Wednesday, November 11, 2009

New Book: The Lost Tombs of Thebes

drhawass.com (Zahi Hawass)
With video

This sounds rather more interesting than many of the coffee table type books that come out at this time of year on the western market. The video shows Hawass and Dr Janice Kamrin talking about the Theban tombs (4.41 minutes). There's some great footage and the video emphasises how much at risk these sometimes sadly battered tombs really are.

On the West Bank of Thebes, there are over 800 tombs located in the hills of the area known as el-Qurna. Though some of them, such as Theban Tomb 100, that of Rekhmire, may be known to the public, there are many that have been neglected and lost since antiquity. With my colleagues, I have recently investigated many of these tombs, including many that were only recently discovered.

There are many sites in Egypt that have not been fully explored, holding many secrets that have yet to be revealed. It is very important to find these tombs and properly record the paintings and objects inside, as they are deteriorating quickly. These tombs are in danger, and the scenes could be completely destroyed if they are not properly conserved and recorded.

There's a link to an article on Heritage Key and where photographer Sandro Vannini explainins what went into doing the photography for Lost Tombs of Thebes.


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