Featured: Valley of the Kings Tomb at the Mummy Tombs

"Is it a royal Egyptian tomb, a glorified supply room for ancient embalmers, or something in between? A year after the discovery of a chamber that had lain hidden in the Valley of the Kings for millennia, archaeologists are still asking themselves exactly what they've found. When the find was announced in February, it was portrayed as the first tomb to be uncovered in the pharaonic city of the dead since the discovery of King Tutankhamun's treasures in 1922. But a month later, top Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass said the chamber was merely a "room for mummification" rather than a royal resting place. Now it looks as if neither of those claims was true. One scenario is that the chamber, known as KV-63, was originally created as a tomb, then ended up as a cache for sacred supplies. However, the head of the KV-63 expedition is still holding out the possibility that at least one mummy will be found among the chamber's seven coffins."

The final word?: The chamber wasn't a tomb, but a workroom for making mummies (reuters.co.uk)

"A chamber discovered last month in the Valley of the Kings was a room used by the ancient Egyptians for mummifying pharaohs buried in the area, rather than a tomb, Egypt's top archaeologist said on Monday. Zahi Hawass said five sarcophagi found in the chamber contained remnants of pottery, shrouds and materials used in mummification. The team from the University of Memphis which discovered the chamber had also opened 10 sealed jars found there to discover other materials used in mummification...."

Contents of tomb (along with a few surprises) to be revealed March 10...mummy count is now up to seven (egypttoday.com)

"When American archeologists announced that they had uncovered the first tombs containing sarcophagi in Luxor�s Valley of the Kings in some eight decades, the international press tripped over itself to get to Upper Egypt to report on the find. The rarity of the discovery continues to fuel wild speculation on the identity of the mummies, with some even predicting that remains of the most beautiful queen in history, Nefertiti, may be among them. There is a more cautious, if still optimistic, voice coming from the halls of Egypt�s Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).... Much of the speculation could end on March 10, when the tomb is officially opened and the contents of the seven sarcophagi inside are examined and photographed by Hawass, Schaden and their staffs. And yes, there are seven coffins, not five, as has previously been reported....."

Could the five mummies lead the way to more pharaohs? (detnews.com)

"With the discovery by archaeologists earlier this month of the first truly "new" tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings since Howard Carter found King Tutankhamen's in 1922, the question arises of who's still missing in the Valley of the Kings. Within the newly discovered tomb are five wooden coffins believed to contain mummies. Although the identities of the presumed occupants are not known, the excavators think they are more likely to be members of the royal court than pharaohs or their queens. Nevertheless, when ancient Egypt buffs hear about such a discovery, they hope that a "royal cache," a stash of lost pharaohs, has been found...."

Reuters slide show of discovery (reuters.com)

Additional photos (xinhuanet.com)

Updated account of the discovery: More tombs may be found (cnn.com)

"The first tomb to be discovered in the Valley of the Kings since King Tut's in 1922 contains five sarcophagi with mummies, breaking the nearly century long belief that there's nothing more to find in the valley where some of Egypt's greatest pharaohs were buried. The tomb's spare appearance suggests it was not dug for a pharaoh, said American archaeologist Kent Weeks, who was not involved in the University of Memphis team's find but has seen photographs of the site. 'It could be the tomb of a king's wife or son, or of a priest or court official,' he told The Associated Press on Thursday. So far, authorities haven't had a close enough look to know who is in the tomb. Workers have been clearing rubble to allow archaeologists to examine it."

Amazing: Intact tomb with five mummies discovered in Valley of the Kings (washingtonpost.com)

"An American team has found what appears to be an intact tomb in the Valley of the Kings, the first found in the valley since that of Tutankhamun in 1922, one of the archaeologists said on Thursday. The tomb contains five or six mummies in intact sarcophagi from the late 18th dynasty, about the same period as Tutankhamun, but the archaeologists have not yet had the time or the access to identify them, the archaeologist added. The 18th dynasty ruled Egypt from 1567 BC to 1320 BC, a period during which the country's power reached a peak. The Valley of the Kings in southern Egypt contains the tombs of most of the pharaohs of the time but the archaeologist said the mummies in the newly found tomb need not be royal...."

Website devoted to news of the discovery