Show t X ar NOW 4 11 7 ia V tm y A F where tomb was found prepared by the iho national geographic society D C service TOMB thought to have been cut aguilu A in the solid rock over years ngo ago was recently discovered 10 miles south of cairo egypt apparently robbed centuries rio ago ri o by thieves who cut through two large slabs of stone guarding the entrance it still contained a bundle of arrows and some symmetrical jars probably put there for the benefit of the soul of the dead person who Is believed to have been a nobleman modern safe crackers have nothing on ancient egyptian tomb robbers they had a system all their own at thebes the very men who dug the underground der ground chambers for the dead and prepared the sarcophagi for the royal mummies sometimes tunneled under the site thus they were ready to break through the floor and the base of the sarcophagus 1 and so withdraw the mummy and its jewels the upper surfaces of the royal sepulcher would give no hint that the body had bad been taken away A tomb that survived 33 centuries of grave robberies was that of tutankhamen hewn in the limestone cliffs near luxor lexor E egypt when officially opened in february 1923 it still contained the kang kings s mummy sarcophagus rich coffins and numerous art objects the antechamber alone contained articles of importance it is unlikely that the comparatively comparative lv small tomb itself will have more than thai a passing interest but the rich store of iare rare and val valuable furniture with which wh ich the hiding 0 place of tutankhamen was packed contained such wonders from the distant past as have seldom been seen by modern man statues of the king facing 0 each other across the entrance to the inner chamber were two nearly life size figures of the king each stricken stiff by the artist and sta fading tiding helpless in its vin vain attempt to guard the royal tomb a mace in one hand a long ion staff in the other with a palmleaf guard below the hand the portions of these statues which represented skin shin were the dark almost black color which distinguishes the male figure from the female in egyptian art the he addresses collareta colla armlets armless arm lets wristbands wrist bands maces and staffs were glide gilded and the sandals were of gold on each forehead was the royal cob cobra ra of inlaid bronze and gold the eye sockets and eyebrows were of gold the eyeballs of aragonite and pupils of obsidian in the antechamber with the statues were a large funeral bouquet a linen chest filled with the kins kings I 1 undergarments and a casket whose vaulted lid bore paintings depicting lion hunts the sides of the latter were decorated with paintings showing the king in battles batties against african and asiatic e enemies n the contents consisted of the kings raiment most of the paraphernalia was badly crumpled and the fine fabrics had bad almost perished discovery was a sensation words cannot give any impression of the decorations of the sarcophagus itself this great box appeared to be of wood covered with got gold leaf or thicker gold which was quite bright and had across it a fine frieze in lapis lazuli or faience enamel it appeared to an observer to be about nine feet high and about eighteen or twenty feet long iong the discovery of tomb was world news thousands of columns of newspaper space were devoted to it in every country never before in history had an archeological archaeological arche discovery so captured popular interest after the art objects had been removed land land protected the tomb with its sarcophagus cop hagus and mummy was opened for visits by the public probably visitors in all had entered the tomb by january 1031 1034 1 business men throughout the world pleaded for the right to use these year old designs for gloves sandals jewelry and textiles one amerlean american silk manufacturer established a scholarship for study of the designs the incomparable treasures from tu ta mens tomb whose salvage required years of arduous work were exhibited in the E egyptian museum at cairo where they occupied several gal ceries in the crowded show house founded by marlette marietta pasha the official opening 0 of the inner chamber of tomb was on february IS 18 1023 1923 the queen of 0 the belgians was the honor guest A staff correspondent of the national geographic society describes the event on february 17 he arrived in luxor lexor crossed the river and started on foot for the tombs of the kings plodding along alone on foot he edcha exchanged in ged arab arabic c salutations with the white toothed village girls felt the african sun on his back and watched the camels stalk by on their way to the cane fields on the way to the tomb the morning freshness was still in the air gangs of prisoners were grading in 0 and watering the road which her majesty queen elizabeth of belgium would use on the morrow when she came to pay the first royal visit to tutankhamen in more than thirty centuries but the correspondent did not keep to the winding way made smooth for automobiles which glide like a chalk white sergeant serpe ant between the tawny hills beyond the green fields he saw the colossi of memnon and made for them he wanted to pass the many lesser gaping tomb mouths before he finally came to the royal tombs behind the limestone ridge As the correspondent passed through a mud walled village with its narrow alleys almost black under that hot light which lacks reflective power a girl of ten orso ts stopped topped stripping sugar cane with her gleaming teeth to wish that his day be blessed and to offer to share her store stord the noonday sun was hot and getting hotter he shouldered ills his heavy camera and started up the steep path thus should one approach that hellhole in the hills where the greatest of pharaohs Phara hid themselves and where not more than two or three still lie ile undisturbed by modern man As he passed the tomb of sett I 1 and turned toward the lower entrance of the valley he be saw below him a small white tent a wooden shelter for the armed guard the clutter of lumber which archeologists archaeologists use and the new wall of irregular irregular stones which hid the entrance of mausoleum this su permeated per heated graveyard which was to become a picnic ground and levee for royalty on the morrow was a silent place correspondents waiting about for news spoke in whispers as though the secrets of the spot would be violated by loud talk official opening a spectacle early the nest neit day the correspondent rode out a again ain to the scene the stage was all s set et for the ba big event of the day th the e official olli cial opening g As the day grew rew hot small companies of visitors arrived but there had been no attempt to make this a popular holiday and the crowd never numbered more than about noon there arrived a squad of camels laden with food and drink for the distinguished guests the last of them seemed to be sweating from the heat an unusual phenomenon made plain when one noticed that his load was ice fee in gunny sacks none kone of this feast was eaten by the guests for the train which brought iler majesty and ad lord and lady allenby to lexor luxor was so late that lunching out there in the graveyard of royalty wa was S not to be thought of those who had bad come early iad had already eaten their lunches in the tunnel leading to the tomb of Amen as one eats in a railway lunchroom with one eye on the clock and the other on the door the age old walls of stone echoed to the rattle of tile the portable typewriter operated by a press reporter then came lord allen allenby by in ills his mo tor car to wait near the barrier barria to welcome the queen A motor rolled up a white clad figure alighted there were numerous introductions especially to those egypt E gyp ian officials present and the queen quee n with mr carter carte r leading the way w 1 y with w 1 th lord carnarvon on her left and w with I 1 th lord daughter just behind went down the incline that led to the tomb mouth within a moment iler her majesty had entered tile the shadowy por tal of tomb |