Ancient Egyptians Used Rock Fractures for Tomb Construction

A paper given Sunday at the Geological Society of America meetings in Philadelphia by photographer and geologist Katarin A. Parizek described research identifying rock fracture traces in the walls and floor of the Valley of the Kings. The Valley of the Kings is that part of the Nile River Valley in Egypt where the rock cut tombs of 63 rulers have been found, including that of the New Kingdom ruler Tutankhamun [1342-1325 BC].

The rock fracture traces represent weak places in the bedrock where increased weathering and permeability occurred in the past, and Parizek reckons that locating them also identifies likely places for rock cut tombs. Egyptian tomb KV-63, discovered earlier this year and the first new tomb discovered in the Valley of the Kings in some 80 years, was discovered within a rock fracture feature; it seems most likely that the tomb constructors knew about and followed the cracks in the bedrock to build their tombs.

In a news release from the GSA meetings, Parizek's father Richard Parizek, a geologist and geo-environmental engineer at Pennsylvania State University, points out that the methodology may assist in planning for preservation of the tombs, in that the geological formations may now be mapped and perhaps rain and flood water may be prevented from trickling into the tombs. Flashy flooding over time has been a tremendously damaging force within the tombs, as can be seen by this photo of some damaged pillars within one of the tombs.

• Geological feature key to finding, protecting tombs, news release from the GSA meetings, Philadelphia
• The Discovery of KV-63
• Ancient Egypt and Egyptians

Both of these photos are courtesy Katarin A. Parizek. The upper one illustrates a zone of fracture concentration in the walls of the Valley of the Kings; the lower illustrates the damage caused within a tomb by previously flooding, with cracking seen on the mud floor, broken pillars and a collapsing ceiling.