The identity of KV64 has been announced. It is the tomb of Temple [Karnak] Singer [the Lady] Ni Hams Bastet. It dates to the 22nd Dynasty and is located on the pathway to Tomb KV34 (Thuthmosis III) in the main Valley of the Kings, which is why KV34 is presently closed to visitors. It was found by Dr Elina of the University of Basel and the feeling is that there are more tombs to be found.
There are few other details at present than the Ahram story. It seems to be a shaft tomb with a single chamber. It contains an intact wooden sarcophagus, pictured in the Ahram story.
There is no definitive news but the impression is that it might be an undisturbed tomb, albeit a non-royal one. It is believed that it is a re-used 18th Dynasty tomb, based on finds. That suggests there may be remnants of an earlier burial -see this version of the announcment. There are good reasons to hope that a 22nd Dynasty tomb will be undisturbed because it was committed after the consolidation into the caches which took place during the 21st Dynasty.
I know this is not the tomb people were hoping for, but I think it is brilliant, especially if it is intact. I am very interested in the Third Intermediate Period and have long suspected there are undiscovered, and probably intact, tombs in the Valley of the Kings from that period. This adds to that impression. It is also great to have a tomb from this period investigarted under modern archaeological standards.
There is a back story to this announcement. As many people will know, Andrea Byrnes and I were filtering all the archaeological news during the Egyptian revolution last year, and I was responsible for the Egyptologcal Looting Database. We heard rumours that a new tomb had been found in the Valley of the Kings by the University of Basel. At that point, the Valley was unprotected because the security police had been withdrawn and news of a new tomb could have drawn looters to the valley like bears to honey. Dr Thomas Schuler of Blue Shield helped us to warn the University of Basel of the growing rumours - it is another example of the work of Blue Shield in protecting Egypt's heritage. They rushed out a report about KV40b as a minor feature and I carried that here as news to pooh-pooh rumours of a new tomb.
I am not certain yet whether KV64 had been found in spring 2011 but it seems likely (if not then the rumours were assuming that KV40b is a tomb when it probably isn't). My apologies to readers that I didn't carry the story at the time but the safety of the tomb in such uncertain times was paramount. I know others like Jane Akshar also helped in damping down expectations and rumours in that critical period.
Whatever, I look forwards to further reports about KV64 in the coming days and weeks, and yes I am convinced that there is a KV65 out there as well.
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There are few other details at present than the Ahram story. It seems to be a shaft tomb with a single chamber. It contains an intact wooden sarcophagus, pictured in the Ahram story.
There is no definitive news but the impression is that it might be an undisturbed tomb, albeit a non-royal one. It is believed that it is a re-used 18th Dynasty tomb, based on finds. That suggests there may be remnants of an earlier burial -see this version of the announcment. There are good reasons to hope that a 22nd Dynasty tomb will be undisturbed because it was committed after the consolidation into the caches which took place during the 21st Dynasty.
I know this is not the tomb people were hoping for, but I think it is brilliant, especially if it is intact. I am very interested in the Third Intermediate Period and have long suspected there are undiscovered, and probably intact, tombs in the Valley of the Kings from that period. This adds to that impression. It is also great to have a tomb from this period investigarted under modern archaeological standards.
There is a back story to this announcement. As many people will know, Andrea Byrnes and I were filtering all the archaeological news during the Egyptian revolution last year, and I was responsible for the Egyptologcal Looting Database. We heard rumours that a new tomb had been found in the Valley of the Kings by the University of Basel. At that point, the Valley was unprotected because the security police had been withdrawn and news of a new tomb could have drawn looters to the valley like bears to honey. Dr Thomas Schuler of Blue Shield helped us to warn the University of Basel of the growing rumours - it is another example of the work of Blue Shield in protecting Egypt's heritage. They rushed out a report about KV40b as a minor feature and I carried that here as news to pooh-pooh rumours of a new tomb.
I am not certain yet whether KV64 had been found in spring 2011 but it seems likely (if not then the rumours were assuming that KV40b is a tomb when it probably isn't). My apologies to readers that I didn't carry the story at the time but the safety of the tomb in such uncertain times was paramount. I know others like Jane Akshar also helped in damping down expectations and rumours in that critical period.
Whatever, I look forwards to further reports about KV64 in the coming days and weeks, and yes I am convinced that there is a KV65 out there as well.
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