A Short History of Tomb-Raiding

The Epic Hunt for Egypt’s Treasures

De: Maria Golia

Narrado por: Mike Cooper

Duración: 7 h y 49 m

Resumen del Editor

A spine-tingling exploration of a venture as ancient as the pyramids themselves.

To secure a comfortable afterlife, ancient Egyptians built fortress-like tombs and filled them with precious goods, a practice that generated staggering quantities of artifacts over the course of many millennia—and also one that has drawn thieves and tomb-raiders to Egypt since antiquity. Drawing on modern scholarship, reportage, and period sources, this book tracks the history of treasure-seekers in Egypt and the social contexts in which they operated, revealing striking continuities throughout time. Listeners will recognize the foibles of today's politicians and con artists, the perils of materialism, and the cycles of public compliance and dissent in the face of injustice. In describing an age-old pursuit and its timeless motivations, A Short History of Tomb-Raiding shows how much we have in common with our Bronze Age ancestors.

©2022 Maria Golia (P)2023 Tantor

Tombs and Sometimes Treasure

When a king or queen in Egypt died, they expected to spend their afterlife, surrounded by luxury. Instead, most were robbed blind - and their mummies destroyed.

In ancient Egypt, they believed that in order to enjoy the afterlife, you had to have a body for your Ka or Ba to reside within. The walls of their tombs were covered with beautiful paintings, and often held scenes that helped the deceased to get through the trials that they had to attend, as the book of the dead dictated. Once on the other side, they could enjoy their afterlife.

Sadly, many tombs were robbed, mostly from the master thieves of Gurneh, but many others were also involved in the sale and looting of the tombs. As the antiquities department was watching priceless treasures leak out of the country, they had to wonder where they were coming from.

This book gives a fantastic overview! I was hooked from the first page, and could not put it down until I was finished. Thankfully, there is an audiobook version now, so I was able to listen when I could not sit to read. If you enjoy history, ancient history, or anything Egypt - this is one book that you need to read!