ANST-401 Lessons

Welcome back, students! The topic of the ancient Egyptian pyramids could fill an entire year, however we will do our best to squeeze the most important knowledge into one class. We will start off with some basic facts about the pyramids, and then delve into a bit about their lesser known history and a bit about real Egyptian curses.

Fact and Fiction

When most people think of the Egyptian pyramids, they conjure up images of mummies, evil curses, scarabs, booby traps, scorching heat, and lots and lots of sand. And, for the most part, they are correct! Quite often, they are also picturing the Pyramids of Giza, maybe even specifically the Great Pyramid of Khufu. One can hardly fault them, though, as these pyramids are excellent examples of the genre and are, in fact, the last remaining Ancient Wonder of the World since the destruction of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus in the 1400s CE.

However, the earliest “pyramids” or “ancient stone burial places in Egypt” were not actually shaped like pyramids, but instead like rectangular prisms. While not officially “pyramids” in the truest sense due to their shape, they too are burial mounds for the greatest and most powerful men and women of their age. These constructions are called mastabas and were first built around 3200 BCE, with their construction, details, and formation evolving through the millennia before falling out of favor in 1550 BCE. There were also periods of time when mastabas and pyramids overlapped. Often pharaohs would opt for pyramids whereas lesser nobility and the very wealthy would instead have mastabas. In fact, the “heyday” of pyramid construction, which created the Pyramids of Giza we know so well, was during the period of mastaba production, specifically during  2589-2504 BCE. But by the 1500s BCE, it was pyramids or nothing, and that trend continued for the rest of that civilizations history, with the last known pyramid -- built in Nuri -- appearing around 664 BCE.

Now, Muggles have “discovered” approximately 138 of these Egyptian pyramids, however there are many, many more. The Gringotts Census currently states that there are well over 500 pyramids in the general area of ancient Egypt, as well as several thousand non-Egyptian pyramids scattered across the globe. And don’t get me started on non-pyramid burial areas! There are plenty of those as well. Suffice it to say, Muggles don’t know the half of it!

Gringotts Gold, Glamour, and Grit

And just who is in charge of not only finding these thousands of pyramids, but also exploring them, clearing traps, cataloging the treasures inside, and approving them for Muggle discovery? I am certain that you have all heard of curse-breakers, but most of you have probably not heard about the organization that employs them and oversees all of these functions: the Gringotts Census of Pyramids. Established in the early 1500s, the Gringotts Census has formally documented all pyramids around the world and classified them into four categories:

Level 1: GGD - Greatest Gold and Danger
Level 2: GDU - Gold, Danger, Uncleared
Level 3: GDC - Gold, Danger, Clearing in Progress
Level 4: CMD - Cleared for Muggle Discovery

As you know, goblins are most interested in gold and treasure. Many ancient civilizations placed such valuables in their burial mounds as part of the funerary rites, so the goblins of Gringotts have focussed much of their time and resources into exploring these pyramids.

What you may have only understood in passing from our last class is that the ancient Egyptians were exceptional charms and potions masters as well as users of script-based magic. Much of the detailed knowledge of their magical practices have been lost over time, but the effects of the spells that remain are undeniably deadly (or potent in other ways). It is for this reason that Gringotts employs curse-breakers. It is their job to infiltrate these ancient tombs and clear them of all hexes, curses, and residual potions so that the treasures of the tombs can be safely collected. Most of the collected treasures are then hidden away in the vastness of the vaults underneath Gringotts itself, while some of the treasures are sold off to the highest bidder, usually museums at this point in time. Given the secretiveness of the goblins, the number and value of treasures collected by curse-breakers is unknown, but assumed to be astronomical in nature. There are, of course, significant complaints surrounding the appropriation of these treasures by Gringotts, rather than leaving them in the care of their own governments, or their own countries’ museums, but government talks with the goblins have never produced any changes. 

But enough doom and gloom, let’s get into the nitty gritty of the process the pyramids go through. To start, all pyramids are given a level two (GDU) status before they are explored. Once curse-breakers or teams have been dispatched to a pyramid, its level is downgraded to GDC, or level three. Then, when all of the curses, hexes, jinxes, and potions have been cleared, and every nook and cranny has been checked, the pyramid is downgraded again to level four. At this point, a few trinkets, or pieces of historical importance (as approved by magiarchaeologists) are left behind and any protecting charms or measures that were being taken to keep a pyramid hidden are removed, finally making it possible for Muggle to “discover” the pyramid. Most recently, in 2008, a particularly nasty pyramid was finally cleared in Saqqara and was “discovered” by Muggles working in the area.

Many of you are probably thinking how glamorous working as a curse-breaker must be. And yes, while their lives are filled with excitement, thrills, and treasure, please believe me that their lives are also filled with great danger and sorrow. Curse-breakers often have a very short lifespan, which brings me to level one pyramids. A pyramid is elevated to level one when one of two things occurs: the curse-breakers are unable to unlock the enchantments on the door, leaving the pyramid inaccessible and presumably filled with vast amounts of treasure; or when more than ten individuals have been killed trying to clear the pyramid of its various curses, poisons, etc. While goblins do certainly value gold, they are not heartless, and also value their labour force (as curse-breakers take some time to train), and so if the fatalities in a particular pyramid rise above ten, the pyramid will be abandoned, sealed, and put under permanent protection by the local Ministry of Magic. Sadly, this circumstance happens more often than we would like to imagine. Rarely, one of these pyramids can be petitioned to be reopened, but typically this requires significant evidence of new strategies, spells, or information that would make it possible (and less dangerous) to explore them.

On occasion, the curse-breakers have missed something, and a Muggle or two may fall victim to a curse or poison. The most famous of these occurrences was during the Muggle discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922 CE. In this instance, the curse-breakers missed a simple Klutzy Curse as well as a poison hidden inside the sarcophagus of King Tut. The Klutzy Curse caused one of the members of the expedition, Lord Carnarvon, to cut himself with a razor, which then became infected, and he soon after died of blood poisoning. Another member of the expedition inhaled the poison from the sarcophagus and died a few months later after suffering from a horrendously long-lasting fever. Had the tomb been opened closer to its completion, the poison alone would have been potent enough to instantly wipe out the entire exploration party. This incident caused a significant overhaul of curse-breaker training, and, thankfully, no other Muggles have been harmed from untriggered traps within the pyramids since that time.

A Wee Taste of Curses, Poisons, and Hieroglyphics

       “Cursed be those who disturb the rest of a Pharaoh. They that shall break the seal o this tomb shall meet death by a disease that no doctor can diagnose.”

-  Translated from an unidentified Middle Kingdom pyramid.

The ancient Egyptians were obsessed with protecting their dead, and so almost all of their pyramids are filled with curses, hexes, jinxes, and potions (poisons, for the most part). For reasons we may never be entirely sure of, earlier constructions of ancient Egyptian testing places contained warnings of the defenses contained within, alerting anyone attempting to gain entrance to the pyramids about their imminent doom. Quite often, hieroglyphics can both provide a clue as to which type of curse was left guarding the dead and their possessions, as well as be incorporated into the fabric of the curse itself. Though, in some cases, they are just there for decoration and the exaltation of the person contained within.

Let’s look at an example of the former, a curse inscribed on the walls in the Tomb of Ankhtifi which dates back to roughly the 9th or 10th dynasty. It goes as follows: 

“Any ruler who shall do evil or wickedness to this coffin, may Hemen not 
accept any goods he offers, and may his heir not inherit.” 

This spell has been confirmed (both by deciphering words of the spell as well as examining the hieroglyphs used) to contain a few levels. Firstly, there is a curse that bestows bad luck, which on its own is quite benign. The bad luck described here causes the target to consistently be in the wrong place at the wrong time, always arriving late to the market and unable to sell their wares, for example. However, it is coupled with a nasty secondary curse. I assume it is far too early in your Hogwarts career to have heard of blood curses, but this is a very early example of one from ancient civilization. Therefore, anyone who is a certain level of blood relation to the trespasser becomes sterile, regardless of age, distance, or innocence. This very swiftly and neatly ends that person’s line, as there will be no more heirs once the youngest affected person dies.

You may be noting to yourself that neither of these are very “flashy” curses, perhaps requiring decades for their full reach to be discovered. These long-term curses were very common in the earlier dynasties of ancient Egypt, and were quite often spelled out in great detail on the walls of the tombs. However, as time progressed, the curses and other traps became much quicker acting, and more violent, more like what we think of when we imagine Egyptian curses today. An example of this progression can be found in the 6th dynasty mastabas of Khentika Ikhekhi at Saqqara. This curse was specifically directed at witches and wizards trying to break into the tomb:

“As for all impure men who shall enter this tomb, there will be judgment. An end shall be made for him. I shall seize his neck like a bird and I shall cast the fear of myself on him.”

This extremely complicated enchantment was placed on the body of the deceased Ikhekhi and, upon triggering, would cause the body to animate, turning it into a mummy. The mummy would then attack the intruder, often aiming for the jugular vein in their neck.

So, as you can see, punishments became much more swift, but what about the warnings? Well, these, on the other hand, decreased in frequency, making these tombs more treacherous than their predecessors. Hence why only a trained curse-breaker, or perhaps a member of a curse-breaking team, should ever enter a pyramid that is not cleared for Muggle discovery.

Closing

And with that brief foray into the complexities of the ancient pyramids and their dangers, it is time to end the class. For those of you who are now a bit terrified of mummies, please note that Hogwarts is located a significant distance away from Egypt. For those of you experiencing disappointment over the level of detail covering ancient curses, please know that if you do well in this course, you will have further opportunities to learn and practice some basic curse-breaking skills during your time at Hogwarts! I hope that’s slightly comforted those on both ends of the spectrum sufficiently! For now, your assignment today is a quiz and a short answer essay. Next week we will speak about one of the greatest cities of ancient Egypt, Alexandria, and write our midterm.

Original lesson written by Professor Liria Morgan
Image credits here, here, and here