Institute of Egyptian Art & Archaeology

"Protecting the Valley of the Kings"

Central view in the Valley of the Kings

Edwin Brock, an Egyptologist working with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities at Karnak and Luxor, will present an illustrated lecture on the evening of Tuesday, April 29, 2008.

Lecture: 7:00 p.m.
Reception: 6:15 p.m.
Location: Mitchell Hall Auditorium (room 200)
(3705 Alumni Drive)
The University of Memphis Campus

The lecture and reception are FREE and Open to the Public

For nearly 500 years, the Valley of the Kings served as the burial place for the pharaohs of Egypt's New Kingdom (1550-1070 BCE). Centuries after the Valley was abandoned, it became a popular stop for ancient Greek and Roman visitors to Egypt. Since the early 19th century, archaeologists have uncovered 63 tombs. Today it is one of the most-visited archaeological sites in Egypt.

Today the Valley of the Kings is in grave danger of being destroyed. Because the tombs were cut into the floor and sides of the valley, flash floods created by rare rainstorms sweep down the valley carrying tons of debris that enter into any opening. The most recent of these floods took place in 1994, when water entered several open tombs.

In 2005, the American Research Center in Egypt completed a prototype flood protection project designed to preserve the tombs in the Valley of the Kings from future floods. This prototype was constructed around the entrances to the tombs of Ramesses I (KV 16) and his son Sety I (KV 17). Numerous artifacts left by the tomb builders, as well as fragments of tomb decoration and pieces of the burial equipment, were discovered during the project. The progress and efficacy of the prototype project and the discoveries made will be the subject of this lecture.

Ed Brock is an archaeologist working for the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities at Luxor and Karnak. His most recent projects include the groundwater control initiatives for Karnak and Luxor temples. He is a past director of the Canadian Institute in Egypt and staff archaeologist for the Theban Mapping Project. Brock holds graduate degrees from the University of Toronto (Canada) and the State University of New York at Binghamton.

For additional information, contact the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology at (901) 678-2555.

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