What was in a royal tomb?

The artists and workmen responsible for decorating the tombs used a variety of implements in wood, metal and stone in different stages of the process.

Knowledge of the early stages of New Kingdom royal tomb development is hampered by a lack of evidence.

While more commonly found in association with temple constructions, foundation deposits also have been unearthed at some royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

From the end of Dynasty 5 onward, religious texts were inscribed in the burial chambers of royal tombs.

The types of funerary equipment Egyptians put into their tombs had become standardized long before the New Kingdom.

The Valley of the Kings actually consists of two valleys that run northeast from the slopes of a prominent ridge along a high plateau into the Western Desert.

The royal tombs cut in the Valley of the Kings during the New Kingdom represented a shift in form and location from the royal cemeteries that preceded them.

The reasons New Kingdom kings chose the East Valley of the Kings for their burials are unclear.

At the end of the New Kingdom, Egypt entered a period of political and economic decline.

Choosing the location for a royal tomb was an important responsibility.

The village of Dayr al Madinah was home to the workmen who excavated and decorated the tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

The preparation of royal tombs was relatively easier in the New Kingdom than in previous eras when huge pyramids were being constructed.

The present numbering system for the sixty-five tombs in the Valley of the Kings was first established by John Gardiner Wilkinson in 1827 for his map of Thebes.

From the day they were first sealed in antiquity, treasure-filled tombs in the Valley of the Kings were potential targets for theft.

The Valley of the Kings was used for over five hundred years and as more and more tombs were dug there the site became increasingly crowded.