TOMBS AND TREASURE Imagine you are a farmer digging away in a field Suddenly you spot something in the ground beneath your feet a hole a glint of metal an underground chamber It’s a one in a million chance but it can happen Some of the most incredible tomb discoveries have been made by chance and some have unearthed dazzling treasures Others of course are the result of painstaking research and careful archaeological work This book has examples of both kinds of discovery Read on to find out more In Mexico during Day of the Dead celebrations people make masks to remember their loved ones who have died
In Petra Jordan these elaborate tombs were built high into the mountainside BURYING THE DEAD From the very earliest times people have wondered about what happens after death Even today the passing of a person from life to death is dealt with in many different ways around the world Some people bury their dead in the ground or in tombs Some prefer to cremate burn the dead body These customs reflect the many different beliefs about life after death the afterlife
Everything but the kitchen sink In past times people were often buried with the things they would need in the afterlife Even the poorest people were sometimes buried with a cooking pot or other everyday object In the tombs of wealthy or noble people the objects considered necessary for the afterlife included furniture weapons armor jewelry food TREASURE TROVES Some of the tombs unearthed in the past have been full of spectacular treasures The ancient Egyptian boy-king Tutankhamun was buried in a gold sarcophagus and his tomb contained his golden throne chariot and countless other amazing objects In the 1870s excavations to find the tomb of the mythological Greek king Agamemnon
unearthed a treasure trove of golden objects including cups swords crowns and a golden death mask This golden death mask was found at Mycenae Greece in 1876
