A question often asked about the Valley of the Kings is why did the Egyptians start burying people there? There was not just one thing that made the Egyptians make Thebes their place of burial, but many different factors effecting one another.
One of the reasons the Egyptians used the Valley of the Kings is because of the way the land is laid out. Western Thebes has lots of good places for making tombs. There is a flat plain leading to foothills that were perfectly shaped for tombs. The area had nice flat areas which were used to build the temples needed for the preparation and care of the body of the dead Pharaoh. This was all set safely above the flood plain, a must to preserve the bodies of dead. There were also secluded valleys that could be used for important tombs. Around this region there was enough spaces for the many houses and buildings that were needed to maintain and build this burial site.
Another reason Western Thebes worked was because it was to the west. The west is where the sun sets and the Egyptian religion identified it with the realm of the dead.
The main reason Pharaohs began being buried there is more political. The first serious use of Thebes as a burial place was in the 11th dynasty. This is because during this time the center of government was in Thebes. The major surviving tomb is of King Nebhepetre. Then in the 12th dynasty no one of importantance was buried there.
The area became central again during the 2nd Intermediate Period, when the ruling of Egyptians kings was restricted to Thebes and surrounding areas. This close attachment between Egyptian royalty and Western Thebes is when it became established as a place of burial. This was during the 18th dynasty.
Tuthmosis I, the third king of the 18th dynasty , is thought to be the first to have a tomb in the Valley. Pharaohs and other important people continued to be buried in the Valley of the Kings throughout the 18th and 19th dynasties. With the end of the 20th dynasty came the end of use of Western Thebes as a place of burial. The reasons why are unknown, although lots of tomb robbing could have been a factor.
One century afterwards, during the 21st dynasty the priests of Thebes and other authorities had to go to the Valley of the Kings and rescue what they could, because tomb robbery was so great. They took the mummies they could save and rewrapped what was left of them. These mummies along with what was left of their funeral possessions were put in a mass burial in a abandoned tomb south of Deir el-Bahir. They were found there along with the rulers of the 21st Dynasty in the 1860's and 1870's.
The Valley of the Kings is a very mysterious place. Not because the Egyptians left
nothing behind, but because almost everything that was left behind has been destroyed
in one way or another. The Valley of the Kings was used for different periods of
time as a place of burial for important Egyptian rulers in-between the 11th and 18th
dynasty. The Egyptians believed in afterlife. We know this from the tools, the gold, and other objects that could only be useful in another life. The tombs of the departed were decorated with all the dead persons belongings. A Pharaoh's tomb would be prepared, sometimes a decade ahead of time. All tombs were supplied with ushebtis. These were figurines that were to take the place of the deceased. Over time the number of ushebtis in one tomb increased, some tombs had thousands.
Early in the Egyptian culture only the Pharaoh and his family were immortal. Then it was believed that nobles close to the Pharaoh were immortal. Even later if you could pay a priest to intone at your burial or if you could pay an artisan to inscribe them on your coffin walls you would be granted immortality. So it ended up all you needed was some extra money to live forever.
Although they needed to preserve the bodies and tried very hard to hide the tombs, few rich burials survived even a relatively short time. There have been many tombs robbers. Even if a tomb wasn't robbed bad conditions made it hard for the artifacts to survive. Damp surroundings and termites have been a large problem.
Another large problem came at the end of Napoleon's reign in Egypt. Travelers from all over came to visit Egypt. Everyone wanted a little souvenir to take home with them. Small trinkets from the ancient tombs, and using parts of mummies and of other artifacts for medicine, became a fad. There was no care taken in retrieving these articles. More was probably destroyed in the process of retrieving artifacts, than was actually found.
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