The papers, known as the Amherst Papyrus, date back to 1100BC and are part of original court records dealing with tomb robberies under Ramses IX. It reveals the confessions of eight men who broke into the tomb of Sobekemsaf II, Pharaoh of the 17th Dynasty, and a description of the reconstruction of the crime. Bettany Hughes revealed during her Channel 5 show “Egypt’s Greatest Treasures” how its discovery helps explain why this ancient society went from burying royalty in pyramids to tombs in the Valley of the Kings.
She said last month: “Sadly, some treasures will never be found, including the priceless possessions of Seti I.
“They were all looted across thousands of years by tomb raiders.
“Robbers were a key reason Egyptians began to bury their rulers in this remote location.
“Up until now, pharaohs had been buried in great big pyramids, a bit like the Step Pyramid that we saw at Saqqara, these were fantastic demonstrations of their might and their power.
The papyrus helps explain why pharaoh’s stopped being buried in pyramids (Image: GETTY)
The full document reveals ancient court proceedings (Image: CHANNEL 5)
We know all about this ancient tomb raiding from an amazing source, a 3000-year-old court record
“But they were also huge signs saying that treasure was buried there so they were incredibly tempting for robbers and raiders.”
Dr Hughes went on to explain the contents of the papyrus.
She added: “That’s why the ancient Egyptians began to bury their kings far from prying eyes in this valley, so remote they hoped it would keep them and their tombs safe forever.
“But the robbers weren’t put off, even though they risked being brutally punished, sometimes executed.
“And we know all about this ancient tomb raiding from an amazing source, a 3000-year-old court record.
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Egyptians stopped being buried in pyramid due to robbers (Image: GETTY)
“This scroll contains the confession of a tomb robber who’d been caught and reveals the trade secrets of these ancient criminals.
“We know that gold and silver was often nicked first, obviously because it was the most precious, but also because it was very easy to meltdown.”
Dr Hughes finalised by explaining how tomb robbers caused a great deal of concern for Pharaohs.
She continued: “Then you have perfumes and textiles going which could command a really high price on the market.
“And then finally, the big objects like chariots and bits of furniture, they were left, but eventually, even they were nicked.
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The Valley of the Kings contains hundreds of tombs (Image: CHANNEL 5)
Bettany Hughes revealed al in her new show (Image: CHANNEL 5)
“It was a content fight between the tomb builders, officially keeping the thieves out, and the tomb raiders, desperate to break in.
“And there is one tomb in the valley where you can really see how that battle played out, the tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose III.”
Thutmose III was the sixth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty and ruled Egypt for almost 54 years.
Becoming the sole ruling pharaoh of the kingdom after the deaths of Thutmose II and Hatshepsut, he created the largest empire Egypt had ever seen.
No fewer than 17 campaigns were conducted and he conquered lands from the Niya Kingdom in northern Syria to the Fourth Cataract of the Nile in Nubia.
However, his tomb is not the only of its kind to stuns historians in the Valley of the Kings.
During the same show, Dr Hughes got the chance to enter KV17 – the final resting place of Pharaoh Seti I of the 19th Dynasty.
It was first discovered by Giovanni Battista Belzoni on October 16, 1817, but has been closed since the early Sixties due to significant damage to the structure.
Archaeologist Bahar Kebir explained to Dr Hughes how the ancient Pharaoh made this tomb his own paradise.
He detailed: “It’s really long, 138 metres.
Ancient Egypt mapped (Image: DX)
“Even the column, you will see the beautiful decorations representing the king with different gods and goddesses.
“There’s Horus, the son of Osiris and look at the relation between the king and the god himself, he dreamed one day that he would be alive again with Osiris.
“When they decided to build a tomb, they cut the tomb out of the rock to live forever.
“So he dreamed that his second life would be here, all these inscriptions, all these beautiful details say ‘I will live here in my paradise.’”