28
Motel of the Mysteries
David Macaulay
David Macaulay is a brilliant illustrator and author whose many books illuminate
the workings of humankind's technological achievements.
Points to consider when reading this article:
1. W h o is the f i c t i o n a l archaeologist H o w a r d Carson
based on?
2. W h a t has archaeologist H o w a r d Carson actually
discovered? W h a t does he t h i n k he has found?
3. W h a t lessons s h o u l d w e learn f r o m H o w a r d
Carson's h i l a r i o u s misinterpretations?
4. W h a t really are Carson's " w a t e r t r u m p e t s / '
"sacred u r n , " a n d "sacred parchment"?
D a v i d M a c a u l a y is n o t an archaeologist. H e is an i l l u s -
trator a n d author. T h r o u g h exquisitely detailed p e n
and i n k d r a w i n g s , M a c a u l a y trains his artist's eye o n
castles, cathedrals, cities, ships, m i l l s , p y r a m i d s , and a
host of other technological marvels. H i s illustrations
take these things apart, s h o w h o w they w o r k , a n d t h e n
p u t t h e m back together again.
One of M a c a u l a y ' s earlier books is a bit different
f r o m the others. Instead of focusing o n technology, Mo-
tel of the Mysteries is a h i l a r i o u s send-up of archaeology-
The g r o u n d b e l o w his feet s u d d e n l y gave way. H e
was precipitated h e a d l o n g d o w n w a r d . W h e n the dust
h a d settled a n d he h a d recovered his spectacles, he
f o u n d himself at the b o t t o m of an ancient shaft, facing
the entrance of a l o n g - f o r g o t t e n t o m b . The shaft, p r o b -
ably d u g b y t o m b robbers s h o r t l y after the t o m b was
sealed, h a d been covered i n i t i a l l y b y the n a t u r a l vege-
tation of the surface. M o r e recently, the w h o l e area h a d
been b u r i e d u n d e r vast quantities of soil f r o m the adja-
cent excavation.
From Motel of the Mysteries. Copyright © 1979 by David Macaulay.
Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Company. A l l
rights reserved.
169
It is some t i m e i n the v e r y distant f u t u r e , a n d archaeol-
ogist H o w a r d C a r s o n has m a d e the archaeological
discovery of the century or, perhaps, the m i l l e n n i u m
(and n o , i t is n o t a coincidence that H o w a r d C;
was the actual discoverer of the tomb of Egyptian p h a -
r a o h T u t - a n k h - a m u n ) . A s y o u read this excerpt f r o m
Macaulay's book, it w i l l become clear that Carson is ex-
cavating n o t h i n g more t h a n a sleazy twentieth-centurv
m o t e l , t h o u g h he manages to construe the place as an
ancient, sacred necropolis. The book is especially h i l a r -
ious i f y o u k n o w a b i t about the h i s t o r y of archaeology.
Some of the lines achieve their h u m o r (at least for ar-
chaeologists) b y b e i n g actual quotes f r o m H o w a r d
Carter (he's the real archaeologist, and he really d i d
reply i n response to the question, " C a n y o u see any-
t h i n g ? " as he first gazed i n t o Tut's Tomb, "Yes, w o n -
d e r f u l t h i n g s . " ) Reading Motel of the Mysteries can be a
h u m b l i n g experience for a n archaeologist. But i t also is
a valuable r e m i n d e r of the mistakes w e can make
w h e n w e i m p o s e a preconceived perspective on the ar-
chaeological record. A n d besides, it's v e r y f u n n y .
U n i m p r e s s e d a n d rather a n n o y e d at this inconve-
nience, [ H o w a r d ] Carson's first t h o u g h t was to call o u t
for assistance, b u t , before he c o u l d utter a s o u n d . UgF'
f r o m the shaft caught the area a r o u n d the handle am
the t o m b door. U p o n closer inspection, he discovered
that the sacred seal w h i c h was t r a d i t i o n a l l y placed .. r
the d o o r f o l l o w i n g the b u r i a l rites w a s still i n p k c -
Staff artists' reconstructions of similar, b u t always tie-
filed, tombs t h a t h a d appeared i n his most recer:
tional Geographic f l o o d e d his m i n d . Thunderstruck =
realized he w a s o n the t h r e s h o l d of history. H i s e n t n
b o d y t r e m b l e d as he c o n t e m p l a t e d the possible a g r i f i -
cance of his f i n d . The m y s t e r i o u s b u r i a l custom -
late t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y N o r t h A m e r i c a n w e r r
(and as i t t u r n e d o u t , m a g n i f i c e n t l y ) to be reveak
Less t h a n a m o n t h later, a i d e d bv his ------
i o n , H a r r i e t B u r t o n , w h o " e n j o y e d skeichtnc ••-z .
170 IF THE PRESENT WERE A N ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
dedicated g r o u p of volunteers, Carson began the first
of seven years' w o r k o n the excavation of the M o t e l of
the Mysteries complex, a n d m o s t specifically o n the re-
m o v a l and r e c o r d i n g of the treasures f r o m T o m b 26.
W h i l e Carson paced back a n d f o r t h i n a s u p e r v i -
sory manner, H a r r i e t n u m b e r e d each of the items sur-
r o u n d i n g the entrance as w e l l as those o n the great
door. Descriptions of the m o s t significant discoveries
are to be f o u n d i n her d i a r y :
Number 21, "the gleaming Sacred Seal, which had first
caught Howard's attention, was placed on the door by
the officials after the burial to protect the tomb and its
inhabitant for eternity."
Number 28, "the Sacred Eye, which was believed to
ward off evil spirits."
Number 18, "the partially exposed Plant That Would
Not Die. One of these exquisite plants, which had ap-
parently been grown in separate pieces and then joined
together, was placed on each side of the entrance."
Numbers 19 and 20, "containers i n which the sacrifi-
cial meal was offered to the gods of eternal life."
Once the exterior of the t o m b h a d been recorded
i n detail, preparations for e n t e r i n g i t were b e g u n . W i t h
a steady h a n d , Carson, w h o h a d p r e s u m a b l y p i c k e d
u p a few tricks i n his t i m e , j i m m i e d the lock. W i t h his
helpers peering n e r v o u s l y f r o m a safe distance, he cau-
tiously p r i e d open the door. The creaking of the ancient
hinges, i n Miss Burton's o w n w o r d s , " c u t t h r o u g h the
silence like the scream of a g h o s t l y fleeing s p i r i t . " Sud-
i ' to Carson's astonishment, the d o o r s t o p p e d
dead. A frantic b u t successful search for the obstruction
revealed a b e a u t i f u l l y crafted chain about t w o thirds
u p the inside of the door, l i n k i n g i t w i t h the s t u r d y
frame. Clearly this stood as the final barrier between
the present a n d the past. Once the w o r k e r s h a d sawed
t h r o u g h the c h a i n , they w i t h d r e w , a n d Carson c o n t i n -
u e d to open the great door.
A t first, e v e r y t h i n g w a s d a r k . Carson l i t a match.
Still e v e r y t h i n g was d a r k . Carson l i t t w o matches. Still,
e v e r y t h i n g was d a r k . A t t e m p t i n g to a v o i d a rather p r o -
tracted delay, H a r r i e t eased the large s p o t l i g h t t o w a r d
the entrance w i t h her foot. A s the blanket of darkness
was s t r i p p e d a w a y f r o m the treasures w i t h i n the t o m b ,
Carson's m o u t h fell open. E v e r y w h e r e was the g l i n t of
plastic. I m p a t i e n t l y , the others w a i t e d for a response.
" C a n y o u see a n y t h i n g , H o w a r d ? " they asked i n unison.
"Yes," he r e p l i e d . . .
"WONDERFUL THINGS!"
E v e r y t h i n g i n the O u t e r C h a m b e r faced the Great
A l t a r ( N o . 1), i n c l u d i n g the b o d y of tine deceased, w h i c h
still lay o n t o p o f the C e r e m o n i a l P l a t f o r m ( N o . 5). I n
its h a n d w a s the Sacred C o m m u n i c a t o r ( N o . 3) a n d
a r o u n d its w r i s t w a s a flexible g o l d e n b a n d ( N o . 4)
bearing an image s i m i l a r to that of the u p p e r altar.
Signs of the ancient b u r i a l r i t u a l were everywhere. A
variety of garments, i n c l u d i n g the ceremonial chest
plate(No. 2) a n d shoes designed to h o l d coins(No. 6),
were scattered about the chamber. Various contain-

ers(No. 9) w h i c h h a d once h e l d libations a n d offerings
stood o n the altar a n d a r o u n d the p l a t f o r m . A statue
of the d e i t y WATT, w h o represented eternal c o m p a n -
ionship a n d e n l i g h t e n m e n t , stood f a i t h f u l l y next to
the p l a t f o r m . To ensure m a x i m u m c o m f o r t d u r i n g eter-
nal life, several pieces of b e a u t i f u l l y crafted f u r n i t u r e
were placed i n the r o o m , a l o n g w i t h a d d i t i o n a l gar-
ments stacked carefully i n a specially designed rectan-
gular p o d . Perhaps the single most i m p o r t a n t article
i n the chamber was the I C E ( N o . 14). This container,
whose f u n c t i o n e v o l v e d f r o m the Canopic jars of ear-
liest times, was designed to preserve, at least s y m b o l -
ically, the major i n t e r n a l organs of the deceased for
eternity. The Yanks, w h o revered l o n g a n d complex de-
M O T E L OF T H E MYSTERIES 171
scriptions, called the container an I n t e r n a l C o m p o n e n t
Enclosure.
A w a r e t h a t the t w o pairs of shoes i m p l i e d a d o u b l e
b u r i a l a n d h a v i n g seen o n l y one body, Carson i m m e d i -
ately began searching for another chamber. By the time
he h a d f o u n d the entrance to w h a t e v e n t u a l l y became
k n o w n as the I n n e r Chamber, H a r r i e t h a d already cat-
alogued a n d n u m b e r e d i t . Q u i v e r i n g w i t h excitement,
Carson r e m o v e d his shirt and began the delicate oper-
a t i o n of d i s m a n t l i n g the door.
A l t h o u g h i t seemed h a r d l y possible, the contents
of the Inner C h a m b e r w e r e even m o r e d a z z l i n g t h a n
those already discovered. H a r r i e t i m m e d i a t e l y began
t a g g i n g a n d i d e n t i f y i n g each i t e m w h i l e H o w a r d d r e w
172 IF T H E PRESENT WERE A N A R C H A E O L O G I C A L SITE
conclusions. As he h a d p r e d i c t e d , a second b o d y was
present, a n d this one appeared to have been b u r i e d
w i t h m o r e care a n d r i t u a l t h a n the first. W e a r i n g the
Ceremonial H e a d Dress(No. 8), i t h a d been placed i n a
h i g h l y polished w h i t e sarcophagus(No. 9), w h i c h h a d
i n t u r n been sealed b e h i n d an exquisite a n d elaborately
h u n g translucent c u r t a i n ( N o . 10).
The p r o p o r t i o n s of the sarcophagus h a d been pre-
cisely d e t e r m i n e d to p r e v e n t the deceased f r o m ever
s l i d i n g d o w n i n t o a f u l l y reclined p o s i t i o n . The similar
postures of the t w o bodies l e d Carson to the conclusion
that the proper b u r i a l p o s i t i o n h a d the c h i n resting as
m u c h as possible o n the chest. A l t h o u g h the outer sur-
face of the sarcophagus w a s p l a i n , there w e r e t w o sets
of ceremonial m a r k i n g s o n the inside. The first con-
sisted of ten p a r a l l e l r o w s of s l i g h t l y raised discs a l o n g
the floor of the sarcophagus over w h i c h the b o d y h a d
been placed. The second was an almost entirely faded
line that r a n all the w a y a r o u n d the w a l l s p a r a l l e l to
a n d about ten inches above the floor. T w o w a t e r t r u m -
pets, one about five feet above the other, projected f r o m
the e n d w a l l facing the deceased. Some of the music
r e q u i r e d d u r i n g the final ceremony was p r o d u c e d b y
f o r c i n g w a t e r f r o m t h e sacred s p r i n g t h r o u g h the
t r u m p e t s and out t h r o u g h a s m a l l hole i n the floor of
the sarcophagus. Other music came f r o m the m u s i c
b o x ( N o . 6) situated above the Sacred U r n ( N o . 2). A r t i -
cles N o . 1 a n d N o . 4 were used i n p r e p a r i n g the b o d y
for its f i n a l j o u r n e y a n d N o . 5 w a s the Sacred Parch-
m e n t , pieces of w h i c h were p e r i o d i c a l l y placed i n the
u r n d u r i n g the ceremony. Carson was overjoyed to f i n d
that the Sacred Point was perfectly preserved o n the
sacred p a r c h m e n t . Very f e w h a d p r e v i o u s l y been u n -
covered, a n d none i n such remarkable c o n d i t i o n . The
H e a d b a n d , w h i c h bore the c e r e m o n i a l chant, a n d
the Sacred Collar (not n u m b e r e d ) w e r e still i n place
o n the Sacred U r n to w h i c h they h a d been secured f o l -
l o w i n g the ceremony.