The tomb robbed twice
An archaeology thriller: the excavators' own evidence that Tutankhamun's tomb was entered in antiquity.
- Where
- Luxor West Bank
- Length
- Half day
- Needs
- None; attention rather than stamina
The story
Alfred Lucas recorded broken objects, separated parts and boxes whose contents did not match their labels. Howard Carter recorded objects on the passage floor and others inside its rubble filling, with two overlapping repairs to the sealed doorways, and reconstructed two separate entries (Griffith Institute).
Lord Carnarvon suggested priests in Horemheb's reign, but wrote that new evidence could overturn the idea. A proposed culprit is not an identification, and the walk keeps them apart.
What happens
Start with three observations the excavators recorded, before any explanation.
Test each against the competing readings, and decide what would change your mind.
Walk the Valley of the Kings with the case in hand.
Keep the recorded damage, the reconstruction and the guesses about the thieves apart.
A proposed shape, not a fixed programme. The final arrangements and order are agreed before booking.
Who it suits
Attention, not stamina: a morning of looking closely and arguing well. The Valley is hot and exposed by midday.
- Previous experience
- None; attention rather than stamina
- Minimum age
- Suits older children who enjoy a puzzle
- Best season
- Year-round with an early start; October to April is kinder
- What you see
- The Valley of the Kings, read against the excavators' evidence
Time and travel
- Starting location
- Luxor West Bank
- Total time
- Half day
- Active time
- About three hours in the Valley
Times are planning estimates. Confirm pickup, travel from your accommodation and the time you need to be back. Our effort judgement: moderate.
Our recommendation
Choose this when you enjoy weighing evidence. Read the excavation observations before the guide offers a reconstruction, and distinguish an ancient breach from the modern discovery.
What we confirm before you go
- A guide who can teach from the excavation records, not only the story
- Which tombs are open, whether KV62 is included, photography rules and any separate tickets
- Start time, to be in the Valley before the heat
Every item is settled in writing before anything is arranged.
Where it fits
Trip ideaCairo, Luxor and Aswan: Egypt in a sequence that makes senseA first visit in the order that makes sense: the pyramids, the temples, then the river.
Trip ideaA Nile journey in which the river is not the gap between templesDays under sail on a small boat, where the river itself becomes the journey.- c. 1500 BCValley of the KingsThe royal cemetery of the New Kingdom, cut into a dry valley beneath a pyramid-shaped peak.
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Questions?
Ask about The tomb robbed twice
Tell us your dates, where you will be and who is coming. We confirm the host, the timing, the price for your party and the terms before anything is booked.
Sources and review
Reviewed on by Deluxe Trips Egypt. Facts are attributed to their sources; where we give a judgement, we say so. Arranged on request; we confirm every detail before anything is booked.
Photography credits (6)
Zezinho68, CC BY-SA 4.0; U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Erin Dunkleberger, Public domain; Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0; KennyOMG, CC BY-SA 4.0; I, Rémih, CC BY-SA 3.0; Hamerani, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and cropped for display.
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