Photo of the Week: Sarcophagus Security
How to lock a sarcophagus:
The sarcophagus was the focal point of the tomb and was the reason pyramids were built to house and protect them. Security of the tomb was of utmost importance and every effort was undertaken to ensure the tomb and it’s contents were kept secure. Though almost always located in the middle of the north face for religious reasons, the entrance was well hidden. Sometimes the passages leading to the sarcophagus chamber took many twists and turns and lead to decoy chambers. Often these passages were blocked by three thick granite slabs as they neared the final resting place of the king. The passage leading to the burial chamber itself was traditionally plugged with a large stone, which had to be removed before entrance as possible. Evidence of this can be seen in the pyramid of Unas.
Once inside the burial chamber the theives would still need to get into the sarcophagus. The sheer weight of the lids made them almost impossible to lift even with several men. Lifting the lid off by means of levers was often not possible due to the restricted space around the sacophagus. Often the only way tomb raiders were able to remove the lid was by either smashing the lid or by sliding it off. Therefore, many sarcophagii of the Old Kingdom had a mechanism of securing the lid by means of small copper pins. There were often two or three of these pins in the backside, or west side of the lid and would hold the lid in place preventing robbers from sliding the lid off.
On the recently discovered sarchophagus of Menkauhor two such pin holes can be seen on the underside of the lid. Again, two holes can be seen in the sarcophagus of Khafre.
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Tags: Khufu, sarcophagus
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