The Oxford Handbook of the Valley of the Kings

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The Oxford Handbook of the Valley of the Kings

edited by Richard H. Wilkinson and Kent R. Weeks

Oxford University Press, [2016?]

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Includes bibliographical references and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

The royal necropolis of New Kingdom Egypt, known as the Valley of the Kings (KV), is one of the most important-and celebrated-archaeological sites in the world. Located on the west bank of the Nile river, about three miles west of modern Luxor, the valley is home to more than sixty tombs, all dating to the second millennium BCE. The most famous of these is the tomb of Tutankhamun, first discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. Other famous pharaoh's interred here include Hatshepsut, the only queen found in the valley, and Ramesses II, ancient Egypt's greatest ruler. Much has transpired in the study and exploration of the Valley of the Kings over the last few years. Several major discoveries have been made, notably the many-chambered KV5 (tomb of the sons of Ramesses II) and KV 63, a previously unknown tomb found in the heart of the valley. Many areas of the royal valley have been explored for the first time using new technologies, revealing ancient huts, shrines, and stelae. New studies of the DNA, filiation, cranio-facial reconstructions, and other aspects of the royal mummies have produced important and sometimes controversial results. The Oxford Handbook of the Valley of the Kings provides an up-to-date and thorough reference designed to fill a very real gap in the literature of Egyptology. It will be an invaluable resource for scholars, teachers, and researchers with an interest in this key area of Egyptian archaeology. First, introductory chapters locate the Valley of the Kings in space and time. Subsequent chapters offer focused examinations of individual tombs: their construction, content, development, and significance. Finally, the book discusses the current status of ongoing issues of preservation and archaeology, such as conservation, tourism, and site management. In addition to recent work mentioned above, aerial imaging, remote sensing, studies of the tombs' architectural and decorative symbolism, problems of conservation site management, and studies of KV-related temples are just some of the aspects not covered in any other work on the Valley of the Kings. This volume promises to become the primary scholarly reference work on this important World Heritage Site.

Table of Contents

  • Contributors
  • Abbreviations
  • Preface
  • Part I: Introduction
  • Richard H. Wilkinson and Kent R. Weeks
  • Part II: The Natural Setting
  • 1. Geology of the Valley of the Kings
  • Judith M. Bunbury
  • 2. Toponyms of the Valley of the Kings and its Approaches
  • Kent R. Weeks
  • 3. The Hydrology of the Valley of the Kings: Weather, Rainfall, Drainage Patterns and Flood Protection in Antiquity
  • Andreas Dorn
  • Part III: The Development of the Royal Necropolis
  • 4. The Egyptian Concept of a Royal Necropolis
  • John H. Taylor
  • 5. Earlier Royal Tombs, the Royal Cemeteries of Thebes and the Beginnings of the Valley of the Kings
  • Aidan Dodson
  • Part IV: Tomb Construction and Development
  • 6. The Royal Necropolis Workmen of Deir el-Medina
  • Robert J. Demaree
  • 7. Choosing the Location for a Royal Tomb
  • The Workmen's Techniques and
  • Tools
  • Units of Measurement
  • KV Huts and Work Places
  • Andreas Dorn
  • 8. The Component Parts of KV Royal Tombs
  • Kent R. Weeks
  • 9. Collisions, Abandonments, Alterations, Tomb Commencements/Pits and Other Features in the Valley of the Kings
  • Lyla Pinch-Brock
  • Part V: Royal Tomb Decoration
  • 10. The Technology of Royal Tomb Decoration
  • Stephen Rickerby and Lori Wong
  • 11. Iconography
  • Palaeography
  • Decorative Elements
  • Distribution and Development of Scenes
  • Heather L. McCarthy
  • Part VI: Individual KV Tombs
  • 12. Royal Tombs of Dynasty Eighteen
  • Catharine H. Roehrig
  • 13. Royal Tombs of the Nineteenth Dynasty
  • Hartwig Altenmueller
  • 14. Royal Tombs in Dynasty Twenty
  • Aidan Dodson
  • 15. Other Tombs: Queens and Commoners in KV
  • Susanne Bickel
  • Part VII: Contents of Royal KV Tombs
  • 16. Sarcophagi
  • Aidan Dodson
  • 17. Canopics
  • Aidan Dodson
  • 18. Other Tomb Goods
  • Campbell Price
  • Part VIII: Getting to the Afterlife
  • 19. Mortuary Ritual in the Valley of the Kings
  • Alexandra von Lieven
  • 20. Symbolic Aspects of Royal Tombs
  • Richard H. Wilkinson
  • 21. The Royal Funerary Books: The Subject Matter of Scenes and Texts
  • Joshua Roberson
  • Part IX: Destruction, Desecration and Reuse
  • 22. Damnatio Memoriae in the Valley of the Kings
  • Richard H. Wilkinson
  • 23. Usurpation and Reuse of Royal Tombs
  • Richard H. Wilkinson
  • 24. Intrusive Burials and Caches
  • John H. Taylor
  • Part X: Human Remains from the KV and their Study
  • 25. Early Study and the Unwrapping of Mummies
  • Rosalie David
  • 26. Modern Biomedical Studies
  • Rosalie David and Ryan Metcalfe
  • 27. Recent Identity and Relationship Studies, Including X-Rays and DNA
  • Ryan Metcalfe
  • Part XI: The Administration of the KV in Dynastic Times
  • 28. The Temples of Millions of Years at Western Thebes
  • Martina Ullmann
  • 29. Policing and Site Protection
  • Guard Posts
  • Enclosure Walls
  • Carola Vogel
  • 30. Tomb Robberies in the Valley of the Kings
  • Ogden Goelet
  • Part XII: The KV from the End of the New Kingdom to the Late 20th Century
  • 31. Late Dynastic, Graeco-Roman and Christian Times
  • Post-New Kingdom Graffiti
  • Filip Coppens
  • 32. The History of KV Exploration Prior to the Late 20th Century
  • Joyce Tyldesley
  • Part XIII: The KV in the Late 20th and the 21st Century and Beyond
  • 33. Remote Sensing in the Valley of the Kings and its Hinterlands
  • Sarah H. Parcak and Gregory D. Mumford
  • 34. The Search for Other Tombs
  • Stephen W. Cross
  • 35. Tomb Recording: Epigraphy, Photography, Digital Imaging, 3-D Surveys
  • Adam Lowe
  • 36. Conservation and Flood Protection
  • Michael Jones
  • 37. Tourism in the Valley of the Kings
  • Kent R. Weeks
  • 38. The Valley of the Kings in the Lives of Modern Egyptians: The People of Qurna
  • Kees van der Spek
  • Appendix
  • Index

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