What historical site impresses you the most? Ive always been fascinated by the pyramids in Egypt. A few years ago I braved a long queue and climbed through a narrow passage to reach the main chamber1 deep inside one of them. Like millions of other tourists I marvelled2 at stoned-walled rooms full of the magic of this ancient civilisation3.
But popularity might be the undoing4 of such archaeological treasures.
Take Tutankhamuns tomb in the Valley of the Kings, for example. It lay untouched for more than 3,000 years until the British archaeologist Howard Carter uncovered it in 1922. Now more than 1,000 people a day walk through it.
But as more and more people visit, the temperature and humidity inside the tomb change. As a result, the beautifully decorated plaster is coming away from the rock.
In order to preserve its heritage, a replica5 of the monument is being opened about 1km away from the actual burial site. Specialists have recorded every detail of Tutankhamuns tomb and used the data to recreate it.
Adam Lowe from the organisation6 behind the project, Factum Arte, says the copy is identical to the original. He believes visitors will want to become part of the force that protects it rather than a force that is leading to its destruction, so wont mind seeing a replica.
But for historian Tom Holland, a copy is still a copy. He believes that although preservation7 is important, there is something unique about places like Tutankhamuns tomb.
He says it was built by people who believed in the world of the spirits, the dead and the supernatural. You dont have to believe in a god or gods to feel a place is consecrated8 and has a particular quality that cant be reproduced.
What about you: would you visit a replica of a monument rather than the original to help preserve it?
