Securing Eternity

The ancient Egyptian tomb evolved rapidly over a period of about 2,500 years, from a simple backfilled pit to an enormous stone pyramid with complex security arrangements. Much of this development was arguably driven by the ever-present threat of tomb robbery, which compelled tomb builders to introduce special architectural measures to prevent it. In Securing Eternity, Reg Clark traces the development of the Egyptian royal and private tombs from the Predynastic Period to the early Fourth Dynasty, demonstrating that many of the familiar architectural elements of the Egyptian tomb in fact originated from security features to protect the tomb, rather than from monumental or religious considerations.