The Valley of the Kings lies on the West Bank of the Nile, opposite to Thebes, modern Luxor. For about 500 years from 1500 to 1000 BC, this was the burial place for the Egyptian Pharaohs. There are many valleys and so far two have been found containing tombs, the east and the west. In the two valleys 62 tombs have been discovered and a further 20 unfinished pits, the latest pit having been found in 2006 and the latest tomb, that of Tutankhamun in 1923.
It is thought that this valley was chosen for the Royal burials because the mountain resembles a pyramid, known as the Qurn (in Arabic) and is associated with the cult of the sun god Ra. Geologically, the cliffs are of limestone which enabled the tombs to be cut into the rocks and with their smoothness allow them to be easily decorated.
Most of the tombs were robbed in antiquity and their gold and precious stones
removed, although the paintings and carvings have remained, remarkably in tact.
The only tomb so far to have retained its' artefacts is that of Tutankhamun,
although most of its treasure is now in the Cairo museum.
There are only a few tombs open to the public but these are rotated during the
season as the water vapour from breath and sweat is damaging the paintings.
It is no longer permitted to take photographs inside the tombs for the same
reason. To see the whole layout of the valley and images from each of the tombs,
in extensive detail visit www.thebanmappingproject.com.
Guides are not allowed inside the tombs but the Tomb Guardians are very keen
on explaining the decoration to tourists but be prepared with the baksheesh.
The King's Valley was used during the New Kingdom with the earliest tombs dating from the earlier part of the 18th Dynasty and usually being cut higher up in the cliffs than those of the later kings. The ancient Egyptians believed in immortality and their tombs were brilliantly decorated with images of the king with the gods along with texts that would ensure a safe passage to the afterlife. The king was also buried with all the things that he would need to survive in the next world including food, furniture and all the belongings that he would have used in his earthly life.
The tombs basically consisted of a series of descending corridors, an antechamber and a burial chamber. The earlier layouts followed a bent axis, a flight of steps leading to three corridors, each known as one of the passages of the sun's nightly journey through the underworld and echoed on the wall decoration. Next comes a well or pit, thought to be either to deter robbers or to drain off water and protect the tomb from flooding. Beyond the well is a pillared hall followed by a right hand turn, and a further flight of steps then a sloping ramp leads down to the burial chamber. Later tombs became more complicated, with further rooms being added to store the pharaoh's necessities for his afterlife.
KV 34 The tomb of Tuthmoses III cut high into a sheer cliff. It is reached by a steep staircase and once inside there is another steep staircase descending into the tomb. It is one of the first tombs to have a well shaft and also has a text describing the underworld. Tuthmoses III reigned from 1504 to 1450 BC
The following photographs show the layout and decoration of the tomb of Rameses VI.
The funerary texts decorating the walls describe the voyages of the sun god
with whom the king is identified. Texts include "the book of gates"
and "the book of caverns", which are concerned with rewards and punishment
in the afterlife. The funerary texts allow the king to enter the afterlife unmolested
by the enemies of Ra.
Evidence from wall texts shows that each soul was dealt with individually and was either permitted to pass to the kingdom of Osiris or was destroyed. At the time of judgement each deceased soul was asked questions by 14 judges whilst their heart was weighed against the feather of Maat, goddess of justice. If the answer to each question was favourable then the heart would weigh the same as the feather and the soul was allowed to pass to the afterlife. This ceremony was presided over by Anubis, god of the underworld, whilst Thoth recorded the answers, if the answers were not favourable the heart was eaten by the awaiting monster, the "great eater".
A tomb at Deir el Bahri was discovered around 1881 containing several mummies, these were transported to Cairo and many are now on show at the Museum of Antiquities. The tomb was believed to belong to a family of high priests of Amun who ruled the Theban area from the end of the 20th dynasty. The kings and queens found in this tomb included Ahmose, Amenhotep I, Tuthmosis II, Tuthmosis III, Rameses I, Seti I, Rameses II and Rameses III. Examination of notes on the mummy wrappings revealed that these mummies had been moved several times.
A second cache of royal mummies was found in the burial chamber of Amenhotep II. In 1898. These included Tuthmosis IV, Amenhotep III, Mereneptah, Seti II, Siptah, Rameses IV, V and VI and an unnamed female, probably Tauseret, wife of Seti II. Not all of the kings of the new Kingdom have yet been found but Theodore Davis found many dismembered skeletons when he was working in the Valley of the Kings in 1908.
Many of the tombs were robbed by the workers who built them. A collection of papyri dating from the end of the 20th Dynasty contain the names of the tombs that were robbed and the confessions of the robbers. The confessions of both men and women were often extracted under torture. The punishments for tomb robbery included mutilation of noses and ears and being placed on a stake.
In order for the body to pass to the afterlife it had to undergo the process of mummification, which was the method of preservation of the body so that the Ka or personality of the person could return to it in the afterlife and was a ritual taking 70 days.
The deceased was taken to the Ibu, where it was dried and wrapped. The ritual involved the embalmers who were usually priests each taking on a specific role. The chief embalmer took on the role of Anubis, the god of embalming.
The
first step of mummification was the purification of the body, where it was washed
in natron. Once the body was free of impurities, it was taken to the place of
embalming, the Wabet. Here a slit was made in the side and the internal organs,
the stomach, intestines, lungs and liver were removed. Once the organs were
removed, the cavity was cleaned and then packed with a temporary stuffing. The
organs were also cleaned and wrapped and stored in canopic jars, until the 21st
dynasty, after this date they were often put back inside the body. The canopic
jars had stoppers shaped like the head of one of the minor funery deities, the
four sons of Horus, which would protect the organs until the deceased was reborn
in the afterlife.
The brain was removed through the nose using a sort of hook and discarded as the brain was thought to be of no importance and the empty skull was filled with linen bandages or sawdust. The body was then put into a bath of natron and the body cavity filled with natron to dry it out. After about 40 days the body would be completely desiccated and it was then coated with resin to preserve it. The body would then be removed to the "house of beauty" where perfume and oils were rubbed into the skin to make it supple again and the cavity would be re-stuffed with linen or sawdust.
At
least 15 days were needed to wrap the mummy, as prayers had to be recited at
each stage. The linen used was torn into strips of 2 to 8 inches in width. The
limbs and even the toes and fingers would be wrapped separately and during the
wrapping process protective amulets were applied to strategic places over the
body to give it protection in the afterlife.
The whole body was then wrapped in linen. The arms could be placed across the chest or down by the groin and this depended on the level of nobility. The final wrapping was a single sheet of linen to cover the whole body and secured by linen bands.
When
the body was finally laid to rest the mouth of the mummy was ritually opened
in the "opening of the mouth" ceremony to allow the deceased to breathe,
eat and talk in the afterlife.
The use of masks dates from the middle kingdom and for royalty these were of precious metals and covered with jewels. The final stage was covering the mummy with resin before laying it to rest in its coffin.
Many of the Royal mummies can be seen in the Museum of antiquities at Cairo. One, thought to be Seti I is on display at Luxor Museum.
The Valley of the Kings is a magnificent site to visit and tour guides will suggest the best tombs to visit. Some have very steep steps but there is enough choice to see a variety of decoration, marvellous colours and some sarcophagi, no matter how fit you are feeling on the day.
