Discovery of a new tomb in the Valley of the Kings

[Loki]

American archaeologists have made the first discovery of a new tomb in the Valley of the Kings since King Tutankhamun's was uncovered in 1922, debunking the view that there was nothing left to find at the site in eastern Egypt, it emerged yesterday.

The tomb, the 63rd discovered since explorers first started mapping the area more than 300 years ago, included five mummies in intact sarcophagi and more than 20 large storage jars bearing intact pharaonic seals, according to Zahi Hawass, the head of the supreme council of antiquities.


It was found four metres below ground level by a team of archaeologists from the University of Memphis, led by Otto Schaden. The burial site was under rubble and stones, about five metres away from Tutankhamun's tomb.

The occupier of the tomb remains unknown. One expert not involved in the excavation said images suggested that it was probably not that of a king. "It could be the tomb of a king's wife or son, or of a priest or court official," Kent Weeks said. "It clearly proves that the Valley of the Kings is still not exhausted. There are probably more tombs to be found in it."

The new tomb is a single chamber, meaning it was probably intended for a single mummy, he said. Other sarcophagi may have been put in at a later time. "The objects could be 200 to 400 years later than the original cutting of the tomb. Some could be original, some may have been introduced later."

The tomb dates to the 18th dynasty kings, who ruled for 500 years. It was the first dynasty of the New Kingdom, the pharaonic empire that lasted until about 1000 BC and made its capital in Thebes - the present day city of Luxor, 300 miles (500 km) south of Cairo. The Valley of the Kings was used as a burial ground throughout the New Kingdom, though not all the tombs are of kings.

The new tomb will be called KV63 by archaeologists, adding to the previously known sites labelled from KV1 to KV62, which is the tomb of Tutankhamun, uncovered by Howard Carter in 1922.

Treasure trove

The Valley of the Kings was used for burials for around 500 years from 1540BC onwards. The site was not properly charted until the 18th century, when the early Egyptologists confirmed the presence of 47 tombs - although many artifacts were plundered. In 1922 Howard Carter found King Tut's tomb, the first that was still largely intact.