country was under British control. [Source: José Lull, National Geographic History, June 26, 2020]

As part of his campaign to best a French rival, Belzoni befriended local people near the Valley of the Kings who worked as tomb robbers. Thanks to their information, he became familiar with the site. Despite his mercenary streak, Belzoni was genuinely interested in archaeology. He studied the valley’s topography and noted how fast draining rainwater could indicate hidden openings. (Priest-embalmers offered burial packages for every budget.)

In winter 1816 Belzoni located the tomb of the 18th-dynasty pharaoh Ay. In October of the following year, his men discovered the tomb of Ramses I, founder of the 19th dynasty. In the course of that discovery, Belzoni noticed another small hollow that easily absorbed rainwater, suggesting that a cavity lay beneath. On digging, his team found a rubble-filled entrance. Once the debris was cleared, they could glimpse magnificent wall decorations beyond. While exploring the tomb, Belzoni found an embalmed bull, leading him to believe the tomb was dedicated to Apis, the holy bull worshipped in northern Egypt. He did not identify the tomb as that of Seti I, or of any ruler, because nowhere in the tomb was there a human mummy.

Early Discoveries in the Valley of the Kings

In 1897, Victor Loret was appointed the director of the Egyptian Antiquities Organization. The outstanding Egyptologist of his day, he and his team discovered the tomb of Thutmose III, one of Egypt’s greatest military kings, on February 12, 1898. It had been looted in antiquity but still contained some of pharaoh’s grave goods. Less than a month later, on March 9, they sighted the entrance to another tomb located at the foot of the cirque formation that surrounds the Valley of the Kings. [Source: Maite Mascort, National Geographic, June 15, 2023]

Maite Mascort wrote in National Geographic: Accompanied by a rais, the local foreman, Loret lit candles and entered. In the flickering gloom, he and the rais found a small figurine among the rubble: an ushabti inscribed with the name of King Amenhotep II, son of Thutmose III. It was a tantalizing clue, but not definitive proof of the tomb owner’s identity. The entrance and the sloping passageways bored into the mountain until reaching a well, which had clearly once been filled with magnificent grave goods. Only broken remnants were left. It was obvious that this tomb, too, had been ransacked in ancient times, and Loret, disappointed, assumed that little or nothing of interest would be found.

Venturing deeper into the complex, Loret and the rais found themselves in a rectangular room supported by two pillars. In the dim light of the candles, they could make out the shape of a funerary boat. Loret was then greeted by a “horrible” sight: He wrote, “A body lay there upon the boat, all black and hideous, its grimacing face turning towards me and looking at me, its long brown hair in sparse bunches around its head.” Thieves had stripped it of its bandages and any accoutrements, leaving it bare but otherwise intact on the boat.

Discovering Royal Mummies in Amenhotep II’s Tomb

Maite Mascort wrote in National Geographic: At the end of this room was a staircase that the two men cautiously descended. They found themselves in a short passageway that led to a vestibule. Another passageway extended beyond it to a large room with six pillars. Faint, colored murals decorated the walls on either side. The two men found and identified, with growing excitement,Amenhotep II’s name on the walls. Here then, was another piece of evidence that this place was the likely resting place of one of the New Kingdom’s most powerful rulers and builders.[Source: Maite Mascort, National Geographic, June 15, 2023]

Crunching their way over broken objects — wood, pottery, and alabaster — Loret and the rais entered a sunken area of the room, where they found a large stone sarcophagus with its lid missing. Inside was a closed coffin with a crown of dry leaves placed at the feet and flowers at the head. Given the mess the thieves had made of the tomb, was it possible that they’d left what until then no Egyptologist had managed to find — the intact mummy of a pharaoh still lying in its sarcophagus?

20120215-Valley of kings1995.jpg Loret continued his exploration of the tomb. A surprising find was three mummified bodies in one of the adjoining chambers. Closer inspection revealed their bandages had been torn away by looters, exposing bodies and faces. The tomb, however, had more surprises in store. The doorway of another adjoining chamber had been blocked with large stones. Loret lifted his candle to peer through the cracks, and by its dim light made out nine more coffins, five of them still covered with their lids.

The newly discovered tomb, later designated as tomb KV35, had outstripped all expectations. Loret later returned to begin the process of excavation and evacuation of its contents. Cotton-lined boxes were brought in to carry away the multiple mummies. Moving aside the stones obstructing the side chamber, Loret then began to investigate the nine bodies inside.

After brushing away the thick layer of dust that covered the lid of the nearest coffin, Loret read, with astonishment, the royal protocol with the name of Ramses IV. Working his way from coffin to coffin, he revealed the names of Thutmose IV, Amenhotep III, Merneptah, SetIII, Siptah, Ramses V, and Ramses VI. The ninth belonged to a woman, whose identity remains uncertain. As with the Royal Cache found at Deir el-Bahri 16 years earlier, the Frenchman had hit on a group of relocated mummies that included some of the most powerful and celebrated pharaohs of the New Kingdom.

Some 300 feet in length, tomb KV35 has the typical L-shape of royal tombs built during the 18th dynasty. It is one of the deepest structures in the Valley of the Kings. Objects like these amulets, all produced in the 15th century B.C., were among Amenhotep II's grave goods. The amulets include the ankh symbol, the djed pillar, and the “was” scepter.

New Kingdom Tombs

There are a great number of grotto-tombs at Thebes of the time of the New Kingdom., which, comparatively speaking, are little injured. Those indeed which possessed a brick porch have lost that part, but the funerary chapels are often in excellent preservation. They usually consist of a wide chamber of little depth, on the two narrow sides of which arc placed the stelae; whilst in the middle of the back wall is generally the entrance to a narrow long room. In the latter as a rule was the well with the coffin, and seated in a niche in the further wall were usually the life-size statues of the deceased and his wife carved in the rock. The may contain other chambers in addition to the above. [Source: Adolph Erman, “Life in Ancient Egypt”, 1894]

The walls are generally plastered with Nile mud and hastily though brightly painted. We see that under the New Kingdom the upper classes were not so particular as to the plan of their tombs. The reliefs and paintings tended to be formulaic. Some tombs had a Hall of Truth, where the pharaoh's heart was weighed in judgement by Osiris, with the god Ammut ready to consume if it was lacking in character.

New Kingdom Pharaoh tombs were designed to resemble houses in the other world and typically contained images depicting the journey of the deceased into the afterlife. Almost all the New Kingdom Pharaoh Tombs in the Valley of the Kings had an identical design. The chambers were chiseled out of bedrock with copper chisels and flint choppers from ceiling to floor, which means the ceiling dimensions are identical but the floor dimensions vary greatly. The room and corridors had names such as the First God's Passage, Sanctuaries in Which the God's Repose, and Hall of Hindering.

Many pharaoh tombs were so elaborate that they took decades to build and were never finished. When a pharaoh died, the tomb was quickly fixed up — often with rooms being used for a purpose they were not intended for and unfinished paintings done in a rush — to accept the pharaoh.

Things Found in New Kingdom Tombs

Though initially the architectural plan of the tombs of the New Kingdom was simpler than that of those of the old period, gradually many other things were added on as they were deemed necessary for the full salvation of the soul of the deceased. The sarcophagus under the Old Kingdom was a four-cornered stone chest with few inscriptions and very little adornment; under the Middle Kingdom however it had quite a gay appearance. False doors were painted on the outside, as well as invocations to the protector of the dead, while the inside was closely inscribed with religious texts. The inner coffins also were generally similarly inscribed all over. Evidently they believed that these formulae, the glorifications as they called them, the repetition of which was so useful for the deceased, would exercise the same effect if they wrote them out for him instead of repeating them. In later times, when these formulae increased more and more in number, they had not room enough for them on the sides of the coffin; under the New Kingdom therefore they were written out on a roll of papyrus, and this so-called Book of the Dead was bound up inside the bandages of the mummy. [Source: Adolph Erman, “Life in Ancient Egypt”, 1894]

Thus as it was not now necessary that the coffin should have smooth sides fit for inscriptions, the Egyptians began to think more of its artistic form. The inner coffins, which were of wood or cartonagc, were as a rule shaped like the mummy, and on the cover of the outer stone sarcophagus used by people of rank was represented the deceased lying at full length. The embalmment and the complicated system of bandaging the body seem to have become more elaborate under the New Kingdom as compared with the older period; as yet however we can give no details on this point. One innovation only is apparent, viz. the treatment of the viscera. The heart — the weight of which depended the decision as to the innocence of the deceased in the judgment before Osiris — was now taken out of the body and replaced by a stone scarabaeus. The scarab was considered an especially mysterious and sacred animal, and the figure of this insect was almost as symbolic to the followers of the Egyptian religion as the cross is to the Christian. If this sacred emblem therefore were substituted for the sinful heart, and further if the invocation were added that it “might not rise up as a witness "

The heart and other organs were places in canopic jars. Before the invention of these jars many precautionary measures were taken to ward off the much-dreaded danger of hunger, in case the sacrifices and magical formulae should fail of effect. Under the Old and the Middle Kingdom food was given to him in imperishable form; alabaster figures of roast geese, and wooden jars of wine were supposed, by the indwelling of certain magical power, to satisfy his hunger and thirst. In the same mysterious way his food was also supposed to be cooked for him in the little wooden models of kitchens, which resembled those in which his servants had formerly roasted his beef and prepared his food; whilst statuettes of servants pounding corn or kneading dough were believed to provide bread for the deceased. The same faith in the magical power of wooden figures was shown when they placed a little boat with oars near the coffin; this was to ensure to him the possibility of traveling. Besides these models of servants and of sailors which replaced the earthly domestics of the departed, there were many other figures of a different kind which served him as bondservants. [Source: Adolph Erman, “Life in Ancient Egypt”, 1894]

Tombs in the Valley of the Kings

Almost all the New Kingdom Pharaoh Tombs in the Valley of the Kings had an identical design and were made using similar methods. The chambers were chiseled out of bedrock with copper chisels and flint choppers from ceiling to floor, which means the ceiling dimensions are identical but the floor dimensions vary greatly. The rooms and corridors had names such as the First God's Passage, Sanctuaries in Which the God's Repose, and Hall of Hindering. Most tombs were so elaborate that they took decades to build and were never finished. When a pharaoh died, the tomb was quickly fixed up, often with rooms serving purposes they were not intended for, with paintings finished in a rush, to make way for the deceased the pharaoh.

Last burial chamber in Amenhotep II’s Tomb

Tombs of Pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings include ones belonging to King Tutankhamun (King Tut), Ramses VI, Ramses IX, Tuthmomis III, Ramses VII, Ramses IV, Ramses II, Ramses III, Ramses I, Amenhotep II, Tuthmosis II, Ramses III, Ramses VI, Tuthmosis IV, Amenhotep II and Seti II. The entire Thebean necropolis contains 4,000 to 5,000 tombs, of which only 400 have been given numbers.

Assasif Tombs (between Hatshepsut's Temple and Tombs of Nobles) features paintings from everyday life and things like hunting and fishing. Three of the tombs are open to the public. They are the tombs of Kheru-Elf, Anch-Hor and Pabasa.

Tombs of Nobles (across the road from the Ramsesseum) has wall paintings that portray the lives of nobles and their families as well as scenes from everyday life . They are not as outstanding as those in the major tombs in the Valleys of the Kings and Queens.

Tomb of Nefer Sekheru (Tombs of Nobles) contains interesting images of everyday life. The Tomb of Nakt has some beautiful inscriptions and paintings of ibises, ducks, cats and butterflies. The Tomb of Mena features 3000-year-old wall painting that still retain their color. Mirrors are sometimes used to direct sunlight on the paintings. Mena was a scribe during the reign of Tutmosis IV.

Tomb of Sennefer (Tombs of Nobles) has broad square pillars and a ceiling and walls decorated with geometric patterns. One brightly colored scene show the blissful marriage of mayor Sennefer and his wife Meryet being performed under the watchful eye of Horus. Tomb of Ramose shows women supplicating themselves to their dead master. Ramose was a state official who worked during the reign of Amenhotep III and Akhenaten. The tomb contains inscriptions dedicated to Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti.

Lesser Tombs in the Valley of the Kings

Tomb of Ramses IX Donald P. Ryan of Pacific Lutheran University wrote: “The main focus of my work in the Valley has been in the examination of several undecorated tombs (Tomb No.'s 21, 27, 28, 44, 45, 48 and 60) found in this royal cemetery of Egypt's New Kingdom (c. 1550-1070 B.C.). Lying amongst the large and often elaborately decorated tombs of the pharaohs, many of these typically smaller tombs remained virtually unstudied by their early discoverers who generally found them uninteresting. The work of the Pacific Lutheran University Valley of the Kings Expedition, however, proved that these long ignored monuments were very worthy of investigation. Tomb 60 was particularly provocative. Robbed in antiquity, it was discovered at the turn of the century, found to be of limited interest, reburied, and its location subsequently lost. We managed to rediscover this long lost tomb on our very first day of work! The damaged contents of this crudely carved tomb were splendidly preserved and included funerary food provisions, broken bits of burial equipment, the remains of a shattered gilded coffin and a female mummy. This mummy, that of an older individual, was embalmed in what is believed to the pose of a royal female: the left arm bent at the elbow, forearm diagonally across the chest, left hand clenched and the right arm straight alongside the body. Although there has been much, often inappropriate, speculation, the specific identity of this mummy has not been determined. [Source: Donald P. Ryan Pacific Lutheran University Valley of the Kings Expedition, community.plu.edu ]

Inside Amenhotep II’s Tomb

“Tomb 21 was originally discovered by Giovanni Belzoni in 1817. This large and undecorated tomb was found to contain the remains of two female mummies along with funerary equipment. The tomb remained open for perhaps a decade until it was apparently buried deeply by flood-borne debris. A trench was carved down to the tomb entrance in the 1890's and this too was filled into the point where there was little trace of its exact location. The tomb was quickly rediscovered with the skillful use of a trowel although it took us many days to excavate down to the entrance. Inside, we found evidence that the tomb and its contents had been damaged by flooding. Belzoni's mummies were found vandalized and broken into pieces. When rearticulated, however, we found that the two mummies appear to be striking the same royal female pose as the mummy in Tomb 60!

“Tombs 28, 44 and 45 each consist of a single room entered from a shaft. Although these simple tombs had all been previously examined, many artifacts (ushabtis, coffin fragments, etc.) were found within. Between the three of them, we also found the remains of over a dozen individuals. Tomb 27 has only been partially excavated. When we first investigated this tomb, we found that most of its chambers were nearly encumbered to the ceiling with flood debris. This tomb serves as an excellent example of one of the Valley's most serious conservation issues: although situated in an environment that normally appears arid in the extreme, perhaps the worst enemy of the royal necropolis is water. Rain-induced flash floods drain violently through the natural channel of the Valley, threatening tombs with water, mud and stony debris. Our expedition dedicated a special study season to address these questions and we are pleased that the Supreme Council of Antiquities and others are continuing similar practical efforts for the long-term preservation of these monuments.”

Discoveries from the Valley of the Kings

Interesting stuff in the Valley of the Kings, according to Live Science, includes four foundation deposits in a box like shapethat may indicate the presence of a nearby undiscovered tomb. The deposits contained, a cow’s head, a blue painted vase, blades with the wooden handles, ceramics and other artifacts. The four deposits are in a box like shape, something seen in other foundation deposits from the Valley of the Kings. There should, however, be a fifth deposit on the axis of the undiscovered tomb and that deposit has yet to be found. At a later point in time, probably after the deposits were forgotten, huts were erected that housed ancient workers. Ancient graffiti was also found on the cliff walls. [Source: Live Science, March 21, 2013]

A sundial dating to the 13th century B.C. and considered one of the oldest Egyptian sundials, was discovered in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. Archaeologists made a number of other finds in the western valley, the portion of the Valley of the Kings where the deposits were found. Staircases were found some distance to the south of the depositsand lead to ancient worker huts.

One of the rooms the tomb KV 40 contained several burials from the 18th dynasty and the Third Intermediate Period. The scattered remains within the tomb consist of fragments of wood, cartonnage, and mummy bandages and linen cloths. Tomb KV 40 was plundered several times and damaged by a fire. During recent excavations, archaeologists discovered mummified remains alongside fragments of coffins, cloth and pottery. Family members and children related to the pharaohs were likely buried here in the 14th century B.C.

The burial chamber dubbed KV 64 contained two burials, one from the 18th dynasty and the other the 22nd dynasty. The more recent burial contained a wooden coffin with the mummy of a chantress of Amun called Nehmes-Bastet. Inside the tomb KV 64, scientists found very little pottery, though what they did find included two larger dishes, both with red bands at the rim, a flower pot, a small beer jar, a small storage jar, and less complete, a bottle, a second beer jar and the bases of two very large storage jars. An anthropomorphic canopic head of the 18th dynasty was found in 2012 in KV 64.

KV 33 was discovered during the team's 2012 season. The tomb had an iron door at its entrance and a wooden protection installed around the stairs. Cartonnage — an ancient type of papier maché made with a mixture of linen, animal glue and tinted plaster — was found in the KV 40 tomb. Inside KV 31, scientists found a piece of linen with the cartouche of Ramses III and a royal shabti from the 20th dynasty. These objects must have fallen into the tomb during its refilling after the first robberies in Pharaonic times, the researchers say.

Efforts in Ancient Times to Protect Valley of the Kings Tombs from Looters

The Valley of the Kings was separated from the Thebes (Luxor) by mountains. The sides of this valley are steep and rocky, and it is entered by but one good road, a circuitous route of two hours, with such a narrow opening into the Valley of the Tombs that it can be easily guarded by a few men. Direct from western Thebes it was possible to cross the rocky steep walls of the Gebel Asas at two points only; there was also another difficult entrance from the valley behind Valley of the Kings. [Source: Adolph Erman, “Life in Ancient Egypt”, 1894]

These three footpaths over the mountains were guarded by military outposts, and the ruins of their stone huts are still to be seen; another outpost was stationed at the entrance to the valley. Thus, according to human calculations, it seemed that the Valley of the Tombs of the Kings was safe from the entrance of all unauthorised persons.

Did thieves succeed in crossing the rocky mountain at an unguarded part, it would be scarcely possible in that narrow valley for them to escape the eyes of the watch. The greed of man, however, can always find ways to overcome difficulties which in the natural course appear unsurpassable, and the tombs in the Valley of the Kings fell victims to the thieves of the 20th dynasty.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons, The Louvre, The British Museum, The Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Text Sources: UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, escholarship.org ; Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Egypt sourcebooks.fordham.edu ; Tour Egypt, Minnesota State University, Mankato, ethanholman.com; Mark Millmore, discoveringegypt.com discoveringegypt.com; Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Discover magazine, Times of London, Natural History magazine, Archaeology magazine, The New Yorker, BBC, Encyclopædia Britannica, Time, Newsweek, Wikipedia, Reuters, Associated Press, The Guardian, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, “World Religions” edited by Geoffrey Parrinder (Facts on File Publications, New York); “History of Warfare” by John Keegan (Vintage Books); “History of Art” by H.W. Janson Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.), Compton’s Encyclopedia and various books and other publications.

Last updated July 2024