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The Ancient Egyptians used to bury their Pharaohs in pyramids. These
pyramids could be seen for miles across the desert, a sure attraction for
thieves. To protect the tombs of the Pharaoh's the Egyptians decided it was
wise to hide the tombs in a more secretive place. They decided on a valley
on the West Bank of the Nile River near the ancient city of Thebes.
This valley became known as "The Valley of the Kings". Those buried here
were rulers from the New Kingdom (1570 - 1070BC). The royal wives were
buried several kilometres south in the Valley of the Queens.
The Valley of the Kings was a barren desert valley formed below a mountain,
which looked like a natural pyramid. Steep cliffs made of limestone
surrounded the valley concealing it from the rest of the world. The
pharaohs thought the Valley of the Kings was a perfect burial ground as it
only had one entrance and this could be easily guarded. They also like the
pyramid shaped mountain that looked down over the valley.
The Valley of the Kings contains more than 60 tombs of pharaohs, such as
Rameses II and Tuthmose III. Some tombs are small rooms; others consist of
many chambers and corridors. Large tombs were cut into the valley floor
then covered up and hidden. Unfortunately the Valley of the Kings was still
not a safe burial area for Egypt's rulers. Despite guards at the Valley
entrance and hidden tombs, grave robbers managed to break into most of the
tombs and take many of the treasures.
Archaeologists began to excavate the Valley of the Kings in the early
1800's. The first tomb discovered, was that of Sety I, by an Italian
explorer in 1817. The most well known tomb found, was that of Tutankhamen.
This tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter. Although the tomb was
robbed twice, it still contained over 5000 items plus the mummified remains
of King Tutankhamen.
Excavations are still being undertaken at the Valley of the Kings. In 1995
a tomb, believed to be unimportant, was about to become a carpark. KV5
(Kings Valley 5) ended up being a huge underground complex built for the
sons of Rameses II. This tomb is still being excavated.
This material has been produced by UNITEC Institute of Technology
under contract to the Ministry of Education.
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