tomb hunting

While 2020 is probably best not remembered too fondly, I found that was able to enjoy some fantastic webinars, online lectures and conversations with some amazing experts. Zoom means that people all the way Down Under can engage with those from the other side of the world - in real time too! One of those lectures was held by Dr Chris Naunton through the EES in London. He was talking about the lost tombs in Amarna, and as I was completing a unit about Akhenaten for my masters degree, I was enthralled. This lead me to grab a copy of his book, Lost Tombs of Egypt.

Naunton has selected a handful of tombs to explore, linking each to specific moment in history and the ever changing nature of burial practices in ancient Egyptian society. Imhotep (no, not the dude from The Mummy!), Alexander, Cleopatra, Amarna tombs and the missing burial of Herihor. But when you delve into each chapter, it is is rich with all manner of extra interesting stuff.

Tomb robbery was rampant all through Egyptian history. If it wasn’t the actual workers who robbed tombs soon after they were sealed, it was gutsy treasure hunters. Many were successful, but what a risk they took. The punishment for robbing a tomb was impalement. Given that the tombs were (somewhat unsuccessfully, it seems) guarded, the chances were medium to high that you were caught! Naunton explains that there were many efforts over hundreds of years to protect the royal mummies and at one point, many significant pharaohs of the New Kingdom, as well as court officials and chief priests were moved to a secret location. It seems that guarding one location would be easier than guarding all the tombs scattered thought the Valley of the Kings. He refers to two burial caches, KV 35 and TT 320.

KV 35 is controversial to say the least and if you are looking for a rabbit hole, this is one for you!

TT320 turned out to be a phenomenal discovery in its own right. In 1881, the occupants of this cache were carefully and ceremoniously moved to Cairo. Naunton writes: “… locals really did turn out in umbers as if for a funerary procession, that nature of the ceremony quite in keeping with the objects they watched passing them by…’ (p146) the royal occupants of this cache included, Sety I, Ramesses II, and Thutmosis III. Alone, each one of these men is a significant historical figure, together they are a sensation! As Naunton says, “…thanks to the discovery of these mummies, it is possible the look upon the face of a famous pharaoh like Ramesses II himself.”

And then there is the chapter about Cleopatra and all the fuss about her death, the asp and Marc Antonty… but you need to get the book for that one!

go forth and conquer