Monday, February 16, 2009

More re Finnish work in the Valley of the Kings

Science Daily

If you missed the University of Helsinki article at the end of January you will find it repeated at the above Science Daily page. The team is directed by Jaana Toivari-Viitala, Docent of Egyptology at the University of Helsinki.

Her research group wants to find out why the hut village was built on the slope of a mountain, halfway between the construction site and Deir-el-Medina. They are also interested in how many workers lived in the village at a time, when they lived there, and what their role was in the construction work.

“Comparing the names found in the village and in Deir-el-Medina provides useful information. Judging from the construction methods, settlement in the village can be divided into two separate periods: the initial settlement and a later one.”

For the time being, much is up to speculation, but Toivari-Viitala believes that the coming four field seasons, three months each, will see results.

“The working conditions are not nearly as difficult as I thought they would be. The cool winds in the mountains nicely alleviate the heat.”

The research group working on the “Workmen’s huts in the Theban mountains” project is planning to return to the Valley of the Kings in October.


See the above page for the full story.

No comments: