Program Description

The focal point of the Theban Tomb Survey is the ancient Egyptian necropolis known as the Valley of the Nobles, in the desert on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the modern town of Luxor in southern Egypt. Work in this coming field season will concentrate, for the first time, on the clearance and documentation of Theban Tomb #46, a mid-18th Dynasty tomb built for a king's official named Ramose. The tomb is in the desert on the west bank on the Nile opposite the town. The expedition will make use of the house near the tomb, belonging to the local Antiquities Department, for the work space and bathroom facilities. The students will reside in a four-star hotel situated on the Nile corniche. Both staff and students will share double rooms. Luxor is located approximately 500 miles south of Caior. After Cairo, the town of Luxor is the busiest and most popular place for tourists in Egypt and boasts many deluxe international hotels.

Field training will cover digging techniques, recording, analysis of human remains, object registry, and ceramic analysis and seriation. The participants will be called upon to assist the director and core technical staff in such tasks as excavation and clearance supervision, sifting debris for artifact recovery, architectural planning, recovery of human and faunal remains, pottery cleaning and restoration, and photography detail. Lectures will introduce the students to the history and archaeology of ancient Egypt

Tours led by the director on days off will be arranged for local sites, such as the Valley of the Kings; the Valley of the Queens; the mortuary temples of the Medinet Habu, the Ramesseum, and Deir el-Bahari; the temples of Karnak and Luxor; and selected tombs of the Nobles. A day trip to Abydos in Middle Egypt is also planned.