In 1922, Howard Carter amazed the world by opening the tomb of Tutankhamun (1336–1327 B.C.), in the Valley of the Kings. He was shocked to discover he wasn’t the first: “Plunderers had entered the tomb,” he wrote, “and entered it more than once.”
The tomb had been violated twice—the last time probably during the reign of Pharaoh Horemheb (1323–1295 B.C.). Smashing a hole in the wall beneath a jaguar-shaped bench (above), the ancient thieves made off with jewelry, linens and precious oils. The robbery was discovered by Horemheb’s officials (as we know from their seals, showing a jackal standing over nine bound captives), who re-sealed the tomb with a darker plaster.
Arriving on the scene millennia later, Carter’s team found a footprint that may have belonged to one of the plunderers. They also discovered a jar of unguent that had hardened, preserving finger marks—perhaps left by a tomb robber as he scooped out the precious balm. But the thieves never reached the tomb’s inner sanctum, where Carter came upon Tut’s sarcophagus and mummy.
The Tomb-Robbing Papyri, now in the British Museum, contain accounts of thefts during the reigns of Ramesses IX (1126–1108 B.C.) and Ramesses XI (1099–1069 B.C.). These documents record not only the ancient grave robber’s modus operandi but also his punishment—generally execution by impalement on a stake.
In Papyrus Leopold-Amherst, the ancient thief Amenpanufer confesses before the court of Pharaoh Ramesses IX: “We went to rob tombs in accordance with our regular habit, and found the pyramid-tomb of King Sekhemreshedtawdy We took our copper tools and forced our way into the pyramid of this king through its innermost part. We found its underground chambers, and we took lighted candles in our hands and found the noble mummy of this king equipped with a sword We collected the gold we found on the noble mummy of this god, together with the amulets and jewels that were on his neck.”
In 922, Howard Carter amazed the world by opening the tomb of Tutankhamun (1336–1327 B.C.), in the Valley of the Kings. He was shocked to discover he wasn’t the first: “Plunderers had entered the tomb,” he wrote, “and entered it more than once.” The tomb had been violated twice—the last time probably during the reign of Pharaoh Horemheb (1323–1295 B.C.). Smashing a hole in the wall beneath a jaguar-shaped bench (above), the ancient thieves made off with jewelry, linens and precious oils. The robbery was discovered by Horemheb’s officials (as we know from their seals, showing a jackal standing […]
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