User talk:Dbgusglm/sandbox

My QV66 Rough Draft

Nefertari, which means "beautiful companion", was obviously Pharaoh Ramses II's favorite wife. Pharaoh Ramses II went out of his way to make it obvious, referring to her as "the one for whom the sun shines" in his writings, built the temple of Hathor to idolize her as a deity, and commissioned portraiture wall paintings. ^1 In the Valley of the Queens, Nefertari's tomb once held the mummified body and representative symbolisms of her, like what most Egyptian tombs consisted of. Now, everything had been looted except for two thirds of the 5,200 square feet of wall paintings. For what still remains, these wall paintings characterized Nefertari's character. Her face was given a lot of attention to emphasize her beauty, especially the shape of her eyes, the blush of her cheeks, and her eyebrows. Some paintings were full of lines and color of red, blue, yellow, and green that portrayed exquisite directions to navigating through the afterlife to paradise.

Of the wall full of paintings, the "Queen playing Draughts" is a portrayal of Nefertari playing the game of Senet. A whole entire wall was dedicated to show the Queen at play, demonstrating the importance of the game of Senet. Interpretations have lead a physical boardgames of Senet may have possibly been stolen, along with the body and other symbolic images of Nefertari. Nefertari may have been very clever, and possibly have been a writer in her lifetime. ^4 This can be alluded because of a painting in the tomb of Nefertari coming before the god of writing and literacy to proclaim her title as a scribe. Nefertari lived an elegant life on earth, and she is also promised an elegant afterlife. Chapter 17 of the Book of the Dead, which tells a spell for the Queen, is inscripted on the tomb. This spell is supposed to guide Nefertari on how to transform into a ba, which is a bird. For Nefertari to become a bird in the afterlife, it is promised freedom to move around.

After the discovery of the tomb, scientists have found many deteriorated paintings caused by water damage, bacterial growth, salt formation, and recently, the humidity of visitors' breath. The tombs' structure set itself to be vulnerable to destruction. Conservation projects, run by the Getty Conservation Institute and the Egyptian Antiquities Organization have worked to replace over 3,000 years worth of dust and soot with pasted paper to the fragile walls and ceilings to preserve the paintings. ^5 This restoration process lasted until 1990, when scientists decided to conceal the tomb from visitors. 5 years later, Egypt's Prime Minister, Hisham Zazao declared the tomb to be reopened to visitors, 150 visitors at a time. ^3 After a short 11 years, the tomb was restricted to visitors once again, except for private tours. Even until today, the Getty Conservation Institute monitors the tomb regularly.

Fischer, D (June 1, 1992). "Mummy Dearest". Time (22). Retrieved 29 September 2015. Carroll, Colleen. "Clip And Save Art Notes.". Arts & Activities. Retrieved 29 September 2015. Shaw, Garry (December 2014). "Egypt reopens tomb as tourism falls.". Art Newspaper (263). Retrieved 29 September 2015. "The Tomb of Nefertari". BBC. Retrieved 1 October 2015. Wilson-Yang, K.M.; Burns, George (November 1989). The Stability of the Tomb of Nefertari 1904-1987 (4 ed.). Maney Publishing. pp. 153–155. Retrieved 1 October 2015.