International   

New tomb discovered in the Valley of the Kings

LUXOR (Egypt): Through a partially opened underground door, Egyptian authorities gave a peek Friday into the first new tomb uncovered in the Valley of the Kings since that of King Tutankhamun in 1922. U.S. archaeologists said they discovered the tomb by accident while working on a nearby site.

Still unknown is whose mummies are in the five wooden sarcophagi with painted funeral masks, surrounded by alabaster jars inside the undecorated single-chamber tomb.

The tomb is believed to be some 3,000 years old, dating to the 18th dynasty, said Edwin Brock, co-director of the University of Memphis that discovered the site.

``I don't think it's a royal tomb, maybe members of the court,'' he told the Associated Press. ``Contemporaries of Tutankhamun are possible — or of Amunhotep III or even Horemheb.''

Egypt's antiquities chief, Zahi Hawass, said, ``Maybe they are mummies of kings or queens or nobles, we don't know. But it's definitely someone connected to the royal family. It's somebody who had the favour of the king because not everybody could come and make their tomb in the Valley of the Kings.''

So far, archaeologists have not entered the tomb, having only opened part of its 1.5-metre-high entrance door. But they have peered inside the single chamber to see the sarcophagi, believed to contain mummies, surrounded by around 20 Pharaonic jars.

On Friday, Egyptian antiquities authorities allowed journalists a first look into the tomb, located near the tomb of Tutankhamun — the last new burial site discovered in the valley, in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter.

At the bottom of a 10-metre-deep pit, a narrow shaft leads down another 5 metres to the door, made of blocks of stone. A hole about a 30 centimetres wide has been cleared from the door.

Inside the chamber — about 4 by 5 metres — alabaster pots, some broken, are lined up next to the sarcophagi. One of the coffins has toppled and faces the door, showing its white, painted face. Another is partially open, showing a brown cloth covering the mummy inside.

The discovery has broken the long-held belief that there's nothing left to dig up in the Valley of the Kings.

AP

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Bridge chasm between the West and Muslim world: Badawi
Al-Qaeda planned to attack Los Angeles building: Bush
Pakistan bans import of medicines from Denmark
Shock defeat for Labour
Norwegian Editor apologises
Sectarian violence toll 33
New tomb discovered in the Valley of the Kings
The Berlinale opens with Snow Cake

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu