What’s in this Tomb?

overgrown mausoleum
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Tombs vary in their complexity. Some are combined with a temple, some may house many or just one interment. But the majority will house several bodies of the same family, like a mausoleum.

  • Entrance
  • Antechamber (may be decorated with statues and murals and hold everyday items)
  • Chapel (may just be a shrine in the corner, for small tombs)
  • Ossuary (for those who periodically remove the bones from a tomb and store them in an urn or box–or even use them as decoration in the chamber–to reuse the sarcophagus for a fresh body)
  • Burial chamber(s) with shelves, benches, or sarcophaguses to hold bodies
  • Secret treasure vault (if appropriate)
Cave 24 of Judahite Cemetery in Jerusalem
Tomb of Tutankhamen, pharaoh of Egypt
Tomb of Dido, Queen of Carthage
Tomb of Ramses, Pharaoh of Egypt

Tombs are highly likely to feature traps and puzzles, especially if they’re not sealed and hidden. If not sealed, it may be because priests are expected to add more burials or conduct prayers, or guardians are expected to conduct ceremonies, reset traps, and defend against intruders.

Ancient Etruscan tomb in a mound, part of a city of the dead
Ossuary within the Catacombs of Paris


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