hello. this is my first thread. anyway

having been playing tomb raider for many years, avoiding traps and spikes and boulders and closing in walls and so on i began wondering have any of these types of traps been found in real life tombs/temples/ancient sites?

i tried googling but alls i could find was on the pyramids in egypt, and all that was was rocks falling, curses, and pitfalls. id like it if anyone could help me find something on mechanical traps still being effective after 100s/1000s of years, or more tomb raider video game type booby traps... unless i was just brainwashed by playing the game and these things dont exist!

thankyou for helping




mods - if this isnt really the right place for this; oops, do what you must

of course there have been traps in places like the Great Pyramid of giza, but these were by no means to the extent of tomb raider traps (ie:spike dodging, etc.). The egyptians wanted to keep the remains of Khafre and the treasures that were buried with him safe so they made false passages and rooms (but obviously it wasn't enough to stop the grave robbers!)

You're brainwashed by playing games and watching movies. I can not think of a single instance of a real mechanical trap ever being used, even the typical one of the stone door closing and sand pouring into the room. I'd be interested if there were any as I believe the Ancient Egyptians were a lot smarter then we gave them credit for.

Mostly they just closed door ways with big heavy stones and made false rooms/passages. Nothing too mysterious about that.

^^ Tending to disagree as I do, I think I have read of semi-mechanical traps i.e not o much spikes being thrust across the room but pressure points to release 'stuff' or tripwires as such. Mind you though there really isnt much left to explore Tomb raider style I dont think

Don't know for sure if such traps exist, would certainly be interseting if they did tho

Well, (no pun intended), the infamous money pit of Oak Island has a booby trap. It wasn't designed to kill or injure those tried to access the vault, only to flood the vault, which it did, and prevent the removal of the terasure.

Oh yes, I read about the Money Pit of Oak Island- Thats a really interesting story. So many people have tried to get to the bottom of it. It would be really interesting to find out what is at the bottom.....

There's no shortage of theories, including the lost Templar treasure.

Welcome to UM!

The boobie traps and stuff are a cultural sterotype as far as I know.

Hmmm, I belive some of the Native American tribes had such arrangements where they would have a bow and arrow rigged up and when somone walked through and triped the rope the arrow would be released. They where usally set up in narrow passage ways, that way for higher much better chance of the arrow hitting the person or whatever that tripped it. I think perhaps it was the Navajo that did that, I could be wrong, but ive read accounts. I think this would go along with boobie traps and things of that nature.

-Mateo

There must be some out there. But probably not on the level in which you see during Indiana Jones movies.

[quote name='hamellr' date='Jun 6 2006, 06:08 PM' post='1220532']
You're brainwashed by playing games and watching movies. I can not think of a single instance of a real mechanical trap ever being used, even the typical one of the stone door closing and sand pouring into the room. I'd be interested if there were any as I believe the Ancient Egyptians were a lot smarter then we gave them credit for.


Many people who investigated Tutankhamon's tomb became sick and feeble and died of circulatory collapse. Many think the curse of Tutankhamon but i agree with you that Ancient Eygptians were alot smarter than we think i believe it was a booby trap a special sort of poison or fungus something like that, that was able to last untill the tomb was broken in. I believe it was the perfect booby trap which was to strike fear into people making them think it was a curse.

Whaat! What's the money pit of Oak Island about? I've never heard that story before! PLease enlighten me

Source? I'm pretty sure that's just an Indiana Jones thing.