Arts + Tomb Builder v Tomb Robber: The secret world of Ancient Egyptian tomb security and its architecture. Wednesday 29 January 11-12.30

It’s amazing what talent we have in our Arts Society. Who would have thought we had a leading expert on Egyptian tomb security as one of our members.

Our next Arts + event draws on the expertise of Dr Reg Clark to deliver a fascinating account of tomb security in Ancient Egypt.

Tomb robbery is a well attested phenomenon in Egypt from the earliest times, and it soon becomes obvious when looking at the architecture of ancient Egyptian tombs that physical measures were being taken to deter or prevent it. However, Egyptian tomb security is seldom discussed by Egyptologists or featured in books, articles or documentaries on Ancient Egypt. The topic usually being relegated to the lurid speculations of popular films and other media, such as Land of the Pharoahs, The Mummy and Tomb Raider; where inevitably, the hapless intruder in an Egyptian tomb is hindered by a fanciful assortment of deadly sand traps, poison darts and other lethal mechanisms. But the reality was somewhat different; indeed, it was often more extraordinary; yet the facts still remain unknown to most people, as until recently, tomb security has not been the subject of any in-depth research.

However, in the last few years Dr Reg Clark has undertaken an authoritative study of the methods used by the ancient Egyptians to defend their tombs, in what was effectively an escalating ‘arms race’ between tomb robber and tomb builder.

In this talk, Reg will explain the religious and social purpose of the Egyptian tomb and why it needed to be made secure from the constant threat of robbery, looting and vandalism. He will then go on to discuss the various methods employed to defend the tomb over the three millennia of Dynastic rule; and demonstrate along the way that it was the constant pursuit of new ways to secure the Egyptian tomb that drove much of its astounding architectural development, rather than the usually espoused religious or monumental considerations.