Download Valley of the Kings

Valley of the
Kings
By: Julia Rainwater
December 8, 2009
Valley Location
 The Valley of the Kings is
located across from what was
Thebes, Egypt (modern-day
Luxor) on the west bank of
the Nile River. The area is
surrounded by steep cliffs and
a towering mountain which
may have reminded the
Egyptians of pyramids.
 Tombs were built into the
valley for the pharaohs and
powerful nobles of the New
Kingdom.
Name meaning
 The Valley, known as Biban el-Muluk, which
means "doorway or gateway of the kings," or,
the Wadyein, meaning "the two valleys," is
actually composed of two separate branches.
 The main eastern branch, called ta set aat, or
"The Great Place," is where most of the royal
tombs are located.
 The larger, western valley is where only a few
tombs were located.
Deir el-Medina
 The cliffs in this area form a
natural shield since they hide
the valley from sight.
 The cliffs also created a safe
place for the Deir el-Medina the village of people who
worked on the tombs.
 The villagers walked
approximately 30 minutes to the
tombs to work. The workmen of
the village would, in modern
terms, be considered middle
class.
 The work week was 8 days
followed by 2 days off.
 A large proportion of the
community, including women,
could read and write. It was a
big deal to have a job as a
tomb worker and when a
worker died, his/her position
would be inherited by one of
his/her children.
Tomb period
 The period of tomb burial in Egypt was during
the New Kingdom from the 16th to the 11th
century B.C. The Egyptians moved from the
Pyramid Age where burial places of their royals
were well known to the secret tombs in the
Valley of the Kings. It began with Thutmose I
and ended with Ramesses X or XI (10-11).
 Some accounts say there are 62 tombs while
others say there are 63 in the Valley.
Royal Necropolis
 The official name for the Valley of the Kings in ancient
times was The Great and Majestic Necropolis of the
Millions of Years of the Pharaoh, Life, Strength, Health
in The West of Thebes.
 In the Pyramid Age the tomb of the king had a mortuary
temple which was close to the pyramid. With the tombs
being hidden, though, the mortuary temple was
considered the tomb owner’s safe passage through the
night.
 The earliest tombs were barely decorated, compared to
the later ones which were magnificently decorated.
Who’s buried there?
 Beginning with the 18th Dynasty only kings
were buried within the valley in large tombs
and when a non-royal was buried, it was in a
small rock-cut chamber close to the tomb of
their master.
 Despite the name, the Valley of the Kings also
contains the tombs of honored nobles as well
as the wives and children of pharaohs and
nobles. This means that only about 20 of the
tombs actually contain kings.
Tomb writings
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The majority of the royal tombs
were decorated with religious
writing and drawings.
The writings were from the Book
of the Dead, Book of the Gates,
and Book of the Underworld. The
writings were supposed to help
the royal person in his passages
in the netherworld.
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The ceilings of the burial
chambers were decorated with
text from the Book of Caverns.
Burial Equipment
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Each burial was also provided
with equipment that would enable
the continued existence in the
afterlife of the king.
This included treasure which was
supposed to add to the comfort
of the king. There would also be
ritual “magical” items such as the
shabtis. The shabti was believed
to magically come to life after the
dead king had been judged, and
work for the dead king as a
substitute laborer in the fields
of Osiris.
Other equipment in the burial
would be items that the king
might have actually used in their
lifetime, such as sandals.
Tomb Exploration
 The Valley of the Kings has been a major
area of exploration for the last 200
years. The area shows the changes in
the study of ancient Egypt. Records show
that only eleven of the tombs have
actually been completely recorded.
Tombs have been numbered in the order
that they were discovered
King Tut and further
exploration
 In November 1922, Howard Carter discovered
the tomb of King Tutankhamun which was
found mostly intact.
 Several expeditions have continued in the 21st
Century to explore the Valley of the Kings.
 Who knows, maybe any day now we’ll hear
that the Egyptian team that is looking for the
tomb of Ramesses VIII (8th) has found it!
Ghorayebah
(Melt-in-Mouth cookies)
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Ingredients
100 g powdered sugar
200 g clarified butter
400 g all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
Directions
Beat butter till white.
Add Sugar and beat for 3 more minutes.
Add A.P. flour, salt and beat for 2 minutes.
Garnish with ½ Almond or a pine (as per photo).
Roll it into small balls and slightly press it down by your thumb (with the almond to
stick on it).
The dough consistency should be like the moist sand but when you squeeze it in
your hand-plum it should hold it self.
leave it to rest in the Fridge for 15min.
Bake in medium-low pre-heated oven (color should be like ivory) don't let it blush!