Book 14

Egyptian Rock-cut Tombs

by Aidan Dodson

Published 31 May 1991
The rock-cut tomb was the most ubiquitous of Egyptian funerary monuments. This book surveys many of these varieties and traces their development. The New Kingdom royal tombs at Thebes and Amarna are described and capters are devoted to the groups of private tombs that date from the Old Kingdom onwards; the distinction is drawn between the tomb-chapels, decorated with the so-called 'scenes of daily life', and the associated burial chamters, in some casese cut a considerable distance away. The changes in decorative themes are explored, as are those in architecture and location. The book concludes with a brief look at the contruction of rock tombs, particularly in the context of workmen's village of Deir el-Medina, and their uncertain future.