V is for Valley of the Kings


I used to love learning about the Valley of the Kings. The name just sounds so magical.

Taken from here

- The Valley of the Kings is a desert valley, and is located to the west of Thebes. Despite its name, only a minority of tombs was built for members of the royal family.

- There are two main branches: the East Valley, where most of the royal tombs are, and the West Valley, where only the tombs of Amenhotep III and Ay are located.

- Each of the tombs have fallen victim to tomb robbers, although the tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered almost intact in 1922.

- The mummies were eventually moved to secret caches, to protect them from damage and salvage the remaining treasures from the tombs. Not all of the royal mummies have been found, so there may be a third cache, as yet undiscovered. 

- The only royal mummies found in their own tombs were Amenhotep II, who was re-buried in his tomb by 21st Dynasty priests, and Tutankhamun. 

- There are over 60 tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Some are small tombs, just a large hole in the ground, while others have over 100 underground chambers. 

- The most famous tomb in the Valley of the Kings is that of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun, discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter. It was well hidden; it had been mostly untouched by thieves and vandals. It was found under the remains of some workmen's huts, which could be why it had not been found before. Many treasures were found in the tomb, including a gold mask, a solid gold inner coffin and Tutankhamun's mummy itself.

- Tourists today can visit many of the tombs, including that of Tutankhamun (another reason I would love to visit Egypt one day).

Comments

  1. Tasha Duncan-Drake25 April 2014 at 10:25

    I'd so love to see the tombs from the valley up close. I've seen them so many times on TV and they must be amazing. Everyone always thinks pyramids, but some of the underground tomb constructions are simply breathtaking in their architectural achievement.
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings - AtoZ (Vampires)
    FB3X - AtoZ (Erotic Drabbles)

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  2. Sophie Duncan25 April 2014 at 10:29

    The tomb investigation I have enjoyed following in the last decade or so in the Valley of the Kings is KV5 where Rameses II's sons are buried, because it has been possible to watch the discoveries as they happen. Such a large tomb complex that just went back and back.
    Sophie
    Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles - A to Z Ghosts
    Fantasy Boys XXX - A to Z Drabblerotic

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  3. Alex J. Cavanaugh25 April 2014 at 13:56

    A hundred chambers - can you imagine how long it took to dig?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Colin Smith25 April 2014 at 15:55

    The enterprise, industry, skill, and imagination of these people is simply staggering. One can only wonder what an Ancient Egyptian tomb designer would come up with if given modern equipment. It's a shame tomb raiders made off with so many artifacts, but thankfully some tombs were well enough hidden that we can still enjoy them in their fullness today. :)

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  5. Tina25 April 2014 at 16:43

    I've always wanted to visit one of the tombs. Saw the traveling King Tut exhibit in Denver when it was here! That was cool.
    Tina @ Life is Good
    A to Z Team @ Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2014

    ReplyDelete
  6. Tonja Drecker25 April 2014 at 17:01

    It'd be amazing to visit it someday. It's too bad so many were rampaged. I read somewhere that there was a time in Europe when the upper class would import a mummy from Egypt and use it as a party game. Or for awhile, they even used them to make paper. Very sad.

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  7. debi o'neille25 April 2014 at 17:07

    It would be great to actually visit one of these tunes someday, but I'm not likely to manage it on my writerly budget. :-)
    Deb@ http://debioneille.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. L.G. Keltner25 April 2014 at 17:08

    The name is magical! 100+ chambers? Wow! It takes some real effort to make something like that! Then again, the Egyptians also built the pyramids, so they clearly had no problem with going all out on these types of things. Interesting post!

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  9. SK Anthony25 April 2014 at 17:11

    I would love for the other tombs to be found during my lifetime, to see what we learn from them. It's just too fascinating!

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  10. Chrys Fey25 April 2014 at 17:41

    Valley of the Kings does sound magical. It's such a shame that the tombs were robbed. I've always wanted to travel to Egypt. If I ever do, I would definitely visit the tombs. :)

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  11. jaybird25 April 2014 at 18:44

    Great photo! My daughter has a lizard she named King Tut because she loves Egyptian history like this, so much!

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  12. Julie Flanders25 April 2014 at 20:36

    I agree, the name alone makes me want to see this place. I didn't know much about it though so this history was fun for me to read. Happy weekend!

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  13. cleemckenzie25 April 2014 at 21:08

    I first read about Carter's discovery when I was in grade school. I immediately decided to become an archeologist. Didn't happen, but I've always loved reading about it.

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  14. Deanie Humphrys-Dunne25 April 2014 at 22:05

    I hope you get to visit Egypt someday, Laura. It would be an exciting place to visit for sure.

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  15. Rob Z Tobor25 April 2014 at 23:15

    I was rather amused Miss Laura by your photograph which says Taken From Here, I have a habit of sort of seeing things the wrong way. . . . . . almost done and then its back to writing that best selling novel of yours. . . .

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  16. S. L. Hennessy26 April 2014 at 03:54

    I loved the Valley of the Kings. It was fascinating.

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  17. Mina Burrows28 April 2014 at 17:21

    I think the Valley of the Kings is about the coolest thing I've ever heard of... I would like to visit this area too. 60 tombs...wow.

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  18. Mike6 May 2014 at 08:18

    neat!

    ReplyDelete

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