News from the Valley of the Kings

I'm not going to make a habbit of this, but as it's a slow news ... month ... here's something alternative that might interest some of you. One of our regular readers has written a detailed article examining the evidence that Hadrian's [stone] wall was the second barrier erected to keep out the northern barbarians. I've often read that a previous temporary structure was erected; well Geoff Carter believes that we now have evidence for that structure and that it was massive. You can read about it in his article in Hadrian's Timber Wall at Theoretical Structural Archaeology.

Although it is off topic it's a really good example of quality archaeological writing. It is fully referenced, presents the evidence but remains accessible to those approaching the subject for the first time. I wish we had more papers of this standard about the work in the Valley of the Kings. Wouldn't it be good, for instance, to see a proper write up of Hawass's 2008/9 season the Valley of the Kings covering the workmen's huts, the cave, the water feature alongside KV8 and so on?

... the headline is about the sum total of the news.  There are no details and no confirmation - I've tried searching the German news feeds on Google.  It's the Internet rumour mill at it's worst - but equally it could be true of course.

Dr Kent Weeks has published one of his eagerly awaited - but utterly unpredictable in terms of timing - updates on the clearing of tomb KV5. It doesn't report much: work over the past two seasons has mostly been consolidation of the precarious ceilings. It does promise much for the 2009/10 season though, and hopefully they may discover remains of a burial in Chamber 5.

Dr Weeks has also attached a TMP report on Site Management for the Valley of the Kings.

(My thanks for Len Solt for spotting the update.)

Just to say ... nothing to report.