What do the pyramids of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs hide the most? The answer is not gold
When British archaeologist Howard Carter excavated the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in 1922, he reported seeing “wonderful things”. King Tut’s Tomb is filled with precious treasures, including a golden mask, throne and even a pair of gold sandals. But are all ancient Egyptian tombs so flashy?
The answer is no. Although the Great Pyramid of Giza and other ancient Egyptian pyramids are extraordinary wonders, what is buried within them all seem quite modest compared to the treasures of later monarchs such as King Tut.
King Tut’s Tomb is an exceptional case of unusually rich treasures.
“Burial items in the larger pyramids seem rather plain compared to King Tut .’s treasures” – according to Wolfram Grajetzki, a PhD student at University College London (UCL), an expert on ancient Egyptian burial customs and burial paraphernalia.
Grajetzki says the pyramids were used as burial places for Egyptian Pharaohs from the time of King Djoser (c. 2630 – 2611 BC) to the time of King Ahmose (1550 – 1525 BC). Most of these mausoleums were visited by grave robbers centuries ago, but a few of them have remained intact by examining the surviving treasures.
For example, Princess Neferuptah (who lived circa 19th century BC) was buried in a pyramid near the Hawara ruins, about 100km south of Cairo. Her mausoleum was excavated in 1956 and contains pottery, a set of coffins, some gilded jewelry and a royal crest to identify the god of the underworld Osiris.
King Hor (who lived circa 1750 BC) was buried with similar items, although he was not buried in a pyramid.
The tomb of Queen Hetepheres, mother of King Khufu – the builder of the Great Pyramid – is a bit more “advanced”. Built in the Giza complex, this mausoleum contains a bed and pair of chairs decorated with gold, as well as pottery and some miniature bronze utensils.
Despite being a monumental structure, the Great Pyramid of Giza is by no means an impressive treasure trove.
The lower structure of King Sekhemkhet’s unfinished pyramid, which remained unscathed from grave robberies, was found near Saqqara. According to Egyptologist Reg Clark, the king’s sarcophagus was empty, but archaeologists found 21 gold bracelets, a magic wand or golden scepter, and other pieces of jewelry in a hallway. As impressive as it may sound, that number falls short of King Tut’s treasure.
Unlike previous kings, Tutankhamun’s treasure was much more luxurious. He was also buried in the Valley of the Kings, a remote site near modern-day Luxor that served as a joint Royal burial site for more than 500 years during the New Kingdom.
Great treasures have never been found in any other pyramid, according to Hans-Hubertus Münch, a scholar specializing in ancient Egyptian burial goods. Even in the era before the pyramids, no great treasures with luxurious burials have been discovered. Only after the era of pyramid construction ended and the New Kingdom began, the number of rare items in the catacombs gradually increased.
Instead of huge treasures filled with treasures, the ancient Egyptian pyramids were carved with many hieroglyphic texts, which researchers call “pyramid writing”. These texts record ancient mantras or rituals, Egyptologists say.
Instead of a lot of gold and silver treasures, the pyramids are engraved with ancient hieroglyphs.
The above incantations are said to help the “ka” and “ba” soul fragments of the dead merge into the other side of the world into “akh” – a more complete form of existence according to the ancient Egyptians. .
Source: Livescience
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