Religion of the Pharaohs, Study Guide: Valley of the Kings & NK Funerary Practices


Important names, terms, and concepts

Tutankhamun

Valley of the Kings

Valley of the Queens

Book of the Dead

Thutmose I

Tutankhamun

Apep/Apophis

Deir el Medina (what it was, who lived there, what we know about life/religion there – we will continue with it the following week)

20D looting of royal necropolis 

Know these dates:

Discussion Questions

1)  Be prepared to present the two articles you read about the Valley of the Kings online to the class.







2) Read the spells from the Book of the Dead carefully. 

* What are these spells trying to accomplish?  And to whom to they speak?


   

* For whom are these spells written?  What do these spells tell us about the kind of afterlife this population expects or hopes to have?





* As you read them, compare them to other funerary/mortuary inscriptions we’ve read (Pyramid texts, Coffin Texts, autobiographies, and other inscriptions on funerary stelae).  How are they similar or different to what we’ve read from the OK & MK?

 

 




3) What must life have been like in Deir el Medina for the people who built the Valleys of the Kings and Queens?


 

 

 

 

You are welcome to bring any other questions/discussion topics to class as well.