LETTER TO ADMIRAL STANSFIELD TURNER FROM ALAN CRANSTON

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81M00980R000400020044-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 19
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 10, 2004
• Sequence Number: 44
• Publication Date: February 13, 1978
• Content Type: LETTER

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 Carole Sorell Herbert Bronstein William Pruett
vice President Head of 4c
,,~~ esident and Managf
Ruder ~!pp Ac 9 R~lpfpe 2004Mie/0> :ro I-_yDn 040 PO Relations
(212) 593-6333 (212) 638-5000 The Coca-Cola Company
[phone]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BROOKLYN MUSEUM ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF THEBAN EXPEDITION
TO SAVE AND PRESERVE MONUMENTS IN VALLEY OF KINGS AND COMPLETE
EXCAVATION OF THE PRECINCT OF MUT
BROOKLYN, New York, November 15 -- The Brooklyn Museum today an-
pounced the formation of The Theban Expedition, a long-range scientific
project at the site of ancient Thebes. The Expedition will combine the
conservation and recording of the monuments in the Valley- of the Kings on_
the west bank of the Nile with continuing excavations in the east bank Precinc
of Mut.
The initial two-year phase is being made possible by a grant from
The Coca-Cola.Company, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. - The project has receivee wide encouragement and support from the governments of Egypt and the Un.ite<
States. Present at the press conference. announcing the Expedition were Aym.
El-Emir, Press Consul, The Egyptian Embassy and John Q. Blodgett, Bureat
of Educational .and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Representing
The Coca-Cola Company was Sam Ayoub, President of the Company's Middle
East Group.
The Theban Expedition's work on the west bank will be devoted to a,
geological and archaeological study to provide the basis for preserving the
ancient sepulchres and their treasures.
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 Approved For Release 2004/10/08: CIA-RDP81 M00980~2000400020fl4 -8ichaxd Fazzini,
Directors of the project, James Manning an zzini,
characterized the planned west bank operations as a race against the ravages
of time. Hundreds of monuments in the Theban Necropolis, built during the
five centuries of the "New Kingdom" - about 1550 B. C. - 1000 B. C. - are
presently endangered by flash floods and massive movements of rock. Further-
more, salt efflorescence continues to damage the paintings and reliefs which
adorn their walls.
Manning and Fazzini also led a similar team in the east bank excava-
tions in the Precinct of the Goddess Mut for the past two years and will super-
vise the continuing work there as well. It was Manning's concern for the
deteriorated state of the monuments in the Valley of the Kings which led to
the international concern that generated the additional formation of The Theban
Expedition.
In addition to the geological and archaeological studies in the Royal
Necropolis, the monuments in the Valley of the Kings will be mapped, measured
and recorded. Until now, far less than 20% of. the tombs have been adequat-
recorded or photographed. The best known tomb in the Valley of the Kings
is that of Tutankhamen, a comparatively small one.
After the completion of the initial surveys and publication of the results,
The Theban Expedition will become multinational, with scholars, historians,
archaeologists and others from the world's leading museums and institutions
invited to participate.
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 FACT SHEET
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THE THEBAN EXPEDITION: THEBAN ROYAL TOMB PROJECT
1. The Valley of the Kings
During the third great phase of ancient Egyptian history, the five-century
period of empire now called New Kingdom, 25 Pharoahs were buried in. rock
cut tombs in a forty acre site known today as the Valley of the Kings. Some
of the finest reliefs and paintings ever made by the ancient Egyptian artists
were placed upon the walls of the passages and chambers of these tombs.
They form the single most important source of our knowledge of the religion
of that period. The surviving records produced by the craftsmen. who made
the tombs provide an economic and sociological record without parallel in
the ancient world.
The Valley of the Kings lies behind the cliffs that face the town of Luxor,
about four hundred miles south of Cairo. This was the site of the huge city
of t- hebes, the religious and political center for most of the New Kingdom.
period. The age of archaeological discovery in the Valley of the Kings was.
between 1799, the date of the Napoleonic expedition's work in the area, and
1922, when Howard Carter opened the tomb of the Ph.aroah. Tutankhamen,, one
of the smallest of the royal tombs in the Valley. More than 75 tombs of kings,
queens and courtiers were discovered and numbered during that period, but
plans for less than 20% of the Necropolis tombs have been recorded in a
scientific manner.
2. Deterioration of the Royal Tombs
Royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings have suffered significant physical
deterioration since tomb construction first began almost 3500 years ago.
Today virtually one third of the tombs have been lost under the rubble which.
covers a large part of the floor of the Valley, and many more tombs still
require excavation to free them of their filling of rock and gravel, untouched
since ancient times. Almost half of these tombs urgently require major
conservation work and support to prevent them from collapsing or shedding
their plaster decorations and texts.
The tombs of the Valley are cut in limestone and an underlying bed of shale.
This shale expands upon contact with water and contracts with desiccation.
The Valley is highly vulnerable to flash floods, and some of the finest tombs
have been ruined by the effects of water, causing movement of the shale layer
and the collapse of tomb chambers. Further damage is being caused by move-
ment in the limestone itself. Salt efflorescence is damaging decorations.
Vandalism, theft, casual visitor damage, careless tomb clearing and massive
rock movApp ftwrf~eleasoMDI/clia&0811 -FA.Q13$1rggQ BQ%QQ4Wq O ?tive factors.
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Page 2
The rate of physical deterioration of some royal tombs has increased in the
last decade as confirmed by preliminary scientific data.
Although tombs may have several agents of deterioration in common, no
two tombs are identical and each tomb must be studied as an individual case.
The causes of tomb damage are complex and to some extent interdependent.
A broadscale study by a team consisting of several scientific and academic
disciplines is necessary to define existing conditions and prepare detailed
recommendations for appropriate remedies.
3. Initial Two-Year Research Plan of Theban Expedition
An-extensive geological survey, including the mapping of the limestone and
shale layers, the faults and fractures in the limestone, and the entire flood
pattern of the area, will be prepared. Monitoring instruments will be placed
in the Valley and its tombs, and a complete record of the physical conditions
of the tombs made. This data, coupled with all the historical information
available, will enable an accurate assessment of the remedial action neces-
sary.
An_archaeological/epigraphic record of the monuments must be undertaken,
in conjunction with the physical survey. This multi--disciplinary approach
will greatly increase the amount of information that would be gained from
normal archeological procedure. It is expected that much fresh historical
information will emerge from this work including new information concerning
the workers who worked on the tombs. Other monuments in the royal necro-
polis may be uncovered.
The importance of the geological investigation cannot be overestimated. An
accurate mapping of the expansive shale surface will form the basis of recom-
mended flood control and tomb. cons e rvation work.
The world famous Colossi of Memnon, the great sandstone temples, non-royal
tombs in the Theban Necropolis, and the other ancient monuments of Egypt
will greatly benefit from the research to be conducted by the Expedition.
Monuments in other lands will benefit as well, since the results of the two-
year study will be made universally available and scholars from other insti-
tutions the world over will be invited to participate in later phases of the
work of the Theban Expedition.
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FACT SHEET
(EAST BANK)
THE THEBAN EXPEDITION: EXCAVATIONS OF THE PRECINCTS OF THE
GODDESS MUT
1. The Precinct of Mut
Since January, 1976 The Brooklyn Museum and The American Research.
Center in Egypt have been conducting an archaeological expedition to the
Temple Precinct of the Goddess Mut at Karnak South. This site is known
as Karnak South because it represents the southern portion of that great
complex of temples, collectively termed Karnak, which constituted one of
the great religious centers of ancient Egypt.
These temples are the major state constructions on the East Bank, of the Nile
at Thebes, that ancient capital whose cemeteries on the West Bank of the river,
in particular the royal necropolis known as, the Valley of the Kings, are the
concern of the other half of the Theban Expedition. The deteriorating state
of the royal tombs has been documented in a report to the Egyptian. Organiza -
tion of Antiquities by the Mut Expedition, which conducted concurrent explora-
tory work on the west bank.
The precinct, the sacred realm of the goddess, covers an area of about 25
acres. Surrounded by a massive mud brick wall to protect and delimit it
from the profane world without, Mut's precinct is linked to the precinct
(Central Karnak) of her husband, Amun, King of the Gods, by an avenue of
sphinxes. These were most probably erected by King Tutankhamen as part
of his restoration of the state cults abandoned by his predecessor Akhenaten
during that unusual interlude in the XVIIIth Dynasty now known as the A,marna
Period.
2. The Structures
Within the precinct of Mut are the remains of five temples and chapels -which
are at least partially hidden by the mounds of earth and man-made debris
which have built up over the millennia.
The major structures now known within the precinct are as follows:
a. The Temple of Mut. This, the main temple in the precinct, has a
history extending from ca. 1550 B. C. well into Roman times. Parti.all,
cleared in the late 1890's, almost the entire periphery of the temple
remains to be excavla11ted. Brief past work uncovered fascinating archi-
a!i2o% ba.an ixonaes
. . ase -
Ap t
r
Q~0 I R~,)P81A4QQ%80F 4QQ#pg9gg0NA;tfuture excava-
on ca ly i
n ort
n
tions in this area will be at least as productive.
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Page 2
b. A temple of Khonsu-pa-khered, a lunar deity and the offspring of
Amun and Mut, in the northeast corner. Also partially cleared in
the past, this monument is constructed to no small extent of deco-
rated blocks from earlier temples. These will eventually have to
be retrieved by first dismantling and then rebuilding the temple,
an operation which is also necessary for the preservation of the
building. The Temple of Khonsu-pa-khered also has an unexcavated
forecourt in which are still to be seen, half buried monuments inclu-
ding colossal statues.
c. A temple on an artificial platform of mud brick whose purpose and
date are not yet known.
d. A temple of King Ramesses III of Dynasty XX (1196-1080 B.C.),
the approaches to which remain to be excavated.
e. A chapel of the Ptolemaic Period (323-30 B. C.) which was almost
entirely excavated by the expedition in 1977.
3. Other Findings of the Mut Expedition
Mut and her temple have long been overshadowed by the dominance of Amun,
and little is known about her. She seems often to have been identified with
another goddess, the lion-headed Sakhmet. In fact, the two deities may be
called the opposite sides of the same divine coin, Mut being the beneficent
aspect of the goddess and Sakhmet the destructive aspect. Further work in
the precinct should provide important information not only for the study of
Mut and Sakhmet, but Egyptian religion in general.
Excavation in 1977 brought to light a decorated stone gateway of King Tabarqa,
one of the Sudanese kings who ruled Egypt as the XXVth. Dynasty (ca. 750-
656 B. C.). The discovery of this gate, together with other findings in the
precinct, indicates that ambitious building programs were undertaken in
the Mut Precinct during that dynasty.
The 1977 excavation also brought to light a series of habitations of Ptolemaic
and Roman date. Their continued excavation during the coming seasons 'shoul-
contribute to world knowledge of the "urban" archaeology of Upper Egypt.
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East Bank Fact Sheet
Page 3
4. The Sacred Lake
The Mut Temple is encircled on three sides by a sacred lake named
Isherew. This lake, according to Theban religious texts, was the site of
the creation, with the waters of the lake being equated with the waters of
chaos within which the universe first came into being. The Isherew is also
described in ancient texts as a watery refuge, excavated by the sun-god Re,
behind which Matt, (or Mut identified with the leonine goddess Sakhxn,et),
gives birth to her divine son. The history and plan of the sacred lake, which
almost certainly contains the remains of sculptures, also remains to be
discovered.
The importance of the lake to the precinct is emphasized by the existence of
a peculiar structure, normally called the Contra-Temple, abutting the rear
of the Mut Temple and opening onto the lake. This structure too remains to
be completely excavated.
5. The Ongoing Work on the East Bank
The efforts of the Mut Expedition will focus on excavations at the Temple of
Mut, the Temple of Khonsu-pa-khered, the Temple of King Rarnesses III,
the Ptolemaic and Roman Period habitations and the area of Lake Isherew.
New excavations are also programmed. From plans of the site made. during
the 19th century A.D. we know that the precinct, the residence of the Queen
of the Gods and the Lady of Heaven, contains not only more houses but other
important religious structures. Their excavation and study, together with
the preservation of monuments already known. and those yet to be discovered,
is the purpose of this phase of the Theban Expedition.
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ANTICIPATED RESULTS OF THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF
"THE THEBAN EXPEDITION"
I. East Bank
A. Two more seasons of excavation in the precinct of the Goddess Mut
at Karnak may result in the unearthing of religious and domestic
structures in stone and other materials. It will also entail conservation
and reconstruction work on structures already visible as well as those
to be unearthed.
B. The construction of a living/research compound to be utilized for the
work on both banks of the Nile.
C. Research on factors causing the destruction of monuments on the East
bank.
I:L West Bank
A. A geological survey of the Theban Necropolis. This will include a
tracing of basic rock formations and an investigation of how the
nature of those formations is threatening the preservation of the
Tombs in the Necropolis.
B. A recording of changes in temperature and humidity in the Tombs
and an investigation of the implications of the data thus derived for
their continued preservation.
C. An investigation of how to deal with the problem of salts in the stone
which are now destroying the decoration in the Tombs and Temples
on both sides of the River.
D. A condition report on the Tombs in the Valley of the Kings and in.
selected Tombs elsewhere in the Theban Necropolis. This material
to provide a basis for a future program of conservation work.
E. An archeological survey of the Valley of the Kings and its environs.
This will include a mapping of habitations and roads both in the
Valley and in the cliffs forming the rest of the Theban Necropolis.
The information thus derived will be of paramount importance for the
study of the urban archeology of Upper Egypt. It will also include
a basic recording of the Tombs in the Valley of the Kings. All this
information will be necessary for the formulation of plans for the
ultimate preservation of the monuments at Thebes.
III. Initial publication of the results of the work on both banks in addition to
publicatio)Rp pi-64A PgPF46Y&19!o kl&bglA ~8i1 0 8 600400020044-8
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THEBAN EXPEDITION STAFF
James B. Manning
Richard Fazzini
John Romer
co-Project Director, The Theban Expedition;
Associate Director, The Mut Expedition
co-Project Director, The Theban Expedition;
Field Director, The Mut Expedition.
Field Director, The Theban Royal Tomb
Project
John Rutherford Principal Scientific Consultant, The Theban
Royal Tomb Project.
George Homsey
Architect, The Theban Expedition
Prof. Bernard V. Bothmer Senior Egyptological Consultant
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INTER NA TIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Chairman
Mrs. Jack Neville Berkman
CO-Directors
Mr. James B. Manning, Jr.
Mr. Richard Fazzini
Committee
Ivlr. Michael Botwinick
Mr. John Bradernas
Mrs.. Thomas S. Brush
Mr, Joseph D. Duffey
MI'. Howard L. Gilman
Mr. Moharrimad Hakki
Mrs. Harry M. McLeod
Mr-- Michael W. D. McMullen
The Theban Expedition is
The Coca-Cola Compare made possible by a grant from
Y, Atlanta,'Geor,gia, U.S.A.
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ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT SHOWING THEBAN NECROPOLIS
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ri O vi3 PROJECT (WEST BANK)
The head of the Valley of the Kings.
Mme stone relief in tomb of King Ramesses II.
s^irit of the dead k ng is cli- .- g away the
or the nc~ 'wor.d. Sepa o:.s are filled
f~acc- deb_..c, water daYna ;
set
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~:)ttom and t?,, relief is bei .
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Entrance corridors of the tomb.
The beams stand upon the remains
of flood debris and were placed in
position by some early excavator
fearful of rock falls. Today, due
to desiccation and shrinkage of
the sediment on which they stand,
they barely touch the roof that
they were intended to support.
'Surial chamber of the tomb of
Ramesses II -- the most des-
troyed room of the tomb. The
desiccation of the shale was
greatly accelerated by the dig-
gings of early archaeologists
in search of the kings sarcopha-
gus, and the chamber is reaching
the final stages of collapse. This
detail- of the end wall shows a
vertical split with subsequent
rotation. This unusual fracture
may be due to subsidence caused
Dy the desiccation of shale in a
yet undiscovered chamber lying
under p j beyond.
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Panoramic view of j % ' ut, (1) Sacred Lake; (2) Temple of Mu
(4) Temple of Ramesses III; (5) E
xcavation In progress; (6) Northern
(3) Fallen colossal
-,closure wall of Precinct
may. . ?. .:ro~,~l.'`~'d~lt~~r ,~
North wing of the newly discovered gateway
of King Taharqa (middle); excavation of
Ptolemaic Chapel (background); walls of
houses built into gateway when it went out
of use (lower left), The decorated blocks
in the middle have fallen from the gateway,
James B. Manning (left) and Richard Fazzini (right),
co-directors of the Theban Expedition shown in
January, 1977, beginning the excavation of th houses
in the Precinct of Mut. e
statue;
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L
3xcr9S 'Mbar Temp
Digging into the mysteries of Alut, Tut and Sekhrnet
"My name is ozyrrrandias, king of
king,: Look on my >,orks, ye Mighty, and
despair!"
-Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ozymandias
f"'. zymandias, as the Greeks called
%,.7 R-arnses II, was a compulsive build-
er of temples, palaces and statues. But
Ramses, who reigned in the
13th century B.C. was not the
only Egyptian ruler with an ed-
ifice complex; every pharaoh,
from 3,000 B.C.. on, helped as-
sure his irnrnortality by leaving
behind monuments of many
kinds and shapes to his great-
ness. For many years the tern--
pie complex at Karnak has
stood out as one of the mostL re-
markable of these works.
A magnificent temple of
the god Amoirwas begun near
modern Luxor in Upper Egypt
around 2000 B.C. and was con-
tinuously added to by genera-
tions of succeeding rtn1rrss
Now, however, this temr~te in
all its splendor may have a ri-
val. A team from New York's
Brooklyn Museum has begun
excavating the grounds of the
temple of Mut. (pronounced
Moot), Amon's consort, a few
hundred meters south of the
temple of Amon, and has hit
archaeological pay dirt. The
new site, which was used con-
tinuously from around 1400
B.C. until as late as Rornan
times, not only links many of
Egypt's most illustrious pha-
raohs, but casts new light cm
the little-known goddess they
honored. "This site is a gold
mine," says James Manning of
the Brooklyn Museum "It
could give us an entirely new
view of a large portion of an-
cient Egypt and its religion."
Located at what was the
ancient city of Thebes, the
temple of Mut had been inves-
tigated sketchily by earlier ar-
chaeological expeditions. But
the Brooklyn Museum, which
was granted an exclusive con-
cession to excavate the area in
The centerpiece of the site is the ruined
temple of Mut, surrounded on three sides
by a horseshoe-shaped lake called Ish-
eru The lake is symbolic of the watery
abyss in which-according to Theban
legend-all life that is to to found on
earth originated.
The handiwork
Statue c,f tiorrheaie-d Sekhrnet in err~te of in tit
A new view of a long-oreidooked goddess.
1975, is the first institution to launch a E,,rypt's rulers is evident on the grounds:
systematic study of the temple grounds. a gate dating from the reign of Taharqa,
The 25-acre site is surrounded by an an- one of the Nubian kings woo ruled Egypt
cient mud brick wall nearly four meters in the 25th dynasty, and tha remains of
(twelve feet) high in places, and is con- a chapel from the Ptolemaic period. The
netted to the larger temple of Amon by archaeologists have also discovered
ligious 'practices. Their hope, of course,
is that even more dramatic artifacts lie
waiting to be unearthed. A small rise over-
looking the temple is dotted with large
stone heads of sphinxes, and team mem-
bers believe that monumental statues lie
just beneath them, waiting to be revealed
by further excavation next year. "We
know from 19th century ,maps of the site
that there are large walls with stone gate-
ways buried beneath the mound," says
Richard Fazzini, curator of Egyptian art
at the Brooklyn Museum and field di-
rector of the dig_
No statues of Mut--she is
sometimes unflatteringly if el-
egantly depicted as a vulture
--have yet been found in the
or on the surrounding grounds.
But the site abounds with stat-
ues of Sekhrnet, the lion-head-
ed goddess whose association
with fire, guar and pestilence
made her one of the most pow-
erful in the Egyptian pantheon.
o the Brooklyn archaeolo--
6i gists, this sug gists that
Sekhniet, who was coii:,'art to
Ptah, the major god of I gypt
during an earlier lx.riod, be-
came associated and later
identified with Milt, mate of
the new kin_ of the gods,
Amon. The identification got
a boost du.ring the. reign of Tut-
ankhamen., who revived the
once-supp-essed Theban reli-
gious cult. Manning speculates
that Tut', linking of the tem-
ples of Mat and Amon may
have been a move to bring har-
mony and prosperity to a
weakened and disordered land.
Says Manning,: "Ile had to re-
store order to Egypt if he was
going to rule efie_ctively, and we
know he moved the capital
from A khetaton lwhiclt is now
called Tel el A m arna) back to
Thebes. -What we've found
here so far suggests that he
would have had a ma ;or role
in promoting the cult of ,Mot,
which would be a logical move
if he were trying to unite
Egypt 11
Manning hopes to find out
more about the temples and
Mut herself From the contents
of 500 plastic :,hopping bags
full of potsherds and other
fragments that the tram has already col-
lected. The archaeologists are likely to
need a lot more shopping bags before
they are finished, Only a fraction of Mut's
temple grounds have been explored thus
far. Manning estimates that it will
a sphinx-lin?d avenue believed to have priests' quarters, which could provide new take another 25 years
been constructed bA0pm"f tdr c6rrRele sdo2004f*Qi-Wt MAD MMOO9$0 Q0400020044-8
64
to dig up the
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J-4 "Will ASS`~Ss
01.1
ama to Tom of Pliar"ab
Egypt's Valley of the Kings, in whose 1 rrlt crv,tal4 in tae outer rose I_rye.rs of
ock ,vela the tombs of 25 pft raohs rest iae to?h w ells c~tusin `pit fl'`?e OF 1
v s
ed securc,y for more than 3,0010 years, Io,7 with vandaJisri theft" d:;rna_-e by ;
is crac'king and crumbling so severely
that many tombs are believed to be rear tourists and careless work is clearing
col i3pse_
In the hope of assessing the problem
aid taking corrective measures. in time
to save the tombs, most of which have elude a d:_-tailed geological surr?ry of the
not been systernatically studied, the! red;on and mapping of the various rock
13renkiyst Museum announced yesterday rrer '~ rs and the area's floodin" pattern.
that it was mounting a long-range expedi- Monitoring instruments will be set up to
Lion to the valley- - detect calsages in various physicai_`coi-
:t "aVrace, Vagains-t tie ravag?s of tic-- ,' rAti:~c time, he said, other Ivor ='.~~
`"" S, .,a bt ~.. "t th
- -.t ._f
.11 .f `
il
said t''?. m us
et a
e
e
ed
port of tine Egyptian and United States survey, ci?uuraenting what remains before
.
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S3ix,000 from the - Coca-Cola Company ! possihi e this wot L. could grin,, to light-
being called the Theban cpeditiomn 7c, Ward Off l! irrtidity r
.
The Valley of the Kings, pat of the
N, '- opolis of Th ?, .s n:ch also .cludGs o' possibl coy ective sL l>'qtr:
.., _a _ ~l:cni r Sail ins wore inio'ht rP:_(L...Cr?r,tb
of Tutanlcha -r n, one of the srvtaiier ones.
Carved inscc-iptions and paintings on the
v atl`3' Of ti-s tombs mire ron,_dore t to 0
a:r.on- 17-t roost import ant sources of
l;nowl'i"r about the religion of the New
It is estimated that fewer than a fifth
of the tombs in the area have been
properly panto rep and systematical-
ly described. f To,t havr. be- rt subjected
Ha 1=b-rReibatan20 AV1t0/W
h~ riron4 y t '.luseumm pro
ect celled
j
cheologiczl ptunaering.
rabble that has already fallen into some
tombs. : . -.. _ . . - _ -1
Mr. Romer said the project would in-
humidity inside could be raaintained at ;11
a le,el that would prevent further dryingi
out, a n(l installing drainage pipes in the f:
valley to pmvent any use floods..
The ti' Expedition, which is under]'
the ovv;ail direction of James B. Manning
and Richard I azzini, both of the Brooklyn
P.Tuseum, v.wi)t also include additional r?x-{t
c vatiu:ts ir, the Precinct of Met. This
?ci-a.cre w:,ltmd area across the Nile from.
,
the f the l.ia s was tte sacred
calm , oddie s, :dot c ar sort
;of
Anton, ric, was king of the cods -
L
Prel:rninary work in this place earlier
this year suggests that it is ext: ordinari-
ly rich with new evidence of - Egyptian it
civilizatinrr_ There is also a sacred lake i7
that, according to Theban religious tests, 1
was the site of the creation. The water-,,`
0098 toaooa t8
 ? 17. New York Tlmrlx0V.19, 1977
~p g~ i. Y. r
LJct1L I Co Q- bS Qt Pha-r, _L . dohs I
rock ??~hs rrresuvaC Salt crystals in .the
more outernost layers of
walls the tombs of 25 p haraot.. the tomb : wa ls, causing bits
ed securely fo; to flake off,
is crac than 3,000 years
king and crumbling so severely' along with vandalism, theft, damage by'
that many tombs are believed to be near' tourists and careless wo
collapse. rk in clearing, I
rabble that has already-faller, into '
In the hope of assessing the robl some to b
r~? a.,~ wore es or """, WLHJ was King or tale gods. fi
knowledge about the religion of the New Preliminary work in this place earlieq
Kingdom. this year suggests that it is extraordinari-
It is estirlated that. fewer than a fifth ly 1 rich with new evidence of Egyptian E}`
of the tombs in the area h - evil' ti
a
r
r
.- vt t,JU sr?raiter ones. acLe %YaLiea area across the Nile from:
Carved inscript'ions and paintings on the. the Valley of the Kings was_the? sacred !
walls of the tombs are con i:cia,?prl i, :.? . realm of +i,c. ?nails., b.,t_.- - _
a
e
t
f
about 1550 B.C. to 1000 B.C. ram I' on of James B. Nanning
and Richard Fazzini, both of the Brooklyn ii
Its was in the Valley of the Kings in niuseun-r, will also include additional ex-11
1922 that - -
t_ I
t
Y 6-n- n and arourd -+e at would prevent further dryingi
Thebes are ca lceatrated the greatest Out, and installing
drrinage? pipes: in the G
known and suspected repositories of arti- valley to prevent any new floods. _ ?.
facts of ancient Egypt
ll
, partieu. T The Theban ExRed;'tro'e, which is ? under~
T arly of the New Kingdom period whic4 I
the overall d"
t
i
d
- ancient g e om entrance t
s so tha
.Thebes, once the Trost impOrt-nt political humidity inside could be maintained ati
and religious cit of E
a lr, I
h
,-
.
y
Necropolis of Thebes, ;h ich ap o nclud s Among the possible corrective steps Mr: I
tombs of queens and courtiers, is near Romer said his. work might recommend.
present-day Luxor - thA site of are sealin #.T,
t b
-?-? .. vrttat 15 ? tY,tttu3, anQ monuments.'.
being called the Theban E.edition.
-The Valley of the Rini
To Ward Off Ilumidi
t
on to the valley-- - _ - - o ruments ivrll be set up to
?he co-directors of that ProJtest. v callng detect cbanJes in, various physical `con;
ditions.' ?
it "a race against the ravages of. time," At the same time, he said, other tvoik- `~
said the museum had obtained the sup-., ers will carry out a detailed archeological i
port of the Egyptian and United States I survey, documenting what remains before
Governments and. a . -grant of at least II any more: is lost. Mr.. Romer said-'it was.
$360,000 from the- r?r..,.,...._.. f -
s
B re
, the region and mapping of the various rock';
rooklyn Museum. announced .yesterday members and the area's flooding pattern.:
that it was mounting along -range expedi- Monitoring inst
11 ell I and taking corrective measures, in ti z Mr. Romer said the ? ? .
to save the tombs, most of which have I chide a detailed geological eproject would he ?
not been systematically
tud" surrey of the I
d
i
s beery
1za on. Tilers is also a sacred lake
properly photon apl.ed, and systematical- that, according to Theban religious tests, : f
ly described. Most have- be"n subjected was the site of the creation. The water;
to little more than what one director of Of the fake were associated with theft
the Brooklyn Museum project called "ar- waters of chaos from which'the universe
Cheologicai plundering" arose.
Jo;ln Rome , a British Egyptologist who
has-worked in the area for many years
in various capacities, has been appointed
field director of the royal tomb project.
He said there appeared to be many causes
for the deterior atior: of the tombs, 'but
I he cited the long-tcr-rr effects of flo .^
as a major one.
? . -
Until the last century the tombs were
serled. But when archeologists opened
farm. they 1-hecarre vu'nemble to the rare
follow it s?: `~ lane can
dlen rain in the valley. Runoff
from the' ba,re-r soil is substantial and
many torlbs l ace keen i nundat_ed at one
t+ e cr gnat g- The Iasi significant
floCz!i 1r? orcurrc in 1316.
Because the li n stone tombs c? rer);ry
shale. vrf.ich expands orr contact. with {
;-ary t.?"-re lifted slig'-tly afte- the t
fi: o link In t . Gr^.ades since th' fi yi d.
:nd s S i n
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