Middle School
Worksheets
The Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. This long, narrow valley is located in western Thebes, which was the capital city during Egypt's New Kingdom. From about 1524 B.C. to about 1070 B.C., nearly all the pharaohs of Egypt were buried in the Valley of the Kings.
So far, over sixty tombs and chambers have been discovered in the Valley by Egyptologists. Some are tombs of pharaohs. Some tombs belong to members of the royal family and court officials. Since these tombs were built for important people, they were filled with expensive and beautiful things. Furniture, clothes, jewelry, food, and personal belongings were put into the tombs for use in the afterlife.
The builders of the tombs tried very hard to keep them hidden. Secret chambers were chiseled out of solid rock. There were false entrances, and some passageways were dead ends. Real entrances were sealed with heavy rocks.
