Adventures on the Nile: A Sense of the Eternal
From the beginning of the New Kingdom, around 1550 BC, Kings of Egypt were no longer buried in the pyramids, as they were obvious targets for robberies. They found another sacred, more remote location outside of Thebes, in what is now called the Valley of the Kings. Even walking through the Valley, one gets a sense of the sacred and eternal. The tombs were dug far into the mountain side and other deterrents were put in place to help protect the tombs from grave robbers, but unfortunately all the tombs but one were raided thousands of years ago. Thankfully, most of the scenes and scripts on the walls are intact and have been of great help to egyptologists. The tombs we visited, of Rameses IV and Merenptah, were simply stunning. It is unbelievable that so much artistry still remains 3,000 years after it was created! Buried alongside the king would have been all the things he would need in the afterlife, including chariots, weapons, food, and jewelry. Though many materials were...