Hatshepsut's 'Beneath The Sands Of Egypt'

After finishing the memoir, one should clearly see how the title, beginning, and ending of it all connect. All three connect to Ryan’s discovery of Hatshepsut's body and the fruition of the true meaning of the discovery. The title hints at the location of the discovery, the beginning shows the initial stages of the discovery, and the ending shows the completion of the discovery.
The title, Beneath the Sands of Egypt, references the mysteries hidden underneath the Egyptian deserts. This not only connects to the overarching subject of Egyptian archaeology, but also to the discovery of Hatshepsut's body. For many years, the sands kept her tomb hidden. Howard Carter stumbled upon the tomb during his time in Egypt, but claimed it “‘contained nothing of interest’” (12). It would take decades before anyone would show any interest in the tomb, and once again the tomb would be hidden beneath the sands. …show more content…
Ryan drops the reader in the middle of finding the opening to the tomb, situated beneath the sands (connecting to the memoir’s title), then providing some background on why he was there. Following this brief explanation, Ryan continues on with his story of his initial discovery of the tomb and how he did not realize the magnitude of this discovery at the time. Initially not knowing what knowledge the discovery would bring, Ryan inquired, “What was the real story behind this simple little tomb, and who might this regal lady be who lay so undignified on its floor?” (28). He concludes the chapter with a hint at important this discovery would become, but he does not address this until the end of the