Dylan Bickerstaffe – Exploring Ancient Lands

THE RETURN OF LIVE EVENTS

Yes, after the eternity in lockdown, isolation, enforced screen-time, we have the return of real life meetings with like-minded people at ancient History/Egyptology events.

…and am now pleased to announce the first Ancient Egypt talks Post-lockdown.

10.30 – 4.30, September 5^th 2020, in Boston, Lincolnshire, for The Ancient World Society.

DID TUTANKHAMUN CONCEAL NEFERTITI IN KV62? (Updated!)

Nick Reeves’ claim that there might be rooms concealed behind the walls of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber, and that those rooms might contain the undisturbed burial of Nefertiti (as a King!) made headline news. The series of scans which searched for evidence were followed with anticipation until it appeared that the verdict was settled – there was nothing there.

However, in a second paper Nick Reeves produced fresh evidence to support his case, and further scans have been discussed.

This talk will review the debate and explain the strengths and weaknesses of the theories and evidence to-date.

BULL LEAPING and BULL MASTERY: The Aegean, Egypt, and Beyond.

The discovery of frescos depicting scenes of bull leaping at Tell el-Dab’a in the Nile Delta caused a sensation. This was an activity associated with the Minoan civilisation of Ancient Crete and lead to a review of the contacts between Egypt and its sea-faring neighbours. Here we examine just what those contacts were, discover just what ‘bull leaping’ actually entailed, and how far afield clues may be found.

Also on the bill is:

Jim Snee: ‘Of course the King and Queen entertained here’: THE RIGHTS and WRONGS of ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECONSTRUCTION, examining how much is based on evidence, and how much on speculation.

The Ancient World Society (TAWS) are holding the event in the Boston and County Club. Social distancing limits numbers somewhat, and though most places have been taken up, a few remain if you are quick.

Includes lunch and refreshments. £20 for non-members.

For details, contact: Sandy Davey – 01205 722997; e: sandymd@hotmail.co.uk; or Kathey Davey: 01205 311443; Ron Abbott: 01205 362777.

I believe that the half day I did for AEMES in Lincoln on March 14^th were the last Ancient Egypt talks in the UK pre-lockdown (all remain well, thanks), so I am pleased to be leading the way back to normality.

There is now probably a good chance that my talk Briton, Roman, Saxon – Our Local Tribe will go ahead to the Rutland Local History Society, at Oakham Museum November 12th 7pm. Next year, 2021, the Manchester Ancient Egypt Society Day School on Royal Ladies of the New Kingdom has been rescheduled to March 27th; and my Day School on the same topic at Southampton has been rescheduled to July 17th.

TOURS – I am looking at an Egyptian tour to include less-visited sites – probably late spring 2021. Details to follow.

PUBLICATIONS
Recent publications have focussed on the ongoing debate over the presence or otherwise of the burial of Nefertiti behind the north wall of the burial chamber in KV62, the tomb of Tutankhamun. As many will know, I am NOT a ‘believer’ and challenged Nick Reeves’ theory, when first published as ‘The Burial of Nefertiti?’ in 2015, with my own paper, ‘Did Tutankhamun Conceal Nefertiti in KV62?’, 2015. As far as I know, my papers (on Academia.edu) remain the only published critique of Reeves’ theory on purely logical, observational grounds. Other commentators have concentrated on the validity/accuracy of radar scans conducted on the walls of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber in late 2015, by Hirokatsu Watanabe (positive), in 2016 by National Geographic (negative), and in 2018 by Turin University (negative). After the last of these it was generally accepted that there was no chamber or burial behind the tomb walls. However, in late 2019 Nick Reeves issued a new paper entitled, ‘The Decorated North Wall in the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62): The Burial of Nefertiti II, which restated his case in greater detail, and included a reinterpretation of the scan results by George Ballard. I found much to question in the new paper and issued my reservations/doubts in, ‘Is There Anyone There? Were the Scans Wrong? Might Nefertiti Yet Be Found Behind the Wall of Tutankhamun’s Tomb? See this for details of the various publication mentioned here.

My paper will be attached here when the opportunity arises, but, in the interim, please view it on Academia.edu. Note also that each of my papers appeared in an earlier form – my 2015 paper as ‘Iconic Queen Hidden by Golden Pharaoh’, and the recent 2020 paper by ‘Nefertiti – The Comeback : Tutankhamun – The Cover-up’. I also added another (more tongue in cheek) view Tutankhamun and the Burial of Mrs King which showed how Nefertiti might be discovered… on Academia.edu , and (edited) in Kmt: A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt 30.4 (Winter 2019-20).

Another case which I found highly questionable was the identification of the so-called Screaming Mummy (Unknown Man E), as Pentewere, the conspirator son who killed his father, King Ramesses III. I issued I’m not Pentewere Screams Unknown Man E (Academia.edu)

All of these papers have been viewed by very large numbers of people across the globe.

Recent articles appearing in  print have been: ‘She For Whom The Sun Shines: Nefertari Meryenmut, Favourite of Ramesses II’s Wives’  in the Spring 2020 issue of Kmt (31.1). This has been a popular talk for some while now, and it is good to see the case laid out in print. Also ‘Pharaoh Salt-Meat. The Misadventures of Nemtyemsaf Menenre’, in Kmt 31.1 (Summer 2020); which corrected the popular misconception that the Mummies from the DB320 Royal Mummies Cache were passed through customs as salted meat, by revealing the true story of the king’s mummy that really did.

AVAILABLE NOW on Canopus Press
These books are available through this web site, Amazon, and Aboudi’s bookshop opposite the Luxor Temple.
See the BUY BOOKS page for basic details.

An Ancient Egyptian Case Book. The fourteen Case Studies gathered together here examine the evidence behind a range of theories and discoveries. Four cases comprising the Deductions From Discovery section look at the evidence behind four excavations of Amarna Period Material: The Tomb of Akhenaten and The Golden Ring of Nefertiti; The Enigma of KV58; The Mysterious Mr Carter and the Troubling Case of the Lotus Head; KV63, Embalming Caches, and the Clues to Lost Tombs. Tales Told By Enigmatic Mummies gathers together six cases examining in detail the evidence for the identity of Royal Mummies (including questions over assessments of Age at Death, and DNA studies). Ancient True Stories comprises an intensive exploration of the stories behind the documents relating to The Harem Conspiracy Against Ramesses III; Tombrobberies; and the strange circumstances of the Death of Hadrian’s ‘favourite’, Antinous, in the Nile. A final section concerns the true story of The Cursed Play in the Valley of the Queens.

Identifying the Royal Mummies Part 4 of Refugees for Eternity, The Royal Mummies of Thebes; looks at each method used to ascertain the identity of a royal mummy, and then weighs up the evidence for and against each mummy in turn.

FORTHCOMING
THE EGYPTIAN LABYRINTH
When the opportunity allows! I continue to update and expand my original booklet from 2002/3. The expeditions in search of the site, back into the 17^th and 18^th centuries, provide much that is entertaining. The investigations and excavations on the Hawara site (including the pyramid) are studied in depth. An exploration of the concepts of labyrinths and mazes is also included, as are the ways in which it is possible to become lost – and to escape! The links to the legendary Cretan labyrinth, the bull cult, bull-leaping frescos, and the Aegean world are explored, with especial reference to the site of Ezbet Helmi/Tell el Dab’a in the Egyptian Delta. Naturally the accounts of the visitors to the Labyrinth and Lake Moeris in the Classical era are considered fully. The attempts at reconstructing the original appearance of the building will naturally be developed in the light of a more comprehensive catalogue of finds from the Hawara site. So, a great deal has been done, but much yet remains before the work can be prepared for publication.

THE ROYAL MUMMIES CACHE
A very thorough discussion of all the evidence relating to the discovery and clearance of this remarkable cache-tomb. The study benefits from the work of the recent clearance of the tomb, including accurate plans and diagrams, illustrations, notes on finds etc. with thanks to Professor Erhart Graefe for permission to use these.

This will now form Part Two of the Refugees for Eternity series. See details below of Parts One and Three.

A SECOND ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CASE BOOK.
A number of articles which have been previously published, appear here in full/unedited form – often much expanded with new/additional information; and also some which are entirely new. Including: Why Sinuhe Ran Away; Great Expeditions to God’s Land & Punt; Adoption, Inheritance, and Freedom; Strong Man: Wrong Tomb, The Problem of Belzoni’s Sarcophagi; Emile Brugsch and the Royal Mummies at Bulaq; The Death of Three Kings on the Battlefield: Seqenenre Ta’o, Seneb Kay, and Richard III; The Mummy in the Nile; Tales of the Tombs of the Thutmose Three; The Modern History of KV34; The Lost Tomb of Thutmose II – is it intact? Did Tutankhamun Conceal Nefertiti in KV62?; Sun Ra and Egypt; For Whom the Sun Doth Shine – Nefertari Mery en Mut & Isitnofret; The Wadi Hammamet Signalling System; The Throne of Hatshepsut; and more…

Revised plan for REFUGEES FOR ETERNITY: THE ROYAL MUMMIES OF THEBES:

Part 1 – will now cover the discovery of royal tombs up to the first royal cache (1881). This is thus now largely complete, and can, in theory, appear fairly quickly.

Part 2 – (see above) will however be the initial focus of my attention, since this will deal with The Royal Cache of 1881 through to the second Royal Cache in KV35 which is an area of special interest and expertise, on which I have a considerable volume of extremely detailed unpublished material. The subject matter planned for the original volume 3 will be covered in this.

Part 3 – will now cover the discovery of tombs and mummies from after the second royal cache down to the present day. Again this is substantially complete.

Part 4 – Identifying the Royal Mummies has, of course (as noted above), been available since 2009.

NEW TALKS

I do not generally get involved in discussions on Tutankhamun, since there is a feeling of ‘overkill’ in all the examination of the discovery of his tomb, the examination of his treasures, theories as to what caused his death, his relationship to Akhenaten etc. etc. However, one topic that I felt had NOT received the attention it deserved was the lack of a mortuary temple for Tutankhamun, and the various (poorly publicised) theories that have sprung up to fill that absence. The talk I have created to discuss this fascinating puzzle is:

Tutankhamun’s Last Secret: Why You All Forgot Me.

Another new talk relates to the ongoing discussion of Nick Reeves’ theory:

Reeves’ Hidden Queen. How Strong Is The Case For Nefertiti’s Burial Existing Behind the wall of Tutankhamun’s Tomb?

For news on my FORTHCOMING TALKS PROGRAMME please refer to that specific page. Hear I shall very briefly summarise the bookings to date (as at March 2020):

The Ancient Egypt and Middle East Society (AEMES).

March 14^th 2020, from 1.30pm. Venue: The Robert Hardy room, Bishop Grossteste University, Longdales Road, LINCOLN, LN1 3DY.

Talk 1. Strange Tales from the Royal Mummies.

Talk 2. When Queens Were Pharaohs.

Contact. Secretary, Mrs. Sue Kirk. Tel.: 01754 765341. sue47beset@gmail.com

Manchester Ancient Egypt Society (MAES)

March 21^st 2020, 10.30 – 5.30. Venue: The Longfield Suite, Prestwich, Manchester. M25 1AY.

For this I contribute three talks:

Nefertari, Beloved Queen of Ramesses II:

Part One – Finding A Tomb : Tracing A Life.

Part Two – A Wife Favoured Above All Others…

The Ancient Egyptian Harem, and the Conspiracy Against Ramesses III.

Contact. Secretary, Sarah Griffiths: sarahgwen1@hotmail.com

Essex Egyptology Group

April 5^th 2020, from 3pm. Venue: The Barn. Spring Lodge Community Centre, Powers Hall End, Witham, Essex CM8 2HE

The Royal Harem in Ancient Egypt:

Contact: Janet Brewer: Tel. 07732 563935. info@essexegyptology.co.uk

The Ancient World Society (TAWS)

July 11^th 2020. Venue: The Boston and County Club, Park Gate, Boston, Lincolnshire, PE21 6RL.

Two talks:

Bull Leapers of the Aegean and Levant.

Did Tutankhamun Hide Nefertiti in Tomb KV62?

Contact: Sandy Davey: Tel. 01205 722997. sandymd@hotmail.co.uk

Southampton Ancient Egypt Society www.southamptonancientegyptsociety.co.uk

July 18^th 2020, from 9.30am. Venue: Oasis Academy, Lord’s Hill, Southampton.

Study Day – Royal Ladies of the New Kingdom (4 sessions)

Contact. Secretary, Nicola Simpson: Tel. 07729 627901. saesinfo55@gmail.com

I expect that, like me, quite a few folk interested in Egyptology decided they ought to give the TV drama Tut a chance. It tried very hard to be scrupulously PC (a black Horemheb, and Mitannian commanders of a very different caste to their rank and file), whilst presenting Tut himself as an all-action hero given to SAS-type raids behind enemy lines. I did enjoy the sly dig they got in at those who have theorised that he was infirm and inactive, but I’m afraid my impressions are based purely on Part 1 because the convoluted plot lines left me wishing for less.

That an exciting drama set at the end of the Amarna period, and based closely on evidence, could be compelling is shown in Nicholas Reeves’ new paper, ‘The Burial of Nefertiti?’ Never mind Tut, everyone would love to see the beautiful young Nefertiti rise steadily as Akhenaten’s reign progresses to become Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti, to graduate from Great Royal Wife, to Supreme Royal Wife; to become co-regent, and then the sole pharaoh: Ankhkheperure Smenkhkare-djeserkheperu, following Akhenaten’s death. Then watch as this female Pharaoh – perhaps under pressure from powerful factions at court – makes the desperate gamble of writing to the King of the Hittites, ‘…send me a son…he will be King of Egypt.’ This is not to forget the new Aten religion, the new style of ‘extreme’ art, the move to Amarna, the birth of 6 beautiful daughters, the tragic death of Meketaten, the adoption of the eldest daughter, Meritaten, to be Great Royal Wife (to Nefertiti?!), and the marriage of the next king Tutankhaten, to the third girl, Ankhesenpaaten. Then, of course the change to Amunism. Forget your Tut-style bandit raids; frankly I had to loosen my tie a bit when reading Reeves’ footnotes (No.s 27-34) which reconstruct Nefertiti’s career. It doesn’t lack for incident.

It is the case that there are about as many passionately held views of the end of the Amarna period as there are commentators, and no doubt a number of other, equally convincing, models may be advanced. However, I do not propose here to challenge Reeves’ vision and will focus rather on his ideas relating to the internal architecture and decoration of KV62: the tomb of Tutankhamun. I shall refer to Reeves’ article by Page, Footnote, and Figure number, and employ the additional letter-coding added for clarity to elements of the tomb structure, as follows: Entrance Stairs (A); Entrance Passage (B); Antechamber (I); Annex (Ia); Burial Chamber (J); and Treasury (Ja).

The principal tool employed in Reeves’ study is the Factum Arte scans of the walls in the Burial Chamber (J) of KV62, and specifically the surface reliefs of the West and North walls, which are presented in both positive and negative forms.

Looking first at the West wall (in Figures 6 & 7) Reeves draws attention to his Feature 1, a long, straight, line running vertically from ceiling to floor just to the right of the amuletic niche; and also to Feature 3, another vertical line somewhat to the right of 1 which appears to stop a little over halfway down. Though both of these features appear impressively vertical (and thus parallel) Reeves believes their slightly jagged course indicates that they are natural faults in the rock. Feature 3 he compares to natural cracks seen above tomb doorways (as above the entrance to Jbb in KV22, and postulated above the Treasury (Ja) in KV62), and suggests that two somewhat soft and vague vertical lines (Features 2 & 4) descending from this point to the Burial Chamber floor outline the edges of a doorway of similar proportions to the entrance to the Annex (Ia) in KV62. Reeves points out that whilst such doorways might naturally be expected to lead to additional storage chambers, the location of this putative doorway, at the head of the sarcophagus, is in the same location as rooms Jc-Jcc-Jccc probably made for Queen Tiye in WV22, the tomb of Amenhotep III.

How subtle these marks are can be gleaned from the fact that the negative view of this wall (Figure 7) quite clearly shows the circular, sweeping motion of the plasterer’s float/trowel; indeed the line of Feature 1 below the amuletic niche appears to comprise the edge of such float sweeps. Though subtle, the proposed door jambs (Features 2 & 4) are not unconvincing. However, traces of a lintel are not really detectable, and lines seen in the appropriate area on Figures 6 & 7 are actually ‘bleed-through’ of lines from the painted scene above (as acknowledged in Page 5, Note 40). It should also be noted that there are no indications of ‘slumping’ or ‘sagging’ of the packing material between Features 2 & 4 such as would be anticipated over the course of the centuries.

Reeves proposes that KV62 was originally made for Nefertiti as queen with the Entrance Stairs (A) and Passage (B) succeeded by a right turning passage – the right-turn being an established characteristic of ‘female’ tombs, such as that of Hatshepsut as a queen and the tomb of Thutmose III’s foreign wives in the Theban Western Wadis, and the tomb of Ahmose Nefertari (AN B), on Dra Abu’l Naga. He suggests that this right-turning passage was then broadened into the antechamber (I) – to permit entrance of shrine panels. It was certainly the case that the ancient workmen found it necessary to remove part of the lower steps (A) and lintel to get the panels into the tomb; and when Carter took them out in 1923, he had to remove his own repairs at this point. It is uncertain, however, as to whether it would have been necessary to widen a corridor to the width of the antechamber (I) if the panels were able to pass through the entrance passage (B).

It should also be noted that the right-turn into the burial area of a tomb does not necessarily make it ‘female’, and WV22 (Amenhotep III); WV23 (Ay); and KV7 (Ramesses II) also embody the right-turn.

The North wall is the longest decorated surface in KV62, and shows, right-to-left: Ay opening the mouth of Tutankhamun’s mummy; Tutankhamun greeted by Nut in the afterlife; and Tutankhamun and his Ka embracing Osiris. Reeves points out that vertical lines seen on the scans, which he numbers 2 (west) and 3 (east), line up with the walls of the Antechamber (I) and suggest it once continued across, and perhaps beyond, what is now the Burial Chamber (J). It should be noted, however, that neither of these lines convincingly reaches the floor of Chamber J. A crack running diagonally from the ceiling to meet line 2 he sees as consistent with the settlement of a built partition wall at this point. However, his line 1, a natural fault in the rock a little to the west of line 2, which runs an irregular diagonal course rising eastward from floor to ceiling (across which it can be seen to travel), appears to fork to also continue across line 2 and join the aforementioned crack, suggesting that this, too, is natural. There are, in fact, considerable areas of unevenness below Reeves’ line 1, and it is quite possible to postulate another rough but quite vertical line running from the ceiling at the top of 1 to the floor about 0.85 metres to the west of line 2.

Roughly midway across Reeves’ postulated partition wall (between lines 2 & 3), but extending up from the chamber floor, is an area of discolouration, including some of the same unevenness seen under fault line 1 (above), with a short, clear vertical line at 4. This he proposes as a doorway passing through the partition wall to a chamber beyond housing the original tomb owner (Nefertiti).

In support of his case, that the north wall of Burial Chamber J had a different history to the other decorated walls, Reeves draws attention to the fact that it appears to have received a different sequence of plaster layers to the other walls, followed by decoration in a different style. Here, unlike the other walls, setting-out was done on the basis of incisions made in the plaster rather than snapped paint lines; here the Amarna-style 20 square grid layout was employed, whereas the south wall (at least) used the later 18 square grid; and this wall was alone in having been given a white, rather than yellow background, and the yellow only added subsequently by painting round the figures.

Reeves’ assertion is thus that the north wall of the burial chamber was originally intended to function as a ‘blind’, or apparent tomb-end, as in the decoration that once occupied the far side of the well shafts in KV17 (Seti I), and KV57 (Horemheb). Such scenes always show the king in the presence of the Gods, but here Reeves believes that certain ‘signature’ features show that the figure of the king, and particularly Osiris, were originally intended to depict Nefertiti, in her regal form as Ankhkheperure Smenkhkare Djeserkheperu; and that similarly the figure of Ay was originally intended to represent Tutankhamun. In this case the cartouches of Nebkheperure Tutankhamun should overlie those of Ankhkheperure Smenkhkare, and that of Kheperkheperure Ay overlie Nebkheperure Tutankhamun. It would be interesting to know if the scans give any hint of such changes.

A problem with this idea, never addressed in the text, is that doorway on the far side of a well shaft should be at the same level as the preceding passage (in this case the Antechamber I), and thus have been cut entirely through the painted figures of king and gods. Reeves’ proposed doorway through the north wall is, however, at the level of the crypt floor in the Burial Chamber, suggesting that his partition wall must also be based at this level. A doorway here is perhaps more analogous to the well-shaft-chamber found in KV35 (Amenhotep II), KV43 (Thutmose IV), and WV22 (Amenhotep III).

It must also be the case that the Burial Chamber (J) must have been extended westwards from the line of the Antechamber (I) in order for the scene on the north wall to have been painted, and yet there seems no logical reason for this. It makes better sense if Tutankhamun had the (left turning!) burial chamber cut, and that any hidden chambers at the level of the crypt floor were (like the Treasury Ja) also made for him. The contradictions that this set of evidence presents to his case is only addressed obliquely by Reeves in his final Figure 30. Here he has Nefertiti’s right-turning passage as queen (which apparently continued northward beyond the current Burial Chamber J); widened to the width of the current Antechamber when she becomes co-regent; and then extended westwards only in the area of the current Burial Chamber (to reach the current size) when she succeeds to the throne. This final move, in particular, seems without logical explanation.

Reeves’ scenario for Tutankhamun’s reuse/adaptation of KV62 is that he died ‘a decade later. With no tomb yet dug for pharaoh’s sole use…’ How likely is that?

SUMMARY
Reeves’ text nowhere addresses some of the complexities involved in his development of the tomb architecture. He has the corridor, turning right at the foot of the entrance passage, widened into the antechamber in order to facilitate the access of large shrine panels. It is hard to see why this was necessary when they had to negotiate the entrance passage and stairway, which remained narrow. He then postulates that the antechamber originally continued across the present burial chamber where marks may be seen to line up in the Factum scans, and then further into the rock – this part of the north wall of the burial chamber actually being a partition wall with access doorway cut through it (analogous to that which separated Tuts’ antechamber from burial chamber) beyond which lay the burial chamber of Nefertiti. However, this notional partition wall and access doorway are not at the level of the antechamber but at that of the burial chamber floor, showing that the crypt must have been cut before any extension of the line of the antechamber across the current burial chamber. Reeves also considers that the scenes occupying the north wall of the burial chamber were made originally for Nefertiti, but these extend to the west (left) of the line of the antechamber (and postulated entrance to Nefertiti’s burial chamber), showing that the burial chamber must have attained it’s current proportions before she can have been buried. Though this is nowhere stated, Reeves tacitly acknowledges this through the final plan in his article (Fig. 30), where he attempts to build this into a developmental sequence of architectural phases based on Nefertiti’s rise with the westward extension of the burial chamber occurring when she became successor. At no point is it explained why this was necessary, and the deepening from antechamber level to burial chamber crypt is passed over in silence.

In conclusion it has to be said that the most convincing revelation is that there might yet be an undiscovered side chamber behind the west wall of of Tutankhamun’s Burial Chamber (J), perhaps a Jb.

Hopefully the site is approaching normality after having been hacked, and much of my material replaced with what looked like a ‘low res’ page from a French dating site!

FORTHCOMING TALKS
Spalding Gentlemen’s Society. Venue: Spalding Grammar School, Priory Road, PE11 2XH. Friday October 19th 2018 at 7.30pm.
THE EGYPTIAN LABYRINTH
Contact: Sandy Watson: 07966 44 30 40

Northampton Ancient Egyptian Historical Society. Monday evening December 3rd 2018. GREAT EXPEDITIONS TO GOD’S LAND AND PUNT.
Contact: Linda Amas: lvamas@aol.com; www.facebook.com/groups/nachs/

Sussex Egyptology Society. Horsham Venue: Business & Enterprise Centre, Forest School, Comptons Lane, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 5NT. Saturday March 16th 2019.
Study Day: ROYAL LADIES of the NEW KINGDOM – four sessions (details to be posted).
Contact: Janet Shepherd: janet@ancient.co.uk; www.egyptology-uk.com

Thames Valley Ancient Egypt Society. Reading: Oakwood Centre, Headley Road, Woodley, RG5 4JB. Saturday June 1st 2019, 2pm: FOR WHOM THE SUN DOTH SHINE: NEFERTARI beloved of Mut.
Contact: Francesca Jones: fhjones_tvaes@yahoo.co.uk; www.tvaes.org.uk

The Egyptian Society Taunton. Friends Meeting House, 13 Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4EP. Saturday June 8th 2019 at 2pm. THE ROYAL CACHE: The Tomb of the Royal Mummies.
Contact: Janet Diamond: 01823 491 528; Mobile: 07979 76 12 12.

PUBLICATIONS
RECENT publications have included:

As I write, the results of the third set of scans inside the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62) have yet to be released. I have shared the case against the discovery of any hidden chambers being discovered – with the burial of Nefertiti – behind the walls of Tut’s burial chamber, in talks to several societies in the UK, and in papers on Academia.edu: published here as Did Tutankhamun Bury Nefertiti in KV62? (also on Academia.edu also as Iconic Queen Hidden By Golden Pharaoh?, to which I added another (more tongue in cheek) view Tutankhamun and the Burial of Mrs King which showed how Nefertiti might be discovered… Similarly – as someone who has made the most intensive study of the subject – I felt that the publicity surrounding the recent unveiling of the so-called Screaming Mummy (Unknown Man E), which claimed he was Pentewere, the conspirator son who killed his father, King Ramesses III, needed addressing; and so issued I’m not Pentewere Screams Unknown Man E. All of these papers have been viewed by very large numbers of people across the globe.

My most recent publication was a contibution to the Festschrift of Professor Erhart Graefe Some Brief Reflections on Qurnawis and the Abd er Rassul Brothers, which discusses the true character of this robber family, best known for their discovery of the Royal Cache tomb in 1871.

AVAILABLE NOW on Canopus Press
These books are available through this web site, Amazon, and Aboudi’s bookshop opposite the Luxor Temple.
See the BUY BOOKS page for basic details.

An Ancient Egyptian Case Book. The fourteen Case Studies gathered together here examine the evidence behind a range of theories and discoveries. Four cases comprising the Deductions From Discovery section look at the evidence behind four excavations of Amarna Period Material: The Tomb of Akhenaten and The Golden Ring of Nefertiti; The Enigma of KV58; The Mysterious Mr Carter and the Troubling Case of the Lotus Head; KV63, Embalming Caches, and the Clues to Lost Tombs. Tales Told By Enigmatic Mummies gathers together six cases examining in detail the evidence for the identity of Royal Mummies (including questions over assessments of Age at Death, and DNA studies). Ancient True Stories comprises an intensive exploration of the stories behind the documents relating to The Harem Conpiracy Against Ramesses III; Tombrobberies; and the strange circumstances of the Death of Hadrian’s ‘favourite’, Antinous, in the Nile. A final section concerns the true story of The Cursed Play in the Valley of the Queens.

Identifying the Royal Mummies Part 4 of Refugees for Eternity, The Royal Mummies of Thebes; looks at each method used to ascertain the identity of a royal mummy, and then weighs up the evidence for and against each mummy in turn.

FORTHCOMING
THE EGYPTIAN LABYRINTH
My original booklet from 2002/3 updated and greatly expanded, to cover all the expeditions in search of the site; the investigations and excavations; the nature of the labyrinth; and the various attempts at reconstructing this great, lost building. New insights and ideas are added, as is addtional coverage of Lake Moeris and the Faiyum (and other sites) in general, with special emphasis on the Middle Kingdom.

THE ROYAL MUMMIES CACHE
A very thorough discussion of all the evidence relating to the discovery and clearance of this remarkable cache-tomb. The study benefits from the work of the recent clearance of the tomb, including accurate plans and diagrams, illustrations, notes on finds etc.

This will now form Part Two of the Refugees for Eternity series. See details below of Parts One and Three.

A SECOND ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CASE BOOK.
A number of articles which have been previously published, appear here in full/unedited form – often much expanded with new/additional information; and also some which are entirely new. Including: Why Sinuhe Ran Away; Great Expeditions to God’s Land & Punt; Adoption, Inheritance, and Freedom; Strong Man: Wrong Tomb, The Problem of Belzoni’s Sarcophagi; Emile Brugsch and the Royal Mummies at Bulaq; The Death of Three Kings on the Battlefield: Seqenenre Ta’o, Seneb Kay, and Richard III; The Mummy in the Nile; Tales of the Tombs of the Thutmose Three; The Modern History of KV34; The Lost Tomb of Thutmose II – is it intact? Did Tutankhamun Conceal Nefertiti in KV62?; Sun Ra and Egypt; For Whom the Sun Doth Shine – Nefertari Mery en Mut & Isitnofret; The Wadi Hammamet Signalling System; The Throne of Hatshepsut; and more…

Revised plan for REFUGEES FOR ETERNITY: THE ROYAL MUMMIES OF THEBES:

Part 1 – will now cover the discovery of royal tombs up to the first royal cache (1881). This is thus now largely complete, and can, in theory, appear fairly quickly.

Part 2 – (see above) will however be the initial focus of my attention, since this will deal with The Royal Cache of 1881 through to the second Royal Cache in KV35 which is an area of special interest and expertise, on which I have a considerable volume of extremely detailed unpublished material. The subject matter planned for the original volume 3 will be covered in this.

Part 3 – will now cover the discovery of tombs and mummies from after the second royal cache down to the present day. Again this is substantially complete.

Part 4 – Identifying the Royal Mummies has, of course (as noted above), been available since 2009.

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The Royal Mummies of Thebes: Their Journeys and Resting Places.

Sections:

Part One. Finding the Pharaohs. Nearing completion. Due end 2009. The discovery of royal tombs and mummies in the modern era.

Part Two. The Rise and Fall of the Theban Royal House and Necropolis. In Progess From the obscure tombs of heroes, to the grand sepulchres of a fallen age.

Part Three. Clues from the Caches. In Progess How and why the caches were created at the end of the New Kingdom. Part Four. Identifying the Pharaohs. Complete. Available early 2009 A thorough evaluation of the methods used and how good they are.

The Heritage of Egypt

This is a new English/Arabic publication with an Egyptian editor.

 ‘The Burial of Hatshepsut’, The Heritage of Egypt 1 (January 2008), 2-12. This article reviews all the evidence for the burial of Hatshepsut, including the recent claims for identification of the one of the mummies from tomb KV60 as the famous female pharaoh. Recent CAT scan evidence provides grounds for speculating that Hatshepsut might have had Thutmose II murdered.  

‘Pharaoh Faseekh’, The Heritage of Egypt 3 (September 2008), 12-14. This relates tales of mummies (one of them a king) passed by customs as dried fish.

 ‘The Tomb of Akhenaten and the Golden Ring of Nefertiti’, The Heritage of Egypt 6. Who was buried in the royal tomb at Amarna, and was anyone buried in the other tombs nearby? Was the desecrated mummy of Akhenaten found outside the royal tomb? What is the significance of jewellery, including a gold ring of Nefertiti, found nearby?

See also Forthcoming Publications.