- The Valley of the Kings holds the Tombs of around one hundred Egyptian Pharaohs and Important Individuals from the ‘New Kingdom’.
- It is located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Luxor, which was the ancient Capital of Egypt, known as Thebes.
History
- These Pharaohs were from the Eighteenth to Twentieth Dynasties, a dynastic Period lasting 500 years between 1550 to c. 1070 BCE.
- Instead of being buried in Pyramids, these Pharaohs chose to be buried in rock cut tombs.
- The Tombs consisted of a long corridor passing through a series of halls, with several turns through 90°, before reaching the burial chamber.
- The valley includes the Tomb of Queen Hatshepsut, and the Tomb of King Tutankhamun.
Valley of the Queens
- Nearby is the Valley of the Queens, where during this same Period, the wives of the Pharaohs were buried separately.
Greek and Roman Graffiti
- Nearly all the Tombs were opened by Tomb robbers during the Greek and Roman Period.
- The Tombs were a Tourist destination on the Roman Grand Tour.
- They were visited by Greek and Roman Tourists who left their Graffiti inside on the Tomb walls. The earliest Graffiti dates from 278 BCE. The majority of Graffiti is written in Greek and Latin, but some is also written in Phoenician, Cypriot and Lycean.
Valley of the Kings, Luxor