Howard Carter and the Valley of the Kings
I can describe Howard Carter's great discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Howard Carter and the Valley of the Kings
I can describe Howard Carter's great discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- On the 6 November 1922, an excavation in the Valley of the Kings led by Howard Carter discovered something incredible.
- His team discovered a set of stone steps leading down a doorway covered in hieroglyphs.
- Inside the doorway Carter could see a room filled with beautiful objects made from precious woods and metals.
- Howard Carter and his team had discovered the tomb of an Egyptian ruler called Tutankhamun.
- He was buried with objects as Egyptians believed he needed them in the afterlife and they wanted to show off his wealth.
Common misconception
Pupils may find it hard to comprehend the slow and painstaking nature of carrying out excavations.
Carter began excavating the Valley of the Kings many years before finding Tutankhamun's tomb; they were about to give up when they found it.
Keywords
Excavation - an excavation is a project to dig something from the past out of the ground
Valley of the Kings - the Valley of the Kings is a part of Egypt where many pharaohs were buried in tombs
Hieroglyphics - the Ancient Egyptians wrote using a kind of writing called hieroglyphics; each symbol and picture was called a hieroglyph
Tomb - a tomb is a structure built to hold the body of a dead person
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Risk assessment required - physical activity
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
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a structure built to hold the body of a dead person
a kind of writing from Ancient Egypt
a ruler in Ancient Egypt