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Ancient Egyptians - Tombs of Pharaohs |
Tombs of Pharaohs The Tombs of Pharaohs Ancient Egypt - Tombs of Pharaohs Fact Sheet Fact 1 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The Mastaba was the first type of tomb. It was a very simple construction devoid of lavish decoration. The mastaba was built of mud-brick and consisted of a single elevated platform. The mastaba was used during the Pre-dynastic Period through to the Early Dynastic Period of ancient Egyptian history.
Traditional mastaba Fact 2 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The mastaba tombs were developed into massive complexes. The burial chambers were surrounded by many rooms and passages. King Hor- Aha of the 1st dynasty built a massive underground mastaba tomb complex in honor of his mother Queen Neithhotep at Naqada, near Thinis.
Fact 3 on Tombs of Pharaohs: During the period of the Old Kingdom a radical change was made in relation to the burial of the kings of Egypt. In 2686 BC the first Egyptian pyramid was built by the famous architect Imhotep. Imhotep built the Step Pyramid at Saqqara for King Djoser who was one of the kings of the 3rd Dynasty - also refer to King Djoser. The site of Saqqara was to eventually house 16 pyramids.
King Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara Fact 4 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The Step Pyramid at Saqqara led to the building of the smooth surfaced Great Pyramid of Cheops at Gizaduring the 4th Dynasty of kings. Fact 5 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The great pyramids of Giza were built for Khufu aka Cheops (r.2589 - 2566 BC), Khafre aka Chephren (r.2558 - 2532 BC) and Menkaure(r.2532 - 2504 BC.)
Fact 6 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The Pyramid Texts were inscribed on the walls of five of the pyramids at Saqqara between 2350 to 2175 B.C. The sacred texts are inscribed on the pyramids of King Unas of the 5th Dynasty, and Teti, Pepi I, Merenre and Pepi II of the Sixth Dynasty. The tomb was pyramid texts were devoid of any pictures or images, they were just plain text. Fact 7 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The glorious Old Kingdom, the 'Age of the Pyramids' declined leading to the chaotic First Intermediate Period and the 7th - 10th Egyptian Dynasties. King Qakare Ibi is the only Pharaoh that can connected to any tomb monuments. His pyramid was located at Saqqara and contained pyramid texts on the walls of his tomb. Fact 8 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The End of the Pyramids: The building of pyramids came to a halt during the periods of the Middle Kingdom and the Second Intermediate Period that covered the the 11th - 17th dynasties. The major constructions during these eras focussed on the building of temples. Fact 9 on Tombs of Pharaohs: By the period of the New Kingdom, and the 18th-20th dynasties, the great Pyramids were completely abandoned in favor of hidden rock tombs in the Valley of Kings. Some of the most famous pharaohs including Hatshepsut, Tutankhamun, Tuthmose and Ramses II are buried in the Valley of the Kings. Queen Hatshepsut was also memorialized in her mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari.
Hatshepsut mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari Fact 10 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The decline of the New Kingdom led to a series of invasions including the Syrians, the Nubians, the Persians and the Greeks. During the 21st-31st dynasties no great tomb monuments were built. At the end of this period Egypt became a mere province of Ancient Rome. continued... Ancient Egypt - Tombs of Pharaohs Fact Sheet Tombs of Pharaohs Tombs of Pharaohs Ancient Egypt - Tombs of Pharaohs Fact Sheet Fact 11 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The kings of ancient Egypt provided for their afterlives according to their earthly means - so they were entombed with their best and most expensive belongings. Fact 12 on Tombs of Pharaohs: During the 1st dynasty Human Sacrificeand animal sacrifice both played a part in the funerary rituals. The practice ceased at the end of the first dynasty when 'shabtis' took the place of actual people. Shabtis were small funerary statuettes that were placed in tombs to perform tasks for the deceased in the afterlife. Fact 13 on Tombs of Pharaohs: Tomb walls were beautifully painted with images of the gods and the pharaoh. Ancient Egyptian art was dictated by strict conformity to a set of simplistic rules that were adhered to for three thousand years that helped to create a sense of order and balance. Fact 14 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The style of tomb paintings therefore hardly changed over 3000 years. Males were depicted with reddish-brown colored skin reflecting outdoor pursuits whereas females were painted with a yellowish colored skin. Fact 15 on Tombs of Pharaohs: Tomb paintings of gods and pharaohs were always depicted as young and healthy. Heads were depicted in profile with just one eye visible. Their faces were devoid of emotional expression. Both shoulders were shown front facing. Fact 16 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The fabulous items of gold, silver and jewels belonging to the Kings and Queens attracted the attentions of robbers - the tomb raiders. The locations of tombs were kept secret but inevitably many tombs of pharaohs were found and robbed. Fact 17 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The ancient Egyptians employed various tactics to deter tomb robbers. The locations of tombs were well hidden in remote locations such as the Valley of the Kings. Fact 18 on Tombs of Pharaohs: A tomb would be sealed and bolted, it would contain secret chambers that were difficult to access, passages were blocked with massive stone slabs, there were hidden holes, trap doors and wires were used as booby traps to injure or kill any intruders. Fact 19 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The ancient Egyptians also used powdered poisonous substances to coat the walls and tomb contents. The poison was released into the air when stones were disturbed. Fact 20 on Tombs of Pharaohs: Tomb robbers were treated most severely. They were whipped, tortured and some had their hands chopped off. They were then executed by being burnt alive or impaled on a stake. Either mode of execution would mean that there was no body to pass into the afterlife. The sentence of impalement meant that the soul would be forever tied to the place of execution. Ancient Egypt - Tombs of Pharaohs Fact Sheet Tombs of Pharaohs Ancient Egypt - Tombs of Pharaohs Fact Sheet Fact 21 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The ancient Egyptians also attempted to deter tomb robbers by a pharaohs curse. Fact 22 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The curse of Pharaoh Tutankhamun is reported as: "Death comes on wings to he who enters the tomb of a pharaoh". Fact 23 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The tomb curse of Pharaoh Thutmose I is: "He shall have no heir" Fact 24 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The tomb curse of Pharaoh Meryibre Khety is: "He shall be cooked together with the condemned" Fact 25 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The Valley of the Kings is a necropolis meaning a large cemetery or burial place. The Valley of the Kings is located near Luxor (once called Thebes). Sixty-three tombs which have been discovered in the Valley of the Kings belonging to the Pharaohs and leading nobles and statesmen. Fact 26 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The Valley of the Queens is a necropolis where many of the wives, children and family members of famous Pharaohs were buried in over 100 tombs. Fact 27 on Tombs of Pharaohs: John Gardiner Wilkinson (1797–1875) assigned the numeration system for the Egyptian tombs found in the Valley of the Kings. Each tomb has a number and letters that indicate their location. For example QV no.66 refers to the burial of Nerfertari in the Queen Valley, WV no.23 refers to the burial of the Pharaoh Ay in the Western Valley and TT no.55 refers to the burial of Ramose designated to the category of Theban Tomb. Fact 28 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The most famous tomb of all is that of Tutankhamun that was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter. Fact 29 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The most famous tomb in the Valley of the Queens belongs to Queen Nefertari, the beautiful wife of Ramses II aka Ramses the Great. Fact 30 on Tombs of Pharaohs: The table below provides the references to the tombs of the pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings. Ancient Egypt - Tombs of Pharaohs Fact Sheet Tombs of Pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings Tombs of Pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings KV1: The tomb of Ramses VII (Edwin Brock) Tombs of Pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings Tombs of Pharaohs Tombs of Pharaohs |
