Unavailable
Unavailable
Unavailable
Audiobook1 hour
The Valley of the Kings: The History of Ancient Egypt's Most Famous Tombs and Burial Site
Written by Charles River Editors
Narrated by Colin Fluxman
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
Africa may have given rise to the first humans, and Egypt probably gave rise to the first great civilizations, which continue to fascinate modern societies across the globe nearly 5,000 years later. From the Library and Lighthouse of Alexandria to the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Ancient Egyptians produced several wonders of the world, revolutionized architecture and construction, created some of the world’s first systems of mathematics and medicine, and established language and art that spread across the known world. With world-famous leaders like King Tut and Cleopatra, it’s no wonder that today’s world has so many Egyptologists.
Given the abundance of funerary artifacts that have been found within the sands of Egypt, it sometimes seems as though the Ancient Egyptians were more concerned with the matters of the afterlife than they were with matters of the life they experienced from day to day. One of the most abundant sources of these funerary artifacts is the Valley of the Kings, a royal necropolis located on the west bank of the Nile at Thebes. Here, pharaohs of the New Kingdom Period were buried in elaborate, treasure-filled tombs that were cut deep into the cliffs that walled the Nile Valley.
In many of the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, intricate reliefs were painted on the walls that depicted the sun god and the dead king on their nightly journey through the underworld, which was known in Egyptian as the Duat (Wilkinson 2003, 82). These scenes, which vary slightly from tomb to tomb, are known collectively by modern scholars as The Book of Gates because they depict the sun god’s journey through 12 gates or pylons, one for each hour of the night (Wilkinson 2003, 81). As the sun god and the dead king travel through the night, they have to contend with various demons and a giant snake known as Apophis (Lesko 1991, 119). The Egyptians believed this journey was cyclical, as they viewed time itself, so it took place daily (Lesko 1991, 119).
Though these tombs have been extensively plundered, they still stand as gateways to the afterlife that provide a murky window into the past of a fascinating civilization. Most importantly, the relatively untouched tomb of the young King Tutankhamun offered clear insight. Many of the objects that were discovered in Tutankhamun’s tomb were clearly made specifically for him and his burial, such as the coffins, funerary masks, canopic equipment and statues. Other objects, such as the furniture, clothing, and chariots, were obviously items that had been used during Tutankhamun’s lifetime. The motifs found upon many of his possessions depicted him in triumph over his enemies. For example, a painted wooden chest bears a fine example of such a scene; the king is shown in his chariot, followed by his troops, attacking a group of Nubians. Scenes depicting aggression and triumph over Egypt’s enemies by Egypt’s king are classical examples of Egyptian kingship.
Given the abundance of funerary artifacts that have been found within the sands of Egypt, it sometimes seems as though the Ancient Egyptians were more concerned with the matters of the afterlife than they were with matters of the life they experienced from day to day. One of the most abundant sources of these funerary artifacts is the Valley of the Kings, a royal necropolis located on the west bank of the Nile at Thebes. Here, pharaohs of the New Kingdom Period were buried in elaborate, treasure-filled tombs that were cut deep into the cliffs that walled the Nile Valley.
In many of the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, intricate reliefs were painted on the walls that depicted the sun god and the dead king on their nightly journey through the underworld, which was known in Egyptian as the Duat (Wilkinson 2003, 82). These scenes, which vary slightly from tomb to tomb, are known collectively by modern scholars as The Book of Gates because they depict the sun god’s journey through 12 gates or pylons, one for each hour of the night (Wilkinson 2003, 81). As the sun god and the dead king travel through the night, they have to contend with various demons and a giant snake known as Apophis (Lesko 1991, 119). The Egyptians believed this journey was cyclical, as they viewed time itself, so it took place daily (Lesko 1991, 119).
Though these tombs have been extensively plundered, they still stand as gateways to the afterlife that provide a murky window into the past of a fascinating civilization. Most importantly, the relatively untouched tomb of the young King Tutankhamun offered clear insight. Many of the objects that were discovered in Tutankhamun’s tomb were clearly made specifically for him and his burial, such as the coffins, funerary masks, canopic equipment and statues. Other objects, such as the furniture, clothing, and chariots, were obviously items that had been used during Tutankhamun’s lifetime. The motifs found upon many of his possessions depicted him in triumph over his enemies. For example, a painted wooden chest bears a fine example of such a scene; the king is shown in his chariot, followed by his troops, attacking a group of Nubians. Scenes depicting aggression and triumph over Egypt’s enemies by Egypt’s king are classical examples of Egyptian kingship.
Unavailable
More audiobooks from Charles River Editors
Kingdom of Hawai’i, The: The History of the Hawaiian State Before It Was Annexed by America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quetzalcoatl: The History and Legacy of the Feathered Serpent God in Mesoamerican Mythology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cambrian Period, The: The History and Legacy of the Start of Complex Life on Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slavs and the Slave Trade, The: The History of Enslaved Slavs across Eastern Europe and the Islamic World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Holodomor, The: The History and Legacy of the Ukrainian Famine Engineered by the Soviet Union Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pleistocene Era, The: The History of the Ice Age and the Dawn of Modern Humans Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tulsa Massacre of 1921, The: The Controversial History and Legacy of America’s Worst Race Riot Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Africa’s Origin Stories: The History and Legacy of the Ancient African Stories that Sought to Explain Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roma, The: The History of the Romani People and the Controversial Persecutions of Them across Europe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gaius Marius: The Life and Legacy of the General Who Reformed the Roman Army Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5John Wycliffe: The Life and Legacy of the English Theologian Who Preceded the Protestant Reformation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sinn Féin: The History and Legacy of the Irish Republican Political Party Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sicily: The History and Legacy of the Mediterranean’s Most Famous Island Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fall of Saigon, The: The History of the Battle for South Vietnam's Capital and the End of the Vietnam War Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Romans in Scotland, The: The History and Legacy of Ancient Rome’s Northernmost Campaigns Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kingdom of Judah, The: The History and Mystery of the Ancient Jewish Kingdom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Zeppelins of World War I, The: The History and Legacy of Zeppelin Air Raids during the Great War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tlaloc: The History of the Aztec God of Rain and Giver of Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Baba Vanga: The Controversial Life and Legacy of the Influential Bulgarian Mystic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Battle of Hürtgen Forest, The: The History of the Longest Battle Fought in Germany during World War II Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to The Valley of the Kings
Related audiobooks
Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ancient History: A Captivating Guide to Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Origins of the Sphinx: Celestial Guardian of Pre-Pharaonic Civilization Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ancient Egypt - The Glory of the Pharoahs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tutankhamun and the Tomb that Changed the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Primal Wisdom of the Ancients: The Cosmological Plan for Humanity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Papyrus of Ani in the British Museum Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lost Empire of Atlantis: The Astonishing History of a Forgotten Civilizatio Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Antiquity: From the Birth of Sumerian Civilization to the Fall of the Roman Empire Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Byzantine Empire: A Complete Overview Of The Byzantine Empire History from Start to Finish Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Forgotten Civilization: New Discoveries on the Solar-Induced Dark Age Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Temples, Tombs and Hieroglyphs: A Popular History of Ancient Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Ancient History For You
Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Greek Mythology: An Elaborate Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Harems, Sagas, Rituals and Beliefs of Greek Myths Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5History Is Wrong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chariots of the Gods Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of An Empire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Egyptian Mythology: A Concise Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Sagas, Rituals and Beliefs of Egyptian Myths Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killing Jesus: A History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hekate Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5City of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Caesar: Life of a Colossus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Caligula: The Mad Emperor of Rome Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Iliad by Homer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mary Magdalene: Women, the Church, and the Great Deception Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Eternal City: A History of Rome Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Our Occulted History: Do the Global Elite Conceal Ancient Aliens? Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Alexander the Great Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When God Had a Wife: The Fall and Rise of the Sacred Feminine in the Judeo-Christian Tradition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Be: Life Lessons from the Early Greeks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassination of Julius Caesar: A People's History of Ancient Rome Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5After Jesus Before Christianity: A Historical Exploration of the First Two Centuries of Jesus Movements Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for The Valley of the Kings
Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars
5/5
4 ratings0 reviews