Explorations in Bible lands during the 19th century - H. V. Hilprecht

DURING lOni CENTURY: EGYPT 687
their inscriptions, arose and stood before us. But how
did all these bodies come into one common grave ? That
this had not been their original tomb was very evident.
Under the Twentieth Dynasty, when the power of the state
began to fail, it
was not possible to
protect the resting-places of the
dead from thieves. In the different
cemeteries the tombs were plundered,
and the graves of the kings,
which afforded rich spoil, were
much sought after by the thieves.
As it was found impossible to overcome
this state of affairs, it was
thought advisable to carry the bodies
of the kings to a place of safety.
So we learn, for instance, from an
inscription that the body of Rameses
II. was removed from its original
tomb to the safer one of Seti I.,
and when this also was pronounced
unsafe, it was transferred to the
tomb of Amenophis I. Finally, at
the beginning of the Twenty-second
Dynasty, it was decided to bury
them together in a rock cave which
had been artificially constructed at
Der el-Bahri, and in this way to
protect them against further moles-
Mummv of Rameses II.
tation. Also the bodies of the kings
and royal relatives of the Twentyfirst
Dynasty were buried here. Thus all the great kings
rested in peace, until they were discovered bv the fellaheen.
Now they have been placed together with their coffins and
treasures in the Museum at Cairo. But it is doubtful
whether it will be possible to preserve from destruction the