What is The Amarna Royal Tombs Project ?
The Amarna Royal Tombs Project
The Amarna Royal Tombs Project is engaged in one of the most exciting archaeological adventures of recent times.
The Project was set up in 1998 to undertake controlled stratigraphic excavation in the Valley of the Kings, ancient Egypt's principal burial ground. Affiliated to the University of Durham through its Director, Dr Nicholas Reeves, it is a project of The Valley of the Kings Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the exploration, documentation and preservation of this uniquely important world heritage site.
The Amarna Royal Tombs Project is immensely privileged to carry out this work, which is undertaken with the permission and co-operation of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and its Permanent Secretary, Professor Gaballa A. Gaballa.
The Project has two principal goals:
(i) to investigate and record the central area of the Valley of the Kings and, within this area, the relationship between the Amarna period burials of Tomb KV55 and Tomb KV62 (Tutankhamun) and its potential bearing upon other possible burials of the Amarna period.
(ii) to elucidate the topography of the site both in antiquity and in more recent times as a contribution to future flood-prevention strategy.
Three
seasons of work have been successfully completed to date (1998;
1999;
2000),
and a fourth season began on 16 January 2002.
Excavations will continue until the end of February. For
the latest news from the field, click here.
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