Whose tomb?
There has been lots of speculation on the web about a) whose tomb this was, and b) who is buried in it now. A lot of people are hoping against hope that the mummies would proved to be Amarna royalty. Here are some of the educated opinions.
http://tinyurl.com/afg2c (New York Times)
http://tinyurl.com/afg2c (New York Times)
If you need a username and password, enter the word egyptnews in both fields. There's not much more on the New York Times website that hasn't been repeated elsewhere, but Dr Otto Shaden is quoted, and has said that the tomb was apparently sealed by the end of the 19th Dynasty. Director of Luxor Monuments, Mansour Borraiyk, is also quoted as saying that the mummies in the tomb are certainly NOT royal. This contradicts Zahi Hawass who has been quoted elsewhere saying that the mummies look as though they may well be royal, and could form a cache of mummies perhaps moved there together at the end of the New Kingdom. For the Hawass quotes see, for example: http://tinyurl.com/anlfz (Reuters)
www.katu.com/stories/83250.html
One of the rather more informed opinions being sought is that of Kent Weeks. In this article on the Katu website, and Associated Press writer has described how Weeks "knows of a papyrus that refers to a tomb of a secondary wife of Ramses II. 'Reading that papyrus, it gave a description of where the tomb was located,' he said. 'I hypothesized that it might be located in one of three spots in the Valley of the Kings. Interestingly, one of the spots was where this new tomb was found. That doesn't mean I think it is her tomb. But it does fit that ancient papyrus description.' "
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=214992006
Speculation and optimism at the site: " 'It could be the gardener,' Otto Schaden, the head of the US team, joked to Hawass at the site. 'But it's somebody who had the favour of the king.' Dr Hawass said that hieroglyphs from the tomb could reveal the identities of the five mummies inside. He is even hopeful that one of them could be that of a celebrated figure such as Nefertiti, the immensely powerful queen of an 18th dynasty pharaoh. 'I do hope that one of these mummies could be of Hatshepsut or Nefertiti,' Dr Hawass said."
http://tinyurl.com/99rtd
And finally on this topic, the Monsters and Critics website carries a piece on the tomb, saying "Hawass also raised the possibility that the mummies may have been relocated from other tombs to keep them out of the reach of thieves. The mummies would undergo extensive studies to determine their identity, said Sabry Abdel Aziz, head of the Pharaonic departnemt at the SCA. The figures would be treated, restored and reinforced before being considered for display either inside the tomb where they were found or in a museum."
The Amenmesse tomb project that discoverd KV63
www.katu.com/stories/83250.html
One of the rather more informed opinions being sought is that of Kent Weeks. In this article on the Katu website, and Associated Press writer has described how Weeks "knows of a papyrus that refers to a tomb of a secondary wife of Ramses II. 'Reading that papyrus, it gave a description of where the tomb was located,' he said. 'I hypothesized that it might be located in one of three spots in the Valley of the Kings. Interestingly, one of the spots was where this new tomb was found. That doesn't mean I think it is her tomb. But it does fit that ancient papyrus description.' "
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=214992006
Speculation and optimism at the site: " 'It could be the gardener,' Otto Schaden, the head of the US team, joked to Hawass at the site. 'But it's somebody who had the favour of the king.' Dr Hawass said that hieroglyphs from the tomb could reveal the identities of the five mummies inside. He is even hopeful that one of them could be that of a celebrated figure such as Nefertiti, the immensely powerful queen of an 18th dynasty pharaoh. 'I do hope that one of these mummies could be of Hatshepsut or Nefertiti,' Dr Hawass said."
http://tinyurl.com/99rtd
And finally on this topic, the Monsters and Critics website carries a piece on the tomb, saying "Hawass also raised the possibility that the mummies may have been relocated from other tombs to keep them out of the reach of thieves. The mummies would undergo extensive studies to determine their identity, said Sabry Abdel Aziz, head of the Pharaonic departnemt at the SCA. The figures would be treated, restored and reinforced before being considered for display either inside the tomb where they were found or in a museum."
The Amenmesse tomb project that discoverd KV63
Some details about some of the members of the team engaged in the excavations at the tomb of Ammenemes, who discivered KV63 by accident: "The University of Memphis, through its Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology, has sponsored the Amenmesse Tomb Project (KV 10) – the scientific excavation and conservation of the tomb of Late 19th Dynasty King Amenmesse – since 1995, three years after the project was begun. The Field Director for the Amenmesse Tomb Project (KV 10) is Dr. Otto Schaden, a research associate with the Institute.
Recently, he was joined by Dr. Lorelei Corcoran, Director of the Institute, and Sharon Nichols, a U of M graduate student who is pursing a master’s degree in Egyptian art. The two of them are in Egypt at present, working with Dr. Schaden. . . . Further background information about the Amenmesse Tomb Project (KV 10) is available on the Web at www.kv-10.com.
The University of Memphis ’ Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology was created in 1984 as a part of the Department of Art in the College of Communication and Fine Arts. It is also a Tennessee Center of Excellence. The Institute is dedicated to the study of the art, history and culture of ancient Egypt through teaching, research (including excavation), exhibition, and community education. As part of its research and teaching objectives, the Institute is currently engaged with several field projects in Egypt. In addition to sponsoring the Amenmesse project, the IEAA conducts an epigraphic survey in the Great Hypostyle Hall of Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt, and partners with the Italian Archaeological Mission at the tomb of Harwa at Thebes."
Recently, he was joined by Dr. Lorelei Corcoran, Director of the Institute, and Sharon Nichols, a U of M graduate student who is pursing a master’s degree in Egyptian art. The two of them are in Egypt at present, working with Dr. Schaden. . . . Further background information about the Amenmesse Tomb Project (KV 10) is available on the Web at www.kv-10.com.
The University of Memphis ’ Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology was created in 1984 as a part of the Department of Art in the College of Communication and Fine Arts. It is also a Tennessee Center of Excellence. The Institute is dedicated to the study of the art, history and culture of ancient Egypt through teaching, research (including excavation), exhibition, and community education. As part of its research and teaching objectives, the Institute is currently engaged with several field projects in Egypt. In addition to sponsoring the Amenmesse project, the IEAA conducts an epigraphic survey in the Great Hypostyle Hall of Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt, and partners with the Italian Archaeological Mission at the tomb of Harwa at Thebes."
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