Excavations in the Valley of the Kings

Originally published March 14, 2010 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass | An excerpt:

One of the most famous sites in Egypt has always been the Valley of the Kings, which has revealed to us such wonders as the tomb of Tutankhamun. However, all of the major discoveries of the past were made by foreign archaeologists. I was determined that Egyptian archaeologists should become part of the process of excavation and discovery, so in November 2007, the first all-Egyptian team to ever work in the Valley began excavating the area behind the tomb of Merenptah.

In the cliffs behind the tomb we discovered channels that the ancient Egyptians dug to redirect the “tears of the gods,” the flood, in order to preserve the tombs. In the course of our excavations, we recorded many new graffiti in the Valley and found many ostraca, which are pieces of limestone or pottery with drawings and inscriptions. The inscriptions found were very interesting, including a picture of an old lady, the cartouche of Ramses II and many descriptions and other things.

Three Decades of Discovery - New Insight to Egypt’s Past

Accessed February 14, 2010 | Egypt Today | by May Kaddah | Over the last three decades, technological advancement has allowed archaeologists to answer longstanding questions and refute misconceptions about missing details of Egypt’s history. From the remains of ancient rulers to Napoleon’s flagship, Egypt Today takes you through some of archaeology’s most significant discoveries in the last 30 years, which includes the following topics: tombs of the pyramid builders, the Valley of the Golden Mummies, DNA analysis of Hatshepsut's tooth, the Theban Mapping Project, tomb of Rameses II's sons, underwater archaeology at Alexandria, and more.

Course in Egypt - The Life and Works of the Theban Royal Tomb Makers

Accessed February 6, 2010 | Bloomsbury Summer School/Academy | Join John Romer, Renowned expert on Deir el-Medina and the Valley of the Kings, for a week-long series of lectures in the heart of Luxor November 10 - 17, 2010. Here is the course description:

The extraordinary achievement of the royal tombs of Thebes cannot be fully appreciated without an understanding of the environment in which they were made. John Romer will re-explore with you the world of the Theban New Kingdom. He will consider how and why the first royal tombs were made at Thebes, and how the tomb makers who lived at Deir el Medina elaborated that tradition to create the great tombs of the Valley of the Kings. He will also explore the purposes and meanings of these tombs - and something also, of the lives and times of the archaeologists and Egyptologists who have shaped our present understanding of them. Finally, in the light of fresh and, as yet, largely unpublished evidence, he will outline a new history of the ending of the Valley of the Kings and of the remarkable community of those who worked there.

Click the above link to find a list a suggested reading, booking and programme information, and registration fees.

Lectures - Zahi Hawass in Canada, Germany, and the US

Accessed February 2, 2010 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Zahi Hawass | Two upcoming lectures with Zahi Hawass as the speaker will be occurring in Toronto, Canada and Hamburg, Germany. Here is the information concerning both dates:

• Date: March 26, 2010
  Lecture: Dr. Zahi Hawass: My Discoveries
  Time: 7:30pm - 8:30pm
  Location: Am Dammtor, 20355 Hamburg, Germany
  Venue: Congress Centre Hamburg
  Ticket & more info



• Date: March 8, 2010
  Lecture: Mysteries of Tutankhamun Revealed
  Time: 7:30 pm
  Location: 301 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, California
  Venue: War Memorial Auditorium Opera House
  Ticket & more info



• Date: March 6, 2010
  Lecture: Mysteries of Tutankhamun Revealed
  Time: 7:00 pm
  Location: 31 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario
  Venue: Convocation Hall
  Ticket & more info

The Legacy of Howard Carter - Explorer and Thief?

Originally published January 15, 2010 | Free Internet Press | by Matthias Schulz, translated from German by Ella Ornstein | The following is an excerpt from this revealing article about perhaps the most well-known archaeologist, discoverer of perhaps the most well-known Ancient Egyptian pharaoh:

The grandeur of the find rubbed off on its discoverer. Carter was awarded an honorary doctorate and U.S. President Calvin Coolidge invited him to tea. Horst Beinlich, Egyptologist at Wurzburg University, calls him a "thoroughly honest man full of idealism."

It appears, however, that this isn't quite true. Documents show that the hero of the tombs cheated on many counts, manipulating photographs, forging documentation on the discovery and deceiving the Egyptian Antiquities Service.

The discoveries in that tomb set in motion a power struggle that has been only partially uncovered. Carter wanted to send as much of the treasure as possible to England and the United States. This plan quickly met with resistance. Egypt had been a British protectorate since 1914, but the administration of antiques lay in the hands of a particularly intractable Frenchman.

In the end, Carter's entire scheme went awry and the pharaoh's golden treasures remained in Cairo, marking the end of an era of ruthless appropriation of cultural assets. Carter and his team went away empty-handed.

On TV - Discover Channel Unlocks Egypt's Mystery Chamber

Originally published January 15, 2010 | Bangkok Post | Voilà un extrait:

Though the tomb KV63 in Egypt's Valley of the Kings was discovered in 2006, it has remained shut to the outside world. The meaning and significance of the tomb's contents - which include unopened relics, blemished inscriptions and delicate artefacts [sic] - were left shrouded in mystery.

The one-hour special, Egypt's Mystery Chamber premieres Sun, Jan 17 at 8pm and repeats the same night at 11pm, Jan 18 at 7am and 1pm, Jan 21 at 6pm, and Jan 24 at 3am and 7am on Discovery['s Science] Channel.

I'll be watching this...will you?

Great Egyptological Articles and Musings at Heritage Key

Originally published January 4 and 5, 2010 | Heritage Key |

The following are very interesting articles and musings published within the last 24 hours by some very fantastic writers and scholars at Heritage Key:

• January 5, 2010: Looking Forward to Speaking (and Listening) at 'Current Research in Egyptology' in Leiden by Paula Veiga
• January 5, 2010: Did Unemployed Minoan Artists Land Jobs in Ancient Egypt? by Owen Jarus
• January 5, 2010: What Value Do Replicas Hold? The Many Answers. by Ann Wuyts
• January 4, 2010: Current Research in Egyptology XI Conference at Leiden University by Ann Wuyts
• January 4, 2010: Mummy Recycling: From Ancient Rags to Paper by Ann Wuyts
• Tutankhamun - His Tombs and his Treasures (Hamburg)

News from the Desk of Zahi Hawass

From November 13 - December 13, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass

Articles:

• December 13: Tourist Regulations
• December 9: The Tomb of Sa-Iset at Dashur
• November 24: Climate Change and Conservation in Egypt
• November 16: Site Management at Giza

Video:

• December 10: Tomb Robbers in the Valley of the Kings
• December 3: King Tut’s Treasure
• November 26: The Curse of Tutankhamun
• November 20: How Did King Tut Die?

Photos:

• December 7: Tomb of Amenemhab
• December 2: The Mummy of Sitre-In
• November 26: Yuya and Thuya Canopic Jars
• November 20: Seti I Tunnel

The Valley of the Kings Since King Tut

Originally published November 8, 2009 | Zahi Haswass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass

Dr. Hawass reminisces on the anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb and speaks about the symposium that was held in celebration of this event and the opening of the Carter Museum and the new entrance at Luxor Temple. Check out the pictures that accompany the blog post.

Tutankhamun Finder's Home on Show

Originally published November 4, 2009 | BBC News | by Yolande Knell

After many curious inquiries by tourists, Carter's home away from home, the abode where he studied and cataloged everything to do with his recent discovery in the Valley of the Kings 87 years ago to the day (well, yesterday), has been renovated and opened to the public as a museum.

Needless to say, I'd probably be teary-eyed were I to visit the place. I get that way even in ordinary history museums, for goodness sake! I remember standing before a glass case that housed pewter 17th century dinnerware, so enamored by and lost in the grooves ensconced in the plates that pirates had made with their knifes. I thought, "Wow, real pirates had made those marks." Imagine how I'd react to standing over tools Carter used to poke around in Tutankhamun's tomb! I'm looking forward to visiting this in person when I finally get myself to Egypt.

Valley of The Kings Tombs Endangered By Fracture Zones

Originally published October 19, 2009 | redOrbit

The following is an excerpt from Yahoo! News, another source reporting on the same news story:

A trick used by ancient Egyptians to exploit cracks in Earth to make tomb-digging easier has come back to haunt the Valley of the Kings, new evidence suggests.

While the natural fractures were followed to carve out burial sites, several instances show, rare heavy rainfall events can flood the tombs. Archaeologists are racing to map and photograph the tombs to better preserve their contents and figure out ways to divert the rain.

Another source reporting on the same story can be found at United Press International

VIDEO: The New Inscribed Finds from the Valley of the Kings

Originally published September 17, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass

Video: All-Egyptian Team Soon to Discover KV64

Originally published September 11, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass

The following is an excerpt from Zahi Hawass' Blog; click the above link to read his post in full:

The Valley of the Kings has only revealed one new discovery since the tomb of King Tut – 84 years later, Otto Schaden found KV63 in front of the young pharaoh’s tomb. Our excavation, however, is proving to be not only the first Egyptian expedition ever to work in the valley, but also one of the most scientifically important. When we started our excavation, we could feel from the beginning that the area was promising.

Needless to say that I am happy for Dr. Hawass that he is finally getting his wish: that an all-Egyptian team may discover another Valley tomb (and how exciting is it to discover a previously unknown name!). There are still many more Valley tombs to unearth I'm sure, so there will be many more chances for all-Egyptian teams to make discoveries.

More on Site Management and Restoration at Luxor

Originally published September 1, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | Dr. Hawass

Zahi Hawass supplements Nevine El-Aref's article at Al-Ahram Weekly Online concerning major developments to monuments and archaeological sites at Luxor; this time, it straight from the source. Less site pollution at Deir el-Bahri; a new lighting system has been tested to dazzle visitors to the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, the mortuary temples, and Deir el-Bahri at night; the future opening (significantly dated for November 4th) of Howard Carter's rest-house; and more are detailed in Hawass' post.

Hawass' Plans For a "Replica Valley"

Originally published August 27 - September 2, 2009 | Al-Ahram Weekly Online | by Nevine El-Aref

The following is an excerpt from Al-Ahram Weekly Online where Zahi Hawass reveals his and the SCA's plans to create a "Replica Valley" of the most famous of the KV/Q tombs such as Tutankhamun's, Seti I's and Nefertari's (the most beautiful if I don't say so myself); click the above link to read the full story:

As for the tombs of Tutankhamun, Seti I and Nefertari, Hawass said a plan to protect them was now being implemented in collaboration with the British organisation Adam Lowe of Factun Arte. The plan is to create identical replicas of these tombs by making detailed high-resolution copies of the burial chambers, paintings and sarcophagi using laser scanners. After the replicas have been constructed they will be installed on the cliff side of the Valley of the Kings, which will be called "The Replica Valley" where visitors can experience their beauty with the knowledge that the ancient paintings are being preserved. Hawass pointed out that missing fragments from these tombs now held in foreign museum, would also be scanned and added to the overall reconstruction to give a complete picture of the tombs.

Luxor Monuments and Archaeological Sites Undergo Major Developments

Originally published August 25 - September 2, 2009 | Al-Ahram Weekly Online | by Nevine El-Aref

Below is an excerpt from Al-Ahram Weekly Online; click the above link to read the full story:

Last Week Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), and Samir Farag, head of Luxor City Supreme Council (LCSC) celebrated the completion of several development projects at archaeological sites on both the east and west banks of the Nile. They also visited other ongoing projects for which the total budget was LE127 million. These projects include the restoration of Howard Carter's rest-house with a view to developing it as a museum, the first phase of the installation of a new lighting system in the Valley of the Kings, a new visitor centre at Deir Al-Bahari, and the reopening of the Youssef Abul-Haggag mosque after restoration.

More on Dr. Hawass' Lecture and Interview in Indianapolis

Originally published August 27, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass

This post at Dr. Hawass' blog tells of his lecture in Indianapolis a few weeks ago. For the full interview (at least), follow the link that I've provided on my August 14 blog post. Keith Payne, you were so lucky to have spoken with Dr. Hawass. He must have been so enjoyable to talk to.

In addition to his thoughts, there is an accompanying picture from the event, a link to more of the same topic, and a map of the exact location where he gave his lecture and interview.

Even Egypt's Pharaohs Suffer from Backpacker Fatigue

Originally published August 25, 2009 | Telegraph | by Rowan Pelling

The following is an excerpt from the Telegraph, which speaks of the speculated fate of the Valley of the Kings and Queens:

Outside of Bangkok, two of the planet's least lonely places are Egypt's Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens, where bus-loads of tourists tramp all over the pharaohs' tombs. Sadly, the horde's humid breath raises the moisture level in the closely confined chambers, accelerating their decay. This means that visitor numbers will soon be severely limited – experts and dignitaries only, I imagine – while replica tombs will be built for the gawping masses.

I hate to say "I told you so," but...I told you so! I wouldn't go as far as to say that these replicas will be "no more alluring than Las Vegas" because they will be far more precise and true to Egyptian craftsmanship (one would hope, anyway). Like I said before, just close off the Valleys (I don't care if it takes years...just not too many) until technologically sound protection to all contents within each Valley tomb is implemented (I certainly would not mind looking through Plexiglas). Of course, that's easy for me to say. If worst comes to worst, I'll just load up my credentials with so many degrees in Egyptological subjects that Zahi Hawass will have no choice but to let me into one of those chambers.

Archaeology Magazine's Special Ancient Egypt Issue

Accessed August 20, 2009 | Archaeology Magazine Online The following is quoted from AIA's e-Update, which will bring you to more information on what's inside this issue and how to purchase it:

Learn why mummies are the icons of ancient Egypt and why the pharaohs' tombs were designed to last forever. Discover how Napoleon's expedition led to the birth of Egyptology and how the Great Pyramid was built. Explore a City of the Dead and the Valley of the Kings. Come along with Archaeology to the banks of the Nile--and beyond. There are mummies, pharaohs' treasures, unsolved mysteries, and an entire civilization to uncover.

I think I voted for this cover! I'm glad to have helped Archaeology Magazine :)

I'm thinking I might request that my library buy this issue for its magazine collection. I'm sure someone other than myself will find this a great addition.

Video - Cool Jobs: Mummy Hunter

Originally published May 1, 2009 | Discovery Channel | by Rossella Lorenzi

Follow the link to watch this video that captures the interview between Rosella Lorenzi and Dr. Zahi Hawass, where the latter speaks of many well-known ancient place including Saqqara and the Step Pyramid, Giza and the Great Pyramid, and the Valley of the Kings and popular names such as Tutankhamun, Ramesses, and Nefertari.