News from the Valley of the Kings

Otto Schaden has posted on KV63.com to say that the 2010 season in the Valley of the Kings will start around January 7th.

In a short time I will be leaving for Cairo (New Year’s Eve).  I plan to meet with the recently appointed Director of the Permanent Committee and of Foreign Missions, Dr. Mohammed Ismail Khaled on January 3rd, and then hope to reach Luxor by the following morning.    I will then make the necessary arrangements to have KV-10 opened. There will be a Karnak Symposium going on at that time, so I will try to attend some of those lecture’s as I unpack, get settled in the hotel and prepare for the opening of KV-10 and the start of the season’s work.   My hope is that we can get started in the Valley on or about January 7th.

There's interesting comment above this (thanks for Dennis for noticing):

The Valley of the Kings reveals its mysteries slowly.  There were 83 years separating the discoveries of KV-62 and KV-63, but it may not take another fourscore years before KV-64 appears. 

It's worth taking a quick peek.  Dennis thinks - and I agree - that the contrast between the use of the verb "appear" in relation to KV64 and discovery of KV63 is interesting and could suggest that KV64 has already been "discovered" but we need to wait for it to "appear".

A couple of weeks ago I linked some fabulous photos of KV63 by Sandro Vannini.  Today they are supplmented by an Heritage Key video in which Dr Hawass explains his own theories about KV63, and a blog post which covers substantially the same material as the audio track in the video.

Some people have problems playing videos if I link them here (and I have problems getting the aspect ratio right), and personally I prefer to watch videos on YouTube rather than embedded on any site (use the link above), but for those who prefer to watch here ...  (if you are reading the newsfeed, you need to click through to the site).



Increasingly there is a consensus that KV63 was orginally an 18th Dynasty burial re-used in the 19th Dynasty as an embalmer's cache.  Dr Hawass theorises that the tomb was robbed and that it was originally the tomb of Kiya.  His reasoning is that she is believed to have died bearing Tutankhamun and that KV63 was dug by Tutankhamun so that his own tomb was close to his mother.

It is possible, and I am aware of no evidence which contradicts the theory; however:

1. It is not clear whether Queen Kiya was the mother of Tutankhamun. There is a credible theory that Tutankhamun was the son of Neferiti, or one of her daughters. (See my page on Nefertiti - Mother of Tutankhamun, but don't link through to the page on Nefertiti herself as I still haven't written it!)

2. Tutankhamun was born during the Amarna period and if Kiya died giving birth to him then her orginal burial should be among the Royal Tombs at Amarna. Most believe that the Amarnan royal mummies were transferred back to the Valley of the Kings but (leaving aside the highly ambiguous mummy in KV55), none of them have been definitively identified.  It seems more likely that they were interred together in a cache.

3. Dr Hawass in the video says that the workmen from Deir-el-Medina could have dug KV63 "in a few days".  That might be a slight exaggeration, but it was probably dug quickly.  Even if it was robbed, there is no evidence that it was ever decorated.  If Tutankhamun was so keen to venerate his mother that he chose to be buried next to her, isn't it curious that she was provided with a hastilly-dug, shallow tomb devoid of decoration?

4.  If Tutankhamun felt that strongly about his mother, it would have seem more likely that he would have asked for her to be buried in a side chamber of his own tomb.

5.  There is no evidence that KV63 was robbed.  It is possible.  It is also possible that it was a cache tomb dug in haste to accommdate royal mummies transferred from the insecure tombs at Amarna, before the mummies were moved into permanent resting places - or that the tomb was the final resting place of all (or most of) the Amarnan mummies and later cleared by robbers of all it's contents.

6.  If a robbery took place, then it clearly occured before the end of Dynasty 18 or early in Dynasty 19 - ie before it was re-used as an embalmers' cache.  There is no record of a robbery.  Robbers in Ancient Egypt also tended to take valuables, ripping the bandages off mummies to get to amulets etc.  The mummy itself was usually left behind.  No mummy has been found in KV63.  Most ancient robberies also left some traces.  They were crimes conducted in a hurry.  Fragments of coffin etc would have expected to be left behind.  These have not been found.  It is possible that the tomb was cleaned before it was re-used as a cache, but a thorough cleansing seems unlikely, or that any remains left behind were organic and have totally disintegrated.  It seems however that the balance is against such a robbery.

7. Few believe that KV62 was the tomb he intended for himself - more likely WV23 which Ay usurped was originally dug for Tutankhamun.  The propinquity of the two tombs would then be irrelevant.

For all these reasons I do not believe that KV63 was the tomb of Kiya.  I'd like to advance an alternative theory of my own, that KV63 was a temporary tomb.  Whatever the cause of Tutankhamun's demise, there is no doubt that his death was unexpected and his tomb was probably not ready (or was nicked by Ay).  He needed to be provided with a royal tomb in a hurry.  One tomb which was available was KV62 which could perhaps have been the resting place of Smenkhare (or even a royal Amarna re-interrment).  The orginal occupant needed to be moved out quickly so a temporary tomb, KV63, was dug next door to secure this mummy (or mummies).   Once Tutankhamun's tomb was sealed, this mummy was moved again to a final resting place, perhaps consolidated into an Amarna cache.  If the tomb-hopping mummy of this theory was Smenkhare, then it would also fit with many of his grave goods been sorted through and re-assigned to Tutanhamun.  Again it's just a theory, but for me it fits the evidence rather better than KV63-as-Kiya.

Finally, there blog article includes a mention of KV64 ...

And of course, there's the question how KV63 helps the search for KV64.

Not exactly a definitive statement but it keeps the subject alive.

"KV62 is going to the discovered. KV64 is going to be discovered by an Egyptian team."

That's how Dr Hawass closes the video. If anybody is having trouble watching it, then try this. It ran through fine for me.



The transcipt I offered in the previous post is inaccurate but seems instead to summarise what Dr Hawass is now saying on his blog. Having watched, it's not that positive. The video's credits date it to June 2009. It's a shame it's taken 3 months to be released. It describes itself as Part 1 - wonder when we will get Part 2? It's still worth watching though for what it reveals about the recent excavations in the Valley of the Kings.

It's cropping up in a few comments, so I wanted to record my own thoughts on the implications of Zahi's forthcoming retirement as Head of SCA.

Given the policy Dr Hawass has established so firmly, once he steps down it will then fall to the new Head of SCA to make any important announements.  I suspect that discoveries which are in the works (KV64 in the Valley of the Kings, the shafts in the Great Pyramid and Cleopatra's tomb) will therefore be announced before his retirement - assuming that the discoveries are there to be announced of course.

The time for commemorating his achievements will be in a few months time, but I was delighted to hear that he intends to continue to lead missions.  Unless the new discoveries are stunning, I think however his true lasting legacy will be seen to be site management.

I know many people take the News from the Valley of the Kings newsfeed and miss out on the comments, which is a shame as some are brilliant.
So here's a comment from Keith Payne that you shouldn't miss.

Just weighing in with my own suspiscions (I am the guy who did the interview for Heritage Key), I think you are probably right that the announcement to be made in October is with regard to KV64. But there is a part of me that thinks it COULD be Nefertiti.

As Ann mentioned, Dr. ZH is retiring this year, and I really think he wants to make this the year of Nefertiti. I am working on a story over on my own website (just click my name) about the "Year of Nefertiti" but the basic argument follows.

I: He has already said he plans to reveal the location of Nefertiti's tomb this winter.

II: In the next few weeks we are all going to be hearing that he has received peer confirmation of the two DNA tests linking one of the fetuses in Tut's tomb to Tut. That will allow him to genetically identify the mother, Tut's wife, who is Nefertiti's daughter, thus leading to Nefertiti's own mummy

(BTW I blog about the bust of Nefertiti and the missing mummy mutnodjmet at Heritage Key as well!)

So if I were a stockbroker and Nefertiti was stock, I would be saying buy buy BUY! Expect to see many headlines in future months regarding the lovely queen.

So while the smart money says the "October Suprise" will be KV64, part of me thinks that ZH might dragging the same tomb out into two events. Announce the tomb in October and build anticipation, identify it as Nefertiti in the Winter.

But far wiser sages than I have attempted to divine the mind of Dr. Hawass, and failed. Whatever the outcome, its going to be an exciting fall/winter.

* * * 
BTW Keith's blog, Em Hotep, is one I hadn't found before but is very good.  You might want to add it to your reading lists.

I've just read the Heritage Key article on Zahi's lecture in Indianapolis on 7th August.  I wish I had read this sooner.

Dr. Hawass also spoke extensively on the exciting work taking place in the Valley of the Kings.  For centuries, archaeology has been the province of nearly every nation except Egypt.  In 2007, Zahi Hawass set out to change this with the first all-Egyptian team to work the Valley of the Kings.  It seems that he is prepared to make history yet again, as his team hopes to reveal a new tomb in October of 2009.  He did not give details, but provided plenty of fuel for speculation.  Three notable women come to the forefront.

 Refer to the article for speculation about who was buied in tomb KV64.  This seems to be a very substantial indication that a tomb has been found.  (Personally my betting is still on 3 or more tombs but we may have to wait a few years to find out.).  There is also mention that he hopes to "reveal the tomb of Nefertiti during winter 2009/2010".  It's ambiguous whether this is a separate tomb or a suggestion that the October announement will be of Nefertiti's tomb.  My guess is that KV64 won't be Nefertiti but will be some other royal woman.  If Nefertiti's tomb is found, it's probably beneath the rest house.  (For the record I'm also predicting at least one pharaoh's tomb as well over the next couple of years.)  I don't believe a tomb would be announced until it had been thoroughly searched so I don't believe the timeline works for Nefertiti to be announced in October - if her tomb has been found.

This is first time I have seen major media mention tomb KV64 - there's an article in Le Figaro.  Most of the article is familiar territory - the tombs in the Valley of the kings are at risk, and Dr Hawass has cleared 155m in the tunnel of Seti I (KV17).

The paragrpah about KV64 doesn't say very much at all:

Zahi Hawass, who should leave his post next year, caught by the age limit, had far different priorities. Nearly a century after Howard Carter, he dreams  todiscover tKV64, the sixty-fourth tomb which he hopes is intact, like that of Tutankhamun. "It doesn't matter what will be inside. But we never found the tomb of Thutmose II, nor that of Ramesses VIII, "he said with a smile full of promise. Tons of rubble have been cleared. There's been no success yet. "But we have uncovered houses of artisans and thousands of objects," says he, proudly turning the pages of his mission report.

It's hardly either revealing or promsing, but the indication is there again that Dr Hawass fully intends to locate and reveal KV64 before he is forced to step down.  (Personally I still think at least on tomb has been found and opened and that there is at least one other location that those excavating believe to be a royal tomb.)

The quality is less than perfect but for anybody still trying to grasp the location of the current excavatioms, this video taken from by KV62 shows their location clearly. The tent over the excavation by KV7 is clearly visible.



I have contacted the photographer and asked when it was shot but I would guess late January.

If the diagrams on Nicholas Reeves site are accurate, then Feature 5 (aka his KV64) is clearly still beneath the path retained for tourist access alongside KV62.

Some of the reader commentsabout Dr Hawass on recent posts are for my taste a little strong. I have left them because diverse opinions are welcome (although I will delete any which I feel to be unwarranted personal attacks). Personally I have two practical difficulties with his modus operandi. In previous articles I have talked of the frustration that there are no reliable, regular news reports of excavations like the dig diaries we see from Western universities. If the Egyptian teams are to be credible not only must they work to the same standards as the best Western teams, they must also be as transparently open about progress.

My second objection, however, is much more important. Valuable opportunities for fundraising are being missed. Funding for excavation and conservation work is always difficult. Kent Weeks struggled until he found KV5 and I don't think Otto Schaden has raised that much for the work at KV63. And yet very large sums could easily be raised. There was an opportunity with KV63 and an even bigger one with KV64 if it has been found.

When I lived in Clevedon, the pier was restored by public subscription, individuals, families or businesses could sponsor a section of each plank. The idea could probably transfer to Egyptian conservation work, perhaps seeking corporate sponsors for restoration of each of the coffins and jars in KV63.

Obama, however, showed again the power of thousands of small donations. That is the opportunity which could easily be missed. Enaging the public is an even bigger source of funds than corporate sponsorship. The obvious model for a new tomb is the Million Dollar Website. A picture of the opening of a sealed tomb could become one of the archetypal images of the 21st century. By sponsoring each pixel for $1, $1m or so could be raised. All it would take is a website recording the sponsors. If anything equivalent to Tutankhamun's mask was found, then that picture could raise even more.

It's not the way Egyptology works though. The SCA, to my mind, is also making a mistake by allowing Dr Hawass to release the news through his own site. Commercially news should be released on an SCA site and the SCA branding reinforced. The commercial opportunities for major new discoveries go well beyond the big media companies and, with active outreach, millions of individuals could also be encouraged contribute. More than any other archaeological site, save perhaps Giza, the Valley of the Kings holds a fascination for millions of people. The present excavations could easily have been used to raised millions of dollars to fund the excavations themselves and overdue conservation work for the Valley. One only needs to visit YouTube to see that quite random videos are watched tens or even hundreds of thousands of times. A weekly dig diary of a major new find has the potential to attract thousands of regular readers - even advertising space on that diary would raise worthwhile funds.

My chief gripe with Dr Hawass's inability to engage with the public is that a rare opportunity to raise significant funds is being wasted.

For those following through a news reader, there has been several comments on the article "In search of the truth ..." Two subjects dominate: opinions on Dr Hawass and radar surveys.

I have gone back to Nicholas Reeves' site again and looked at the radar images for Feature 6 (KV63) and Feature 5 (KV64). It's striking that Feature 5 is firstly a stronger/bigger response than KV63 and, unless I am still misreading things, considerably deeper than KV63. Dennis made a useful comment on the In Search of the Truth post when he said.

There is sort of a depth scale in Reeves data. GPR transmitter sends out a single wave at the radar frequency/wavelength. In the case of Reeves 400,000,000 Waves per second (400 MHZ) radar the pulse is 1/(400,000,000) seconds long. As it penetrates rock it is absorbed by the rock and reflected back (being absorbed on the return path as well). A sensitive receiver picks up what is left of the reflected pulse as a function of time. The pulse has a characteristic wave length which establishes the smallest detail which can be seen. For Reeves case this is about 3/4 meters long. Think of it as a vertical pixel size. The banded nature of reeves data shows one band per wave length (about .75meters). Try counting bands on the KV-63 data and comparing it to actual depth of the room. When I first figured out what constituted a band and counted bands I got the actual depth of KV-63 chamber floor.

Personally I still struggle counting the bands (somebody may wish to try) but on simple visual inspection, Feature 5 is considerably deeper than either KV63 or the extent of the excavation so far. For me the only way it could be dismissed if if a new GPR survey has failed to repeat the results, although even then one would wonder whether geology was a factor in it not being visible.

Having read the Hawass update on the central excavations in the Valley of the Kings, I am confused as to the purpose of the excavations. These have, by the way, been extended further and I'm hoping to be able to post photos soon.

Hawass has pretty much rubbished the Amarna Royal Tombs Project (ARTP) radar survey (ie the one by Reeves and his team). In which case, there would seem no targets to investigate in the central area. On the other hand Hawass says, "The recent radar survey that my team and the Dash Foundation have conducted used a 200 MHz radar. Although our preliminary results only illuminate the upper levels of the valley, with a radar of this strength, we can refine our results digitally and see much deeper than Reeves’s 2000 study was able to." Is that suggesting the new radar survey has identified potential new targets?

Either the current excavations are working to investigate radar anomalies, or it is blind clearance of the type undertaken by Howard Carter. As the excavations have move beyond the area surveyed by Reeves and ARTP, that seems to me to be a very interesting question.

I might add that I am not convinced the current excavations have explored Feature 5 (Reeves' KV64) which is deeper than KV63 - the current excavations seem to be above the level of the main KV63 chamber unless I am mistaken.

Following on from the previous post, the same reader carried on with a further interesting line of thought, drawing on two books (one of which I think I may have - but can't find):

1. “The Complete Tutankhamun: The King, The Tomb, The Royal Treasure – By Nicholas Reeves” published in 1990
   


2. ”the Discovery of The Tomb of Tutankhamen – By Howard Carter & A. C. Mace” published 1977.

This is what what the reader had to say

There is an interesting photo of the same area [Kate: ie the central excavation] taken in 1921, showing the excavation in front of the entrance of Ramesses VI (KV9). The photo in the first book is on page #51 and on page #87 in the latter. The photo shows excavation pits on either side of the entrance to KV9. But in these photos, they show that Howard stopped digging over the location of the “KV64-Feature 5 of Nicholas Reeves” radar hit. It is also interesting that in Howard’s book, page 82 -87, he describes the 1921 dig clearing in front of KV9 by saying that, “In the course of the season’s work we cleared a considerable part of the upper layers of this area, and advanced our excavations right up to the foot of the tomb of Rameses VI. Here we came on a series of workmen’s hut built over masses of boulders, the latter usually indicating the the Valley the near proximity of a tomb. Our natural impulse was to enlarge our clearing in the direction (going north), but by doing this we should have cut off all access to the tomb of Rameses above, to visitors one of the most popular tombs in the whole Valley. We determined to await a more convenient opportunity.” On the following pages, Howard waits for the start of the next year’s digging season. This time however, he starts his digging from the north to south and finds Tutankhamun’s tomb. Thus, by starting in the north to south direction , on the opposite side of the entrance to KV9, and not pick
up going south to north from the previous season, he may have left KV64 to be
discovered in our day. I guess we’ll have to wait and see!

I confess that when I first heard Nicholas Reeves say that Feature 5 was a unopened tomb and announced it as KV64, I felt he was being a bit previous. With the help of these comments, and reading the recent posts by Nicholas on his website, I am increasingly confident that he has called it correctly. As the remarks above make clear, Howart Carter found KV62 before he could excavate above ARTP Feature 5. I am also now pretty sure that the radar image does indeed show a chamber and that by the middle of January the central area excavation hadn't yet investigated the area above the feature. However, if this was more than a shaft tomb, we cannot be sure where the entrance may lie.

It is now well understood that piles of boulders can be evidence of a tomb in the vicinity, and that tombs can be obscured by huts sited above them. The huts in the central area excavation suggest it is a ripe area for a tomb; however, they are very close to KV63 and it may be that Otto Schaden has already found the tomb they may be associated with.

With permission from the reader concerned, I wanted to share with you some thoughts I received by email from a reader as they give an interesting perspective on how the excavations relate to the ARTP radar survey, and for those of us less familiar with such things, how to understand radar surveys.

Interesting photos taken by Mr. Hay. In the photos, it would appear that the digging is now going north from the workmans huts. It's almost as if Dr. Hawass is clearing the area so he can start concentrating on the "Features" detected by Nicholas Reeves. Looking back at the location of these features, (Features #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 #7 & #8)the present excavation appears to be right down the center between all of them. By leaving a pathway in front of KV62 & the "Rest Area", He (Dr. Hawass) may have done this so as not to disrupt both the foot traffic and needed tourist money from visitors to the valley. He can now "Tunnel" under these pathways that would serve as a cover for his work and shield the public of his findings.

In the “Brian Yare” photos, posted January 23, 2009, it seems that the area of “KV64-Feature 5” would be under the feet of the people standing in the upper right of the second picture. It would also seem that Mr. Yare may possibly be standing over “KV64-Feature 5” in the last photo, as he was taking a shot of the cave next to KV63. That’s my take on it, what do you think?

And

“Radar is a tricky technology, but well-suited, it seems, to the Valley of the Kings terrain. The radar signal is emitted as a pulse, with the time and the force of the reflection echo measured and appearing on screen as real-time data. It`s important to note that these data are mere patterns and do not represent the actual form or dimension of the object detected. These patterns have to be analyzed as aggregates of arcs, with the display colors varying according to the force and velocity of the various reflection echoes. Different types of underground features nevertheless produce distinctive screen patterns: a pipe, for example, will generate a couple of nested arcs; a ditch a cross-pattern above a couple of nested arcs; and a void or underground chamber - which is the intriguing prospect we seem to have here - a distinctive pattern of radiating arcs: "KV64." Located at some considerable depth, in a part of the Valley which has been out of bounds to most historical excavators, it`s a feature which I guess hasn`t seen the light of day for several millennia.”

Update - I was wrong!

I've left my original post, but I was wrong. Going back to Brian Yare's photos of 23rd January, the bottom is clearly visible. It's actually rather shallow. I'm also swapping emails with somebody who thinks I'm wrong about this lining up with KV64 - and I may be.

Ah well, nothing wrong with public embarassment! I still think it has to be an ancient feature though as it is definitley cut through bed rock. I wasn't entirely wrong - just about this and Reeves' KV64!


Original post

I've cross-matched the "shaft" on David Hay's photos with the ARTP radar surveys. It's hard to be certain, but so far as I can tell the shaft lines up with Feature 5 of the ARTP radar survey. Feature 5 is the one which Nicholas Reeves dubbed KV64. This is how Nicholas Reeves describes that feature:

Feature 5 [= `KV64`]
Traverses I and J, lying to the south of the main grid. Traverse I displays two separate reflections - the first relating to Feature 5, the second to Feature 6 (see below). It is possible that the reflections detected in traverses I and J do not relate to the same feature, since the J reflection seems to be very much deeper - the deepest in the area. [For a different screen capture, see here.]

So, when we get a press release in due course, we will now for certain whether Nicholas Reeves was correct to call KV64. If it is a tomb, then I doubt it will end up being KV64 - but let's not quibble about details; this time Nicholas needs to make some noise about it before it is announced publicly otherwise the credit which is perhaps rightly his will go to somebody else just as it did for KV63.

I'd be grateful if somebody could check whether they agree with me that this "shaft" is pretty much on top of the ARTP Feature 5.

For all my - and others' - gripes about Dr Hawass's failure to keep the public informed, he is a first rate archaeologist and cares passionately about the Egyptian monuments. On many occasions he has shown he his prepared to wait, do things properly, rather than rush a discovery. If this shaft is on top of Feature 5, I don't believe Hawass would have dug through solid rock and risked breaking through the roof of a tomb. That is not his style. He would have taken the trouble - he has the resources and the time to do so - to find the tomb entrance. Logic suggests that Hawass would not have excavated this shaft through solid rock and that it must have been a feature created in Pharaonic times. Even had Carter - or tomb robbers for that matter - excavated the area, he wouldn't have sunk the shaft into solid rock either - he had no radar survey to indicate that it was a point of interest. Everything seems to suggest an original feature. Being so obviously square, it is also unlikely to be a natural geological feature.

Unfortunately I cannot convince myself that the shaft must indicate a tomb - it could perhaps be a well for the workers, or perhaps a foundation for some long-gone feature like an obelisk. Whatever, without knowing the depth and detail of what has been found, I don't think the photo is sufficient to say there is evidence of a tomb.

I am having terrible trouble trying to find a depth scale for the ARTP radar survey, or indeed for the depth of KV63, so I can't decide whether the shaft corresponds to the upper or deeper response that Reeves' notes. Any opinions - or help with the vertical scale - would be appreciated.

Update

I'm now pretty certain that the stone wasn't found on the day the photo was taken. As Brian's photos are now linked, I've retired this post.

Kate

I've had a couple of questions about the location of the central excavations as people who haven't been to the Valley of the Kings in some years. It's more than 10 years since I was there - I'm hoping I can get out this spring but it depends what happens on the work front.

The small inset photo from Luxury Travel Magazine shows the central excavation in relation to the Inspectors Office- that's the window in top centre with the central rest house stretching to the right.

Now refer to this photo from 2007 by Lenka Peacock, that's before the current excavations started. (If anybody has an up to date photo of this view, that would be fantastic.)

The rest house in the first photo can clearly be seen on the right. (If you prefer to orient yourself from the opposite direction, try this photo from the Theban Mapping Project database.) The large tomb entrance to the left of the Inspectors Office in the small photo, or lurking behind the rest house in the big one, is KV6 (Ramses IX). KV62 (Tutankhamun) is the enclosure directly opposite the rest house. The central excavation is taking place in this space, between the rest house and KV62.

The reason many people hope that any tomb found in this area while be an Amarna period tomb (eg Nefertiti) is propinquity. Not only do we have Tutankhamun, we have the enigmatic Amarna era tomb KV55 (Akhenaten? Smenkhare?) which is cut into the valley floor near the Inspectors Office as shown in this TMP photo.

Then there's the tomb discovered in 2006, KV63. To understand the location of KV63 in relation to KV62, refer to Nicolas Reeve's site and his article on the search for KV64. The diagram at the bottom of the page can be made larger if you double click it and you can clearly see KV62, the rest house and a red dot marking KV63. And "KV64".

Unofficially KV64 is one of the tombs discovered in the cliffside near KV8 (Merenptah). When Nicholas Reeves talks of KV64, he's referring to a radar anomoly which the Amarna Royal Tombs Project discovered some years ago, as he describes in his article. What's interesting is that this radar anomoly is in the area of the central excavation; however, the area was loosely packed debris and included features like the workmans' huts so it is quite possible that Reeves' radar anomoly does not turn out to be a tomb. It's also interesting that Howard Carter excavated workmans huts in this area - I'm afraid I don't know whether the ones which have been uncovered are some of those investigated by Carter or not.

A huge thank you to Ian Emery who not only has given permission for me to use the two photos he had on Flickr, but has kindly uploaded some more which show the excavations in even greater detail. I've put a medium size image of each on the blog and linked to Ian's Flickr photostream so you can download higher resolution images if you would like them for research. I'm sure Ian would appreciate comments from anybody who agrees with me that these are a cracking set of photos. (There are also one or some further simila photos which I chose not to display.) These images remain copyright to Ian who should be contacted if you would like to display them elsewhere.

The photos were taken on 4th January. Ian's guide didn't comment on the excavations so there's no additional background information.


This first photo clearly shows the scale of central excavation, right next to the main toursit path near KV62. The same image is shown again in the next image. This has a bit of sun flare but the view is less obstructed by workmen.






The image above clearly shows what I believe to be an ancient hut and the entrance to the intriguing cavity. I'm uncertain of the image below but think it shows the cliffside excavationd around KV8. If anybody can confirm this, please add a comment. There is clearly a large workforce drafted.

As I mentioned above, I think the image below shows the entrance to KV8. I initialy got excited by the power cable in the previous images - was this power for temporary lighting in a new tomb - but it seems to be going in to KV8. Putting the images together though, it suggests that activity is concentrated in the area just in front of KV8.

Update

I checked the Theban Mapping Project Database and there's a clear picture of the entrance of KV8. (The image shown is copyright to TMP and is reproduced to aid research into the excavations.) Below it, I've added a crop of Ian's image showing the entrance.

Although the downslope retaining wall has been removed from the bath, the shape of the division between smooth and rough concrete is identical so we can be sure that the entrance is indeed KV8. The scale of the excavation is also very apparent.

PS

This doesn't rate a separate post because the commentary is so awful(she wonders why they are not using bulldozers) and the photographer didn't pan into the excavation, but if you wish to see the pace of work this YouTube video from December 2008 shows work going on.

Ancient Egypt magazine is apparently reporting in their December issue that Dr Hawass told them 3 tomb entrances have been discovered in the excavation by KV8 (Merenptah). It's not clear, but I think this excludes the central area sondage by KV62.

Also, I've found better links to Lutz's photos of the pottery coming out of the excavation, including a zoom in.

http://www.aegyptologie.com/forum/attachments/archiv/Members/Lutz/Fotos/PB110224.JPG
http://www.aegyptologie.com/forum/attachments/archiv/Members/Lutz/Fotos/Pottery_TdK_11-08.jpg