In the footsteps of Belzoni and Carter in the Valley of the Kings

The archaeological exploration of the royal New Kingdom cemetery, the Valley of the Kings, offers a rich history of fascinating discoveries made by determined and often eccentric individuals. The Italian carnival performer-turned-antiquarian, Giovanni Belzoni, was responsible for the finding of the tomb of Seti I, among others, in the early nineteenth century, and Howard Carter was well involved in the Valley decades before he encountered Tutankhamun. In this lecture, Dr. Donald Ryan will describe some of his own work in the Valley of the Kings during which he literally followed in the footsteps of both explorers, including the re-excavation of KV 21 (a Belzoni discovery) and three tombs discovered by Carter early in his career: KV 44, KV 45 and KV 60. The latter tomb is especially controversial with its occupant identified by some as the female ruler, Hatshepsut, after its rediscovery by Ryan.

Dr. Donald P. Ryan is an archaeologist and Faculty Fellow in the Division of Humanities at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, USA. He is the director of the PLU Valley of the Kings Project and the author of several books and numerous scientific and popular articles on archaeological subjects.