The Lost Tomb - Hardcover

Kent R. Weeks

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 068815087X ISBN 13: 9780688150877

Publisher: William Morrow, 1998

Synopsis

Kent Weeks made international headlines when, seventy feet below the surface of Egypt's Valley of the Kings he found the largest and most complicated mausoleum yet discovered, the tomb of Ramesses II's sons. Now for the first time, Weeks shares up-to-the-minute details on the thrilling discoveryand contemplates what the tomb, called KV5, will reveal as the excavation moves forward. Built in the age of Exodus, the tomb could potentially transform ancient and biblical history. Its lower levels, possibly containing mummies of Ramesses II's sons, may shed new light on many of the mysteries of the Old Testament, including the story of Moses and the flight of the Israelites from Egypt.

Weeks draws on his own diaries, as well as those of his wife and his foreman, to describe the excitement and risks that surround such a significant find. From floodwaters that threatened the opened tomb and the precarious craw spaces deep within it, to thieving tourists and scorpions, this adventure is not for the weak of heart. Photographs and sketches illustrate the crew's progress and the objects and decorations found in the tomb's chambers and hallways The resulta true-life, impossibly thrilling Raiders of the Lost Arkwill entrance readers from beginning to end.

About this title

About the Authors

Dr. Kent Weeks is an Egyptologist with the American University inCairo. He received a Ph.D. from Yale in 1970, and is the co-author ofX-Raying the Pharaohs.

Dr. Kent Weeks is an Egyptologist with the American University inCairo. He received a Ph.D. from Yale in 1970, and is the co-author ofX-Raying the Pharaohs.

Reviews

In 1995, Weeks, a noted Egyptologist and professor at the American University in Cairo, and his archeological team discovered a tomb in Luxor's Valley of the Kings. Labeled KV5, it was hailed as the lost burial chamber of the sons of Ramesses II. Weeks's Egyptological leanings were a long time in coming. He starts by chronicling his childhood dreams and their eventual fulfillment some 10 years ago. By 1989, Weeks, his wife, Susan, and his team had been working in the Valley of the Kings for 10 years. Intrigued by so-called missing tombs of the Valley that had been only cursorily explored, Weeks decided to look for one in particular, KV5, which, if early maps were correct, was in the path of projected highway building. Using the journals and maps of two earlier explorers?James Burton, who first came to Luxor in 1825, and Howard Carter, noted for many discoveries, including that of King Tut's tomb (1922)?Weeks and his team began digging. Their search resulted in the discovery of the largest mausoleum in the area, which Weeks makes a convincing case for identifying as the burial site of Ramesses's sons. In the final chapters, Weeks provides readers with an introduction to the world of Ramesses II and the 18th and 19th dynasties, indicating the possibility of further finds in KV5 that would clarify aspects of ancient and biblical history. But most of all, by drawing on his diaries, Weeks gives a sense of immediacy in the reconstruction of a fascinating story that fully conveys the thrill of discovery after years of painstaking work. Color and b&w photos not seen by PW. 7-city author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Archaeological high drama abounds as Weeks recounts his life and work as an Egyptologist. Within the West Bank area of Egypt lies the Valley of the Kings. Here the ancient pharaohs created elaborate tombs for themselves, their wives, and their children. It is, in short, an archaeological gold mine. By now most of the area is well known and exhaustively studied, yet in 1995 Weeks and his colleagues discovered a tomb of unrivaled magnificence and importance: ``KV5,'' the burial site of the sons of Ramses II. The size of KV5 is unprecedented. While most tombs in the valley have only 6 or 8 chambers, and none more than 30, at KV5, so far, 108 chambers have been unearthed. Constructed in the time of the ancient Jewish exodus, the size and antiquity of KV5 give it the potential, the author suggests, to fundamentally alter our knowledge of ancient and biblical history. Weeks tells the story of this discovery well. Some of it is very much out of Indiana Jones, crawling through airless, lightless tunnels as great blocks of stone threaten to dislodge and fall upon the disturbers of these tombs. Mostly, though, the author describes the monotonous, decidedly unromantic tasks of modern archaeology. This work is less about discovering mummies and fabulous treasures than about sifting the sand in a site to uncover the evidence that microscopic bits of seed or grain may offer up. It is Weekss dogged attention to such detail, however, that draws the reader in. He is less effective ``above ground. Modern Egypt seems to serve only as a disconnected background for the discovery of Egypt's past. A highly readable story of one person's passion for the past. (color and b&w photos, not seen; line drawings) (First serial to National Geographic; author tour) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Howard Carter's 1922 discovery of the nearly intact tomb of Tutankhamen was the greatest Egyptological find of the first half of the century. Despite the lack of gold and treasure (so far), Weeks's rediscovery of an undocumented tomb in the Valley of the Kings (KV5) prepared for the many sons of Rameses II (1278-12 B.C.E.) is by far the most significant of the second half. Excavation of the tomb itself began in 1989, and, as the author's Theban Mapping Project progressed, the vast extent of the layout became apparent: a virtual condominium of eternity, unique in its design in the Theban necropolis. Based on the diaries of Dr. Weeks, his wife, Susan, and the site foreman, the nontechnical narrative documents the excitement, challenges, and frustrations of modern archaeological investigation, including interaction with Egyptian workers and government officials and ultimately the acts of terrorists. A full bibliography would have been a welcome supplement. Recommended for all libraries and for the general reader and scholar alike. (Index not seen.)AEdward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Sys., Ft. Pierce, FL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Working with his wife, Susan, an artist and epigraphist who deciphers ancient inscriptions uncovered during excavations, Weeks relates the story of the discovery of the burial site known as KV5--the tomb believed to contain the sons of Ramses II. Weeks spares neither the stimulating details of this exciting tale of high drama nor the commonplace particulars of his devoted quest, but rather presents a highly detailed narrative full of fascinating historical background and a strong sense of the scientific aspects that concern Egyptologists. Just as gripping are Weeks' graphic descriptions of archaeological finds encountered over the period spanning 1989 to the present. Avid fans of Egyptology will doubtless enjoy the vicarious experience of Weeks' revelatory archaeological adventure. Alice Joyce

Edition details

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 068815087X
• ISBN 13: 9780688150877
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 330