Did any ancient cultures actually booby-trap their pyramids or tombs to prevent grave-robbing?
Yes, it was most nearly all of the ancient cultures which stored precious things in tombs who did this. The Egyptians, of course, are the most well known. The Pyramids of Giza’s most famous booby-traps are their innumerable hallways and twists, designed to keep grave robbers wandering for days. Other traps would include dead ends, pits filled with sharp spikes, staircases leading to nowhere or midair, sand traps, and occasionally animals. Nearly all grave robbers never actually found bodies (mummies) due to the fact that the twists got harder and there were rooms full of meaningless treasure (though not all meaningless) to distract them.
