Rock-cut Tomb

A chamber tomb cut into solid rock. In Egypt, this method was used during Middle Kingdom (c 1938-1600 BC); examples are found in cliffs along the Nile, burials in the Valley of the Kings, and tombs of the nobles at Luxor. In the New Kingdom (1539-1075 BC) the kings were buried in rock-cut tombs, but separate mortuary temples continued to be built nearby. Rock-cut tombs are either made directly from a cliff face, by cutting a vertical shaft from the surface, or by a sloping or stepped passage (dromos). Rock-cut tombs are particularly common in the Mediterranean region, where they occur from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. They may be used either for single or collective burial.