News from the Valley of the Kings

Heritage Key report that the end of the tunnel in tomb KV35 KV17 in the Valley of the Kings has been reached and drop hints that a chamber may be discovered.  It's confusing but it sounds as though they have found an opening and a stairway.  The report is very sketchy but I can't find anything better.

(Those interested in the Great Pyramid will be interested that Hawass is now also a convert to what many people have been saying for 20 years - that there is a chamber undiscovered in the Great Pyramid.)

[Thanks to Len Solt and Chris for spotting my error.  I had KV17 correctly in the tags but have KV35 in the text.  That's now corrected.]

I have a photo but in the current climate I am not sure I dare post it.  I've agonised over it for 10 days now.  I think it was legal to take it - just not to publish it.  So thanks to Stewart.

But like court reporting, there's nothing stopping me from describing it.  The photo was taken in the Western Valley of the Kings in early January. 

There is a a square excavation about 12' x 12' dug up against the cliffs at the side of the path just beside the pile of rubble from last year's excavation.  There was a short wooden ladder down, but the pit was only about 3' deep.  It had all the look of an excavation that was focused on a specific target rather than clearing large areas of ground as we saw last year.  I speculate it is digging a radar anomaly.

The first interesting thing is that stretching alongside the put down the side of the cliff is one of those concrete finds "trays" we have seen before and which are usally only put in when finds are expected from an excavation.  Unfortunately that obscures the face of the excavation in shot which is really frustrating.  What makes it really interesting is that sat in the finds tray are what look for all the world to be about 20 mud bricks. It's possible they are say there to shore up the excavation but at only 3' deep it shouldn't need it.

Stewart said that there was another excavation in the Western Valley they they were very unhappy about him going anywhere near.

I'm not going to post these because the sequence includes some illicit photos inside tombs but Ronan Crowley has a number of shots from 10th February of the Valley of the Kings.  Exterior shots of the Valley are from a distance so nothing obvious in them, although somebody may wish to try blowing them up to see whether there is anything in the fine detail.

This article by pling makes interesting reading.  Pling looks at the methodology used to assess the genetic genealogy.  She has read the full paper and also states clearly what has been scientifically proven and what hasn't.  (Again, it's worth stressing that that the identification of Akhenaten from tomb KV55 has not been proven by this latest study.  If progress can be made on the identification of the lineage of the Younger lady, we may be able to make a firm identification because we know KV35YL was the sister of the mummy from KV55.)


There are a couple of things which "puzzle" me.  The mummies from KV21 in the Valley of the Kings are largely unknown, although including the mummies fromKV35 was an obvious move.  Only 11 New Kingdom mummies from the time of Tutankhamun were tested.  I am intrigued what prompted the SCA to select this particular group of 11 mummies and not any others.  So far as I am aware, there was no prior speculation that the mummy "KV21A" mummy could be Ankhesenamun.   I wonder if the ongoing investigations of Valley of the Kings tombs has revealed unpublished clues to the occupants some of the lesser known tombs.  (The indentification of Aknhesenamun still has not been proven by the way.)  Remember Dr Hawass said 6 months ago:

"The fetuses will help us determine whether [King Tut's wife and daughter of Nefertiti] Ankhesenamun was a half sister or a full sister," said Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.  "If the fetus DNA matches King Tut's DNA and Ankhesenamun['s DNA], then they shared the same mother." 

Although in 2008 Dr Hawass also said of the two foetuses from KV62, ""I personally feel they are not the sons of Tutankhamun".


Sadly the study has failed to answer these questions which brings me to the second thing that puzzles me: no mention is being made of the earlier DNA sampling of key New Kingdom mummies.  As I reported in September 2009, Prof Scott Woodward harvested DNA from 27 New Kingdom mummies, 7 successfully.  He also successfully recovered mitochondrial DNA from the elder KV62 foetus, although the sequencing has never been published.  There are also reports that he successfully extracted DNA from Yuya, the father of Queen Tiye.  Nothing I have read suggests that any attempt has been made to integrate these earlier DNA sequences.  Undoubtedly methodologies have moved on since the 1990s, but nonetheless I worry whether the politics of "an all Egyptian investigation" may have come before maximising the scientific value of the DNA which has been gathered from New Kingdom mummies.   That is particularly true of the foetuses from KV62 because, as I have reported previously, they have allegedly not been well kept and have deteriorated over the past decade making DNA extraction more difficult.

The Journal of the Amercian Medical Association is reporting that the Younger Lady whose mummy was found in the Valley of the Kings tomb KV35 has been identified as the mother of Tutankhamun by DNA testing of 11 mummies from Egypt's New Kingdom.  The article confirms that the mummy from tomb KV55 was Tutankhamun's father, which significanly increases the chances that the KV55 mummy is that of Akhenaten.

There are no indications craniosynostoses or Marfans.

Addendum: for a background on the mummy of the Younger Lady please refer to this press release from 2007

Physorg have a report of the DNA study results set to be revealed in a press conference on Wednesday.  The two headlines are as follows:

"Many scholars have hypothesized that Tutankhamun's death was attributable to an accident, such as a fall from his chariot or a kick by a horse or other animal; septicemia or fat embolism secondary to a femur fracture; murder by a blow to the back of the head; or poisoning," the study said.

But genetic testing found evidence that Tutankhamun had been infected with plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes an often deadly form of malaria.

And on parentage:

Using partial Y-chromosome information, the researchers determined that Akhenaten, the controversial pharaoh who ruled from around 1351-1334 BC and tried to radically transform religion in ancient Egypt, was Tut's father, and that Tutankhamun's mother was Akhenaten's sister.

Presumably the "Akhenaten" referred to here is the mummy found in KV55, the most debated tomb in the Valley of the Kings.  For that we will have to wait for the press report. The study also confirmed that Tutankhamun had a club foot and walked with a cane like his father.  That's something that was aleady strongly suspected but I'm guessing it's now proven fact.  He was also the father of the two foetuses found with him in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

The press conference tomorrow will be very interesting but I thought people would welcome the scoop since it's in circulation with a big thank you to Michael Stephens for spotting the Physorg article and giving me the heads up.

With photos hard to come by, first-hand reports are important so a thank you to Maria Nystrom Agback for her report of her visit to the Valley of the Kings on 7th and 7th February 2010.

On the 8th, excavators from the University of Basel were at work digging on both sides of the walkway towards KV34 (on the left side between KV 26 and KV 59, on the right side opposite KV 59), documenting and assemling pottery.

At the entrance of KV63, I was told I had just missed professor Schaden as I watched the birds gathering around the seeds he puts out for them. I could see no activity behind the sign announcing Dr. Hawass examinations, but two wooden crates gave me the impression work is being carried out there.

I am now informed that there are at least 4 excavations in the Valley of the Kings and Theban Hills.  As well as the resported excavation in the Western Valley of the Kings they are also digging again in the Eastern Valley.  Some of the excavations seems to be quite small as though they are digging on radar anomolies. This year, so far, there don't seem to be large scale clearances like last winter.  There is also a team working within KV26.

Some of the guards are reportedly now toting AK47s (or something similar).  Has anybody else noticed that and is it new?

AR has just left this comment (many thanks) on the latest photo of excavations in the Valley of the Kings which I posted last week:

I was visiting [the Valley of the Kings] on Friday the 22th and saw them [the excavations] as described by RP and Dennis. This picture was on the other side to KV40, but the archaologists were digging close to KV40 and KV59 as well. There were also people emerging from KV31. An english speaking guide told us, that they found a good preserved sacrophagus in KV31. As we were leaving Kings Valley, Hawass appeared. I suppose they were opening the sacrophagus.

 Note: the Theban Mapping Project records tomb KV31 as 18th Dynasty and completely full of debris.  They wonder whether a sarcophagus in the British Museum came from this tomb, but it is also possible it was never properly explored.

If anybody can corroborate this, or add further details, that would be appreciated.

(There are a few links to other articles I'll round up in the next few days including an annoucement that Dr Hawass has called a press conference for 17th February to report on the DNA tests of Tutankhamun's mummy, but the above report from AR is probably the biggest reported news at present.)

Robert Pick took this photo on 19th January, 2010 while walking in the Theban Hills near the Valley of the Kings.  It clearly shows an excvation underway.  I'm not certain where exactly it was taken.  Robert's full set of photos is here.  If somebody thinks they can piece together where the excavations are based on the photo and the ones taken before and afterwards, then I'm sure that would interest readers.    Since cameras aren't allowed in the Valley of the Kings and guards are stopping people from taking photos, I am assuming this wasn't taken from withinthe Valley, although it could be a view looking back into the Valley of the Kings from the Theban Hills which I understand is still allowed.

I have emailed Robert as well to ask but leaving him comments on the photo in Flickr might encourage him as well, please!   There is a photo taken in the hills which is definitely looking down into the Valley of the Kings and I can't spot anything on that and there has been no other report or photo of excavations in the Valley of the Kings this year - although we all expected them.   I have just trogged through a Google search and nobody has mentioned anything so far as I can tell.

Dennis spotted an update to the KV-63 site with the first of Otto Shaden's dig diary entires for 2010.  Dennis has also studied the Valley of the Kings' photos which the team have posted.  The photo of the Valley of the Kings shows no sign of any excavations.

My thanks to Vincent Brown for spotting this story in Spiegel.  If anybody has missed the background to the allegations of theft against Howard Carter, then it's worth reading.

There is no proof, but the circumstantial evidence that Howard Carter removed items from Tutankhamun's Valley of the Kings tomb is substantial.  Articles from King Tut's tomb are in a number of museums around the world, not just in the Egyptian Museum.  The largest and best known collection of other objects is in the Met and their existence has been in the public domain since the 70s when advertised by Thomas Hoving.  The Spiegel article also identifies an object in the Louvre which is one I hadn't heard about.

It is true that Carter had permisson to remove some items, but the number in circulation seems inconsistent with this. However the complex legal status of the tomb in the 1920s muddies the water enough that an amateur like me is unable to understand whether the allegations against Carter are well-founded; however, nor do I feel able to exonnerate him.   What is perhaps most surprising is that Egypt is not pressing for the return of these articles.  That suggests that Carter did obtain them legally.  (The conspiracy theorists have an alternative explanation which suggests that Carter removed papyrii relating to the Exodus and that there is therefore a reluctance to re-open the question of the clearance of KV62.  The story was covered by Andrew Collins in his book, Tutankhamun - The Exodus Conspiracy.)

If Carter did illegally obtain items from KV62, and enter the tomb in advance of the offical opening, then we no longer know the state of the tomb at discovery.  Archaeologically that may be more important than the removal of a small number of items.  Read the article and make your own mind up.

Dr Hawass has published a photo showing some of the finds from the Tomb of Seti I in the Valley of the Kings, tomb KV17.  The size of one of the statues is surprising (even if it doesn't look to be a premier piece).  If these articles were carried into the tunnel by water then the force of water must have been considerable, although the tomb doesn't seem to show flood damage consistent with a large torrent of moving water.  It does make it seem as though the tunnel had a purpose as Dr Hawass himself has said he believes.

I've been saving this photo from David Hay for a quiet period - which we seem to have at present!.

Thanks again to David for his photos.  This one was taken in the Western Valley of the Kings in November and shows the date of the 2009 excavations there. Unlike the excavations in the main valley, the trenches were not back-filled which makes one wonder whether there is an intention for excavations to continue this winter. Sadly, as few people visit the Western Valley, reports are even harder to come by than reports from the main Valley of the Kings.

A reminder that even if photos are banned in the main Valley of the Kings, reports of any acitivity from any tourists who visist would be very welcome.

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".

In the fourth and final part of this video series from Heritage Key, Dr Hawass mentions the robberies of KV62, the tomb of Tutankhamun.  He believes it was saved ultimately be the construction of tomb KV9.

That's possible, but doesn't explain how KV62 escaped robbery before then.  Perhaps the security in the Valley of the Kings was robust during the early 19th Dynasty, but as Tutankhamun's tomb was robbed in the 18th Dynasty, it seems somewhat unlikely.  Personally I prefer the theory that Horemheb discouraged mention of Tutankhamun along with the Amarnan royalty so the tomb wasn't well-known, and that KV62 was  covered by debris from a flash flood as suggested by Stephen Cross.  Admittedly, debris from the construction of the tomb of Ramses VI may have helped to protect the tomb, but I think it was a combination of all of these factors.

At the end of the video, Dr Hawass ponders the incalculable treasures that could have been in the tomb of Ramses VIII and which tombs could still be found, and which could be intact.  He mentions Neferiti and Amenhotep I, which is interesting.  There's no mention of Ramses VIII which last year was theorised (by Dr Hawass) as one of the tombs found in the Valley of the Kings.

(PS another month is slipping by without news of the DNA testing either.)

With thanks to Dave Hay, here's another photo looking into the Valley of the Kings a couple of weeks ago. This I think shows all the areas people were interested in from last season so I have uploaded the full-res and artificially sharpened it. Click it to enlarge.

I can't see anything of interest.

Here's another view of the Western Valley of the Kings, this time showing both last season's excavation and the cleared debris and looking towards tomb WV23 (King Ay).  The previous shots have been courtesy of Dave Hay; this one is by Kamil Zachert.

In this third part of this video series, Zahi Hawass talks about some of the greatest treasures from KV62, the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings, including the Golden Throne, with the amazing scenes of King Tutankhamun and Queen Ankhesenamun, and some of the jewelry. (Links are to my Squidoo lenses on the topics.)

Strangely although the earlier videos which feature the same interview with Dr Hawass were credited to Sandro Vannini, this one is credited to Nico Piazzi.

With huge thanks to Dave Hay, here's a picture of the rubble from the excavations in the Western Valley of the Kings piled up on the opposite side of the path on the way up to tomb WV23.