Another new tomb in the Valley of the Kings: 'KV64'

Over the summer I have given much thought to the current state of play in the Valley, to the threat of further uncontrolled excavation and to a peculiar dilemma I find myself in: for the prospect of yet more tombs is based upon rather more than mere academic hypothesis. Just as ARTP's radar survey of the central Valley first highlighted KV63 in 2000, so our project discovered clear evidence also for the existence and location of what appears to be a second new burial, 'KV64' - the tomb to which KV63 quite likely relates... Because of the intensity of interest KV63 has aroused among those currently in control I have concluded that the best option is to reveal publicly not only this second tomb's apparent existence but its precise location also. There is deliberate method in this course of action. First of all it will prevent the possibility of yet another 'accidental' discovery and hurried clearance: publicising the existence of the feature in advance of its physical exposure ought to allow time for a considered, scientific approach to its investigation to be insisted upon by the wider archaeological community and arranged through the SCA. Secondly, disclosure now will limit the amount of collateral archaeological damage otherwise likely to be sustained in the sort of random search which is all but imminent. Thirdly, with the publicity the announcement of a new tomb is likely to generate there is a chance that sanity will prevail and the message at last get through that all future excavations in the Valley must be carried out systematically and at a state-of-the-art level - not by the very modest standards which are currently considered acceptable.

Theban Mapping Project (Valley of the Kings etc)
Theban Mapping Project | 1980s to present | Kent Weeks et al
Posted on 01/13/2005 11:03:55 PM EST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1320504/posts

US dig uncovers King Tut's neighbours
The Age | February 9, 2006 - 2:26AM
Posted on 02/08/2006 1:48:04 PM EST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1574477/posts

KV55
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KV55

One scenario, suggested by Nicholas Reeves, goes as follows: Ahkenaten and his mother, Queen Tiye, were originally entombed at Akhenaten’s new capital Akhetaten (modern Amarna) but the mummies were moved to KV55 following the total abandonment of Akhetaten during the reign of Tutankhamen, who was likely Akhenaten’s son by his secondary wife, Kiya. The door was sealed with Tutankhamen’s name. There the mummies remained for about 200 years, until the tomb was rediscovered by workmen excavating the tomb of Ramesses IX nearby. By this time, Akhenaten was reviled as the “heretic king” so Queen Tiya’s sarcophagus was hastily removed from his defiling presence, except for its surrounding gilded wooden shrine which would have had to be dismantled for removal. Akhenaten’s likeness was chiseled off of the shrine’s carved relief instead. Moreover, the gold face mask was ripped from Akhenaten’s sarcophagus and his identifying cartouche was removed from its hieroglyphic inscription, thus consigning its occupant to oblivion. As a final insult, a large rock was thrown at the coffin.

· GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach · · join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic · subscribe ·
	Antiquity Journal & archive Archaeologica Archaeology Archaeology Channel BAR Bronze Age Forum Discover Dogpile Eurekalert Google LiveScience Mirabilis.ca Nat Geographic PhysOrg Science Daily Science News Texas AM Yahoo Excerpt, or Link only?	Just updating the GGG info, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. KV63--New Cache of Grave Goods Discovered in The Valley of the Kings by William Max Miller, M. A. Updated 7/30/06 The most reasonable conjecture concerning the nature of KV63 is that offered by Nicholas Reeves, who argues (very plausibly) that the small cache of embalming materials and unused coffins strongly indicates the presence of yet another undiscovered royal tomb nearby. Reeves, whose Valley of the Kings Foundation has searched the royal Valley for undiscovered tombs using radar, recently announced the discovery of an underground "anomaly" near the entrance to KV62 which is similar to that which had initially alerted excavators to the presence of KV63. Reeves argues that KV63 probably bears the same relationship to this "anomaly" (which is presumably another tomb) thatÂ KV54 bore to Tutankhamen's tomb. KV54, which was discovered for Theodore Davis by Edward Ayrton during their 1907-1908 excavation season, contained refuse material that had been used in the burial of Tutankhamen, and provided a highly important clue which led to Howard Carter's discovery of the boy king's final resting place in 1922. If Reeves is correct, the anomalous radar "blip" located near KV62 may very well prove to be the long sought-for burial of several missing Amarna-period royals. There's a list here of possible undiscovered burials: Missing Royal tombs of Ancient Egypt. Theban Mapping Project (Valley of the Kings etc)
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GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe

Just updating the GGG information, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.