The Valley of the Kings is the setting for Theodosia’s journey to the tomb of Thutmose III, where the royal necropolis shifts from a subject she has studied to a place she can enter. In the valley’s farthest corner, a guard admits her and Nabir; beyond him, a ladder leads toward a small opening high in the rocky wall, making the landscape itself part of the approach to the tomb.

Setting and Approach

The scene begins at dawn, after Theodosia’s parents have stayed up late making inquiries about Henry’s health. While they are still asleep, she slips out with an appointment at the tomb of Thutmose III. She persuades Nabir to take her alone to the Valley of the Kings, relying on his familiarity with her single-mindedness to bring the argument to a quick end.

The journey through the valley is physically demanding. The sun grows fiercely hot, her pack feels heavy, and her mother’s old pith helmet protects her from the heat. Nabir guides her through a maze of canyons to a narrow gorge at the very bottom of the valley. The route makes the necropolis feel not like a single monument on open ground, but a destination concealed among difficult, winding terrain.

The Necropolis and Tomb Access

Theodosia has spent her life hearing about the tombs, handling historical finds, and trying to decipher their meaning. Seeing the necropolis close at hand—and imagining a tomb intact, as originally built and conceived, rather than in scattered fragments—gives the place an almost transcendent significance for her. Her excitement belongs both to the scale of the ancient site and to the prospect of encountering its history whole.

The tomb of Thutmose III lies at the very last position in the valley, with a single guard on duty. He recognizes Nabir; after the two exchange a few words in Egyptian, he lets them pass. Nabir leads Theodosia to the farthest corner and a small cave, then returns carrying a long ladder. He takes it to a fold in the rocky wall, where an opening is visible some ten or fifteen metres above them. The account establishes the opening and the ladder as the next stage of their approach without yet explaining what lies beyond it.

Narrative Significance

The Valley of the Kings marks the point where Theodosia’s archaeological knowledge becomes direct experience. The contrast between broken finds and a tomb imagined in its original entirety gives her arrival its force: the place offers the possibility of encountering ancient design not merely through objects removed from it, but within the landscape that contains it. At the same time, the guarded route, hidden cave, and elevated opening turn the valley into a passage toward a less accessible discovery. Its geography shapes the scene’s movement from eager arrival to a threshold whose contents remain unrevealed.