Transcript Monuments of the New Kingdom

New Kingdom, Valley of the Kings
New Kingdom Valley of the Kings
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
The ancient Egyptians built massive public monuments to their
pharaohs. But they also spent time and treasure creating hidden
underground mausoleums that no one was ever meant to see.

The most famed collection of such elaborate tombs—the Valley of the
Kings—lies on the Nile's west bank near Luxor.
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During Egypt's New Kingdom (1539-1075 B.C.) the valley became a
royal burial ground for pharaohs such as Tutankhamun, Seti I, and
Ramses II, as well as queens, high priests, and other elites of the 18th,
19th, and 20th dynasties.

The tombs evidence elaborate preparations for the next world, in which
humans were promised continuing life and pharaohs were expected to
become one with the gods. Mummification was used to preserve the
body so that the deceased's eternal soul would be able to reanimate it
in the afterlife.
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The underground tombs were also well stocked with all the
material goods a ruler might need in the next world.
Treasures—like the golden masks found with King Tut—are
dazzling, but the tombs also contained the more mundane.

"They included furniture, clothes (even underwear), and jewelry
[though] it's curious that we have no books—from Tut at least,"
says Salima Ikram, a professor of Egyptology at American
University in Cairo and a National Geographic grantee.
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Tombs were also well provisioned with enough food and drink,
including wine and beer, for royal feasting in the next world, as
well as sacred objects meant to help the deceased achieve
eternal life, even favored companions.
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"[We find] pets buried nearby," Ikram says. "Hunting dogs, pet
baboons, and gazelles."
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More Mysteries Await?
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Tomb robbers, treasure hunters, and archaeologists have been
combing the Valley of the Kings for centuries—yet it continues
to yield surprises.
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Many thought that the 62 tombs discovered before 1922
represented all that would be found in the valley—until Howard
Carter discovered the resting place of a boy king called King
Tutankhamun.
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In 2005 a team led by archaeologist Otto Schaden discovered
the valley's first unknown tomb since Tutankhamun's. The site,
dubbed KV 63, was found only about 50 feet (15 meters) from
the walls of Tut's resting place.
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KV 63 had no mummy but housed sarcophagi, pottery,
linens, flowers, and other materials. Some believe it
heralds the presence of another as yet undiscovered
tomb.
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"KV 63 is an embalming cache; there must be a tomb to
go with it," Ikram says.
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At least one late Ramesside pharaoh's tomb (Ramses
VIII) is still undiscovered, and many believe it may be
found within the valley.
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Clues to such discoveries may be found in period
Egyptian writings that mention notables who likely rated
tombs but have not been identified.
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"You try to find out what hasn't been discovered, and
figure out where they might possibly be, and then
look in those areas," said David P. Silverman, an
Egyptologist at the University of Pennsylvania. "You
never know what you are going to find."
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But if more tombs are found, will they be as relatively
unmolested as Tut's? The odds are against it.

Though their entrances were well hidden, nearly all
of the valley's known royal tombs were likely robbed
before the end of the 20th dynasty—Egyptian
records testify to robbers' trials and to the harsh
punishments handed down.
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By the time the Greek writer Diodorus
Siculus visited the valley's tombs (circa
60 B.C.) he wrote, "We found nothing
there except the results of pillage and
destruction."
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It's possible, perhaps, that any tomb yet
to be found was so well hidden that it
also escaped the notice of ancient
thieves. Only time will tell.
New Kingdom, Queen
Hatshepsut, 1479-1458
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Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti
 Beautiful are the Beauties of Aten, the
Beautiful one has come
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New Kingdom, 1350
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New Kingdom, Ramses II (13001213 BC)

Ramesses II (c. 1303 BC – July or August 1213 BC;
alternatively transcribed as Rameses and Ramses
referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third
Egyptian pharaoh (reigned 1279 BC – 1213 BC) of
the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the
greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful
pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire. His successors and
later Egyptians called him the "Great Ancestor".
Ramesses II led several military expeditions into the
Levant, reasserting Egyptian control over Canaan.
He also led expeditions to the south, into Nubia,
commemorated in inscriptions at Beit el-Wali and
Gerf Hussein.
Ramses II

At age fourteen, Ramesses was appointed Prince
Regent by his father Seti I. He is believed to have
taken the throne in his late teens and is known to
have ruled Egypt from 1279 BC to 1213 BC for 66
years and 2 months, according to both Manetho and
Egypt's contemporary historical records. He was
once said to have lived to be 99 years old, but it is
more likely that he died in his 90th or 91st year. If he
became Pharaoh in 1279 BC as most Egyptologists
today believe, he would have assumed the throne on
May 31, 1279. BC, based on his known accession
date of III Shemu day 27.
Ramses II
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Ramesses II celebrated an
unprecedented 14 sed festivals (the first
held after thirty years of a pharaoh's
reign, and then every three years)
during his reign—more than any other
pharaoh. On his death, he was buried in
a tomb in the Valley of the Kings; his
body was later moved to a royal cache
where it was discovered in 1881, and is
now on display in the Cairo Museum
Ramses II
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The early part of his reign was focused on
building cities, temples and monuments. He
established the city of Pi-Ramesses in the Nile
Delta as his new capital and main base for his
campaigns in Syria. This city was built on the
remains of the city of Avaris, the capital of the
Hyksos when they took over, and was the
location of the main Temple of Set. He is also
known as Ozymandias in the Greek sources,
from a transliteration into Greek of a part of
Ramesses' throne name, Usermaatre
Setepenre, "Ra's mighty truth, chosen of Ra"
Ramses II
Ramses II
Ramses II
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Ramses II, Nefetari
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Ramses II
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Ramesses II was originally buried in the
tomb KV7 in the Valley of the Kings but,
because of looting, priests later transferred
the body to a holding area, re-wrapped it,
and placed it inside the tomb of queen
Inhapy. Seventy-two hours later it was
again moved, to the tomb of the high priest
Pinudjem II. All of this is recorded in
hieroglyphics on the linen covering the
body. His mummy is today in Cairo's
Egyptian Museum.
Ramses II
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The pharaoh's mummy reveals an aquiline nose and
strong jaw, and stands at some 1.7 metres (5 ft 7 in). His
ultimate successor was his thirteenth son, Merneptah.
In 1974 Egyptologists visiting his tomb noticed that the
mummy's condition was rapidly deteriorating and flew it to
Paris for examination. Ramesses II was issued an
Egyptian passport that listed his occupation as "King
(deceased)". The mummy was received at Le Bourget
airport, just outside Paris, with the full military honours
befitting a king.
 In Paris, it was found that Ramesses's mummy was being
attacked by fungus, for which it was treated. During the
examination, scientific analysis revealed battle wounds
and old fractures, as well as the pharaoh's arthritis and
poor circulation.
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Ramses II
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It is believed that Ramesses II was
essentially crippled with arthritis and
walked with a hunched back for the last
decades of his life. A recent study
excluded ankylosing spondylitis as a
possible cause of the pharaoh's arthritis. A
significant hole in the pharaoh's mandible
was detected. Researchers observed "an
abscess by his teeth (which) was serious
enough to have caused death by infection,
although this cannot be determined with
certainty".."
Ramses II
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Gaston Maspero, who unwrapped the mummy
of Rameses II writes, "on the temples there
are a few sparse hairs, but at the poll the hair
is quite thick, forming smooth, straight locks
about five centimeters in length. White at the
time of death, and possibly auburn during life,
they have been dyed a light red by the spices
(henna) used in the embalmment...the
moustache and beard are thin...The hairs are
white, like those of the head and
eyebrows...the skin is of earthy brown,
splotched with black...the face of the mummy
gives a fair idea of the face of the living king.
Ramses II
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Microscopic inspection of the roots of
Ramesses II's hair proved that the king's
hair was originally red, which suggests that
he came from a family of redheads. This
has more than just cosmetic significance:
in ancient Egypt people with red hair were
associated with the god Seth, the slayer of
Osiris, and the name of Ramesses II's
father, Seti I, means "follower of Seth."
After Ramesses' mummy returned to Egypt
it was visited by President Anwar Sadat
and his wife.
Ptolemy I Soter
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Ptolemy I Soter I (Ancient Greek:
Πτολεμαῖος Σωτήρ, Ptolemaĩos Sōtḗr, i.e.
Ptolemy (pronounced /ˈtɒləmi/) the Savior),
also known as Ptolemy Lagides, c. 367 BC
– c. 283 BC, was a Macedonian general
under Alexander the Great, who became
ruler of Egypt (323–283 BC) and founder of
both the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the
Ptolemaic Dynasty. In 305/4 BC he
demanded the title of pharaoh.
Ptolemy I Soter

His mother was Arsinoe of Macedon, and, while his
father is unknown, ancient sources variously
describe him either as the son of Lagus, a
Macedonian nobleman, or as an illegitimate son of
Philip II of Macedon (which, if true, would have made
Ptolemy the half-brother of Alexander), but it is
possible that this is a later myth fabricated to glorify
the Ptolemaic Dynasty. Ptolemy was one of
Alexander's most trusted generals, and was among
the seven somatophylakes (bodyguards) attached to
his person. He was a few years older than
Alexander, and had been his intimate friend since
childhood.
Ptolemy I Soter
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He was succeeded by his son Ptolemy II
Philadelphus.
Ptolemy I Soter
Ptolemy I Soter
Ptolemy I Soter
Cleopatra VII

Cleopatra VII Philopator (Ancient Greek:
Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ; Late 69 BC –
August 12, 30 BC), known to history as
Cleopatra, was the last pharaoh of
Ancient Egypt. She was a member of
the Ptolemaic dynasty, a family of Greek
origin that ruled Ptolemaic Egypt after
Alexander the Great's death during the
Hellenistic period.
Cleopatra VII
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The Ptolemies, throughout their dynasty,
spoke Greek and refused to speak
Egyptian, which is the reason that Greek
as well as Egyptian languages were
used on official court documents such
as the Rosetta Stone. By contrast,
Cleopatra did learn to speak Egyptian
and represented herself as the
reincarnation of an Egyptian goddess,
Isis.
Cleopatra VII
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Cleopatra originally ruled jointly with her
father, Ptolemy XII Auletes, and later
with her brothers, Ptolemy XIII and
Ptolemy XIV, whom she married as per
Egyptian custom, but eventually she
became sole ruler. As pharaoh, she
consummated a liaison with Julius
Caesar that solidified her grip on the
throne. She later elevated her son with
Caesar, Caesarion, to co-ruler in name.
Cleopatra VII
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After Caesar's assassination in 44 BC,
she aligned with Mark Antony in
opposition to Caesar's legal heir, Gaius
Julius Caesar Octavianus (later known
as Augustus). With Antony, she bore the
twins Cleopatra Selene II and Alexander
Helios, and another son, Ptolemy
Philadelphus (her unions with her
brothers had produced no children).
Cleopatra VII
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After losing the Battle of Actium to
Octavian's forces, Antony committed
suicide. Cleopatra followed suit,
according to tradition killing herself by
means of an asp bite on August 12, 30
BC. She was briefly outlived by
Caesarion, who was declared pharaoh
by his supporters but soon killed on
Octavian's orders. Egypt became the
Roman province of Aegyptus.
Cleopatra VII
Cleopatra VII