Its importance
The Valley of the Kings was a great burial ground for the Pharaohs .
After around 1500 B.C .
The Pharaohs no longer built great pyramids in which to be buried .
Instead , most of them were buried in tombs in the Valley of the Kings .
How many Tombs are in the Valley of the Kings ?
There are over 60 tombs in the Valley of the Kings .
They vary from small tombs that are little more than a large hole in the ground to very large tombs with over 100 underground chambers .
Unfortunately , most of the tombs were looted thousands of years ago and the treasure was stolen or removed by thieves .
There is artwork on the walls , however , that allows archaeologists to learn much about the lives of the Pharaohs and other leaders who were buried here .
The one tomb that was discovered with much of the treasure and tomb still intact was that of Tutankhamun .
The Tomb of Tutankhamun
The most famous tomb in the Valley of the Kings is that of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun , sometimes called King Tut .
It was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter and had been largely untouched by thieves and vandals .
Carter found the tomb under the remains of some workmen’s huts .
This may be why it had not been found by tomb raiders .
The tomb was packed with amazing artifacts including King Tut’s mummy , a gold mask , and a solid gold inner coffin .
The tomb contained several chambers including the burial chamber, antechamber, treasure chamber , and annex .
King Tut’s Curse
There is a long standing mystery about the curse of King Tut’s tomb .
Rumor had it that a tablet inside the tomb had a curse on it and Howard Carter hid the tablet so his workers wouldn’t know .
However , the rumors of a curse are most likely made up .
There weren’t a lot of deaths or bad things that happened to those who opened the tomb or Tutankhamen’s mummy.
Who else was buried here ?
The first Pharaoh to be buried in the Valley of the Kings was Tuthmosis I .
Over the next 500 years many more Pharaohs were buried here including many of the Rameses ( I , II , III , IV , V , VI , IX , X ) , Hatshepsut , Amemhotep I , and Tutankhamun
Fun Facts about the Valley of the Kings
- Today tourists can visit many of the tombs including Tutankhamun’s .
- There is graffiti on the tombs from other cultures and times including Greek , Latin and Phoenician .
- Although we don’t know who was Pharaoh during the Exodus in the Bible , due to the time frame , it is likely that he was buried in the Valley of the Kings .
- Tomb workers lived in a close by town called Deir El Medina .
- Tutankhamun was buried with a lock of hair from his Grandmother.
How big was the tomb ?
The tomb was fairly small for a Pharaoh .
Archaeologists believe that it was built for an Egyptian noble , but was used for Tutankhamun when he died at a young age .
The tomb had four main rooms :
- The antechamber was the first room that Carter entered . Among its many items included three funeral beds and the pieces of four chariots .
- The burial chamber contained the sarcophagus and King Tut’s mummy .
- The mummy was contained in three nested coffins . The final coffin was made of solid gold .
- The treasury contained the king’s Canopic chest which held his organs .
- There were also many treasures such as gilded statues and model boats .
- The annex was full of all sorts of objects including board games , oils and dishes .
Was there really a curse ?
At the time that King Tut’s tomb was opened , many people thought that there was a curse that would affect anyone who invaded the tomb .
When Lord Carnarvon died from a mosquito bite a year after entering the tomb , people were sure the tomb was cursed .
Soon rumors began to spread that increased the belief and fear of the curse .
Newspapers reported a curse inscribed on the door of the tomb .
A story was told that Howard Carter’s pet canary was eaten by a cobra on the day he entered the tomb .
It was also said that 13 of the 20 people who were present at the opening of the burial chamber died within a few years .
However , these were all just rumors .
When scientists look at the number of people who died within 10 years of entering the tomb , it is the same number as would normally believed .
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