Saving Isis

Intellectual Archeology - Unearthing the Mind

The Valley of The Kings is a unique place with its own unique set of problems.  Howard Carter realized this when he was standing face to face with a single wall which kept him from getting to the sarcophagus of King Tutankhamun.  On the reverse side of this wall was a painting of the Egyptian Goddess named Isis.  When considering how one will "save Isis," it is necessary to consider many variables such as the makeup of the geology and the weight of the sarcophagus.  After considering all possibilities and thinking about all of the variables, the most logical solution to save Isis is to dig a tunnel under the wall and use a hydraulic cart to transport the sarcophagus from the burial chamber to the antechamber.

When examining how to get to the burial chamber without damaging Isis, it can be concluded that one must enter either through the top or from the bottom.  Coming through the top, however, presents many more obstacles than does coming through the bottom.  In order to come through the top, one must somehow remove an entire roof which can be overly difficult.  The amount of heavy machinery needed is also a problem.  A very large crane is necessary in order to lift the roof off of the building as well as lift the sarcophagus out of the burial chamber.  Tools that can detach the roof from the rest of the building are also necessary.  Overall, the amount of work and tools necessary to go through the top of the building is far to astronomical.

The second option is to go under the wall between the antechamber and the burial chamber.  This can be difficult, but with a detailed plan it can be done with efficiency.  The first step is to analyze the situation.  To do this a small hole should be drilled into the wall around one of the edges so that Isis is not destroyed.  A small video camera can then be inserted through the hole so that the explorers can get an idea of the positioning of the sarcophagus in the burial chamber.  Though it is valid to assume that it will be positioned directly in the center given the symmetry found in other Egyptian art, it is still good to double check (Crystalinks.com). The second step is to dig a nine foot long by eight foot wide by eleven foot deep hole in the floor of the antechamber, relatively close to the wall which separates the antechamber from the burial chamber.  This hole simply goes straight down, perpendicular to the floor.  The third step is where the process begins to get a little more complicated.  Next, the excavation team is to start digging sideways, perpendicularly to the current hole and parallel to the above floor.  They should dig keeping the width the same as the current hole, but with a height of about six feet.  As progress is made, iron bars should be placed and welded together around the edges as to build a frame which supports the weight of the earth above.  This process should continue until they are near the other side of the twenty-foot long burial chamber (Desroches-Noblecourt 68).  Once the tunnel is at full length, wooden planks should be laid along the bottom of the tunnel for the hydraulic cart which is then lowered into the tunnel.  The wheels of the cart need something more rigid and even than the earth which may be somewhat inconsistent, and wooden planks are a good option.  At this point, the diggers begin to carefully dig upward, making the hole the same width as the first hole dug downward.  As they approach the top, they should be extra careful because there will be some overhang of the sarcophagus over the hole since the sarcophagus is eight feet long and the hole is nine feet wide in the direction of the twenty-foot long room (TourEgypt.net).  The difference between the "overhang" of the sarcophagus and the edge of the hole is still sufficiently large for people to fit through, and yet not enough that it will tip over and fall into the hole.  Of course once the people are through, the hydraulic cart may be raised to a level even with the floor of the burial chamber to provide extra support for the overhanging sarcophagus.

Now that the excavation team is in the burial chamber, the next task is to move and lift the sarcophagus.  This is a daunting task because the sarcophagus weighs three thousand pounds (TourEgypt.net).  The amount of static friction acting on the 13000 Newton sarcophagus is far to great for a couple of men to push it.  The next task is to therefore reduce the amount of friction in order to slide it completely onto the hydraulic cart that is patiently waiting for the sarcophagus.  In order to do this, a plastic disk that resembles a coaster will be placed under each corner.  There are similar things used when moving furniture, except the disks for the sarcophagus will be somewhat larger so that it may distribute the weight over a greater surface area.  In order to lift the sarcophagus just enough for the thin disks to be slipped underneath, the principle of torque will be used.  Once the disks are under the sarcophagus, it should slide relatively easily onto the hydraulic cart, which may then be lowered as low as it will fold.  Once lowered, the wheeled cart may be pushed along the wooden planks to the other side of the tunnel.  Next, the cart may be raised again and the sarcophagus, which is still on top of the disks, pushed off of the cart and into the antechamber.

With even a well thought out plan such as this one, there are still several problems which need to be solved.  For example, all of the dirt that is moved while digging must be dealt with.  The team should find some type of machine that can "suck up" dirt and displace it somewhere else.  Also, the amount of torque necessary to lift the sarcophagus the small distance upward will probably damage the outside of the sarcophagus in the places in which the torque was applied.

Though these problems do still exist, there are many more present when attempting to enter the burial chamber through the top.  A large crane is bound to damage the sarcophagus even moreso than the instruments used to lift the sarcophagus the small amount necessary in order to slide the disks under the sarcophagus.  Going underneath the wall, though it may sound impractical initially, is indeed a safer and more economical approach to moving the sarcophagus out of the burial chamber and into the antechamber.

Our group worked very well with each other and we often bounced ideas off of each other.  My ideas included the hydraulic cart, the drilling of a hole to put a video camera through, and the wooden planks in order to roll the cart across. I also looked through many books in the library until I came across Descroches-Noblecourt's Tutankhamen Life and Death of a Pharaoh.  Antoine thought up the much needed metal framing that will be used to hold up the earth above the team.  Jordan came up with the idea of going under the wall in the first place.  She also suggested that we need something to move the sarcophagus easily along the tunnel, which gave me the idea of the hydraulic cart.

Works Cited

Andrews, Mark. "King Tut's Golden Shrines." Egypt Travel, Tours, Vacations, Ancient Egypt from Tour Egypt. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/tutshrines.htm.

Descroches-Noblecourt, Christiane.  Tutankhamen Life and Death of a Pharaoh.  George Rainbird, World Books, 1967.  Print.

"King Tutankhamen's Tomb - Crystalinks." Crystalinks Metaphysical and Science Website. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. http://www.crystalinks.com/tutstomb.html.

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