MJ,
I believe they went through a design-build stage where they THOUGHT they could engineer traps-blocking stones-false passages and curses to protect the Pharaoh's corpse.
When experience over time proved they could NOT do this successfully, they went on to "If we can't hide the corpse in the tomb, we'll hide the whole darn tomb" logic.
I accept your question "why hide it in plain site" but that begets my question; "What DID they do with the Pharaoh's corpse after death, then?"
They apparently believed the preservation of the corpse was critical to the owner's success in the afterlife. This belief is so basic to their afterlife beliefs it underlies the very reason to embalm and mummify at all. There is some documentation the Pharaoh's set up temples to pray to/for them, envisioning the pyramid complex fully staffed with priests and guards eternally.
It was the failure of this constant site occupation that made the pyramids vulnerable to robbery in the first place, so it is reasonably possible to think that IF the Pharaoh's original plans had been carried through in full the sites may have succeeded in their purpose after all.
As an example, you could probably go to your local cemetary for a bit of skull-duggery and depending upon solitary remoteness get away with it.
Then try it with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, guarded 24 hours a day.
Jammer
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/04/2007 08:03AM by Jammer.