After the pyramid age, tombs took a new form. From the Middle Kingdom on, many were cut into cliffs, and New Kingdom kings were buried in hidden rock-cut tombs.
Key idea
Rock-cut tombs were carved into cliffs: Middle Kingdom governors at Beni Hasan, New Kingdom kings in the Valley of the Kings at Thebes. Why kings gave up pyramids is debated.
Two famous groups
- Beni Hasan, in Middle Egypt: tombs of 11th and 12th Dynasty governors, cut high in the cliffs and painted with farming, crafts, wrestling and hunting.
- The Valley of the Kings: from early in the 18th Dynasty (probably Thutmose I) to the end of the 20th, kings cut long corridors and chambers into the valley’s rock. Tutankhamun’s tomb, KV62, was found nearly intact by Howard Carter in 1922.
Why it works
The cliffs offered solid rock that could be carved deep and decorated inside, and in the Valley of the Kings the tomb entrances could be hidden. In the New Kingdom, the king’s tomb and his memorial temple were split: the tomb in the valley, the temple on the plain, where priests could reach it every day. Skilled crews from the village of Deir el-Medina cut and painted the royal tombs.
Why give up pyramids?
Ahmose I, the first king of the New Kingdom, built the last royal pyramid in Egypt, at Abydos. Scholars weigh several reasons for the change: pyramids had been robbed, so a hidden tomb might be safer; pyramids were very costly; and beliefs about the afterlife had changed. The pyramid-shaped peak above the Valley of the Kings may also have made the place fitting. None of these is certain on its own.
Worked example: Which site?
A tomb of a 12th Dynasty governor, cut into a cliff and painted with wrestlers and craftsmen, is most likely at:
- 12th Dynasty: Middle Kingdom.
- Governors’ rock-cut tombs with daily life scenes: Beni Hasan.
Answer: Beni Hasan.
Worked example: Weighing reasons
A guide says, "Kings stopped building pyramids because they were too hard." Is that the whole story?
- Egyptians had built pyramids for a thousand years, so skill was not the problem.
- Theft, cost and changing beliefs are all argued.
- The reasons are debated.
Answer: No: several reasons are debated.
Common mistake
Thinking pyramids were given up only because they were too hard to build. Theft and changing beliefs both played a part, and the reasons are debated. Quick check: give at least two reasons and say they are debated.