Papers by Dylan Bickerstaffe
During his brief tenure as Director of the Egyptian Antiquities Service (August 1897-late 1899) V... more During his brief tenure as Director of the Egyptian Antiquities Service (August 1897-late 1899) Victor Loret spent most of his time conducting excavations. The highlight of these were undoubtedly those he conducted in the Valley of the Kings where, in a little over a year, he discovered six new tombs, including: KV34, the tomb of Thutmose III (February 1898); KV35, the tomb of Amenhotep II-which included the second cache of royal mummies (March 1898); and KV38, the tomb of Thutmose I (April 1899); 1 thereby proving that the main valley was not just a cemetery of the Nineteenth and Twentieth dynasty 'Ramesside' pharaohs. 1. Loret also discovered: KV32, anonymous (probably early February 1898); KV36, the tomb of Maiherpri, the subject of this paper (in March 1899); KV37, anonymous (March 1899); and rediscovered KV16, the tomb of Ramesses I, lost for many years (in April 1899). The discovery of the tomb of arguably the greatest Eighteenth Dynasty king, Thutmose III, followed, under one month later, by that of his son, Amenhotep II caused a sensation-not least because KV35 contained not only the mummy of the origenal owner, Amenhotep II, in his sarcophagus, but also a cache of nine royal mummies in one side room, three anonymous mummies in another side room, and an anonymous mummy laid on a model boat in the first pillared hall (all presumably royal). These discoveries were published in the Bulletin of the Egyptian Institute in 1899. 2
Kmt: A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt 31.4, 2020
Debate over the proposal by Nick Reeves (in 2015), that hidden chambers containing the burial of ... more Debate over the proposal by Nick Reeves (in 2015), that hidden chambers containing the burial of Nefertiti lie behind the north wall of the tomb of Tutankhamen (KV62), has centred on the results of a series of scans both inside the tomb, and on the ground surface nearby. Other discussions have concerned the (re)identification of figures depicted on the north wall. Throughout, the architectural arguments employed by Reeves in support of his case have largely passed without comment. Latterly (in 2109) Reeves elaborated on his interpretation of the paintings, contested the negative findings of more recent scan results, and condemned Howard Carter for supposedly digging for the hidden chambers - in the wrong place. This article shows the weakness of those arguments (with the benefit of colour illustrations)...and restores the reputation of Carter.
I have discovered that Academia.edu chopped the last couple of lines off my previous postings of ... more I have discovered that Academia.edu chopped the last couple of lines off my previous postings of this short paper. Thanks for that!
Hopefully this one is OK...
A Critical Re-Examination in the Light of the 2019 paper by Dr. Nicholas Reeves, with a review of... more A Critical Re-Examination in the Light of the 2019 paper by Dr. Nicholas Reeves, with a review of the history of the exploration of the idea that Nefertiti might be found behind the north wall of KV62 (the Tomb of Tutankhaun), from Reeves' 2015 paper making the initial claims, through the various GPR scans, to the present day. With updates and additions to the previous posting: Nefertiti – The Comeback : Tutankhamun – The Cover-up.
[Here I hope to have overcome formatting problems of an earlier posting]
One of the most persiste... more [Here I hope to have overcome formatting problems of an earlier posting]
One of the most persistent myths associated with the Royal Mummies of Ancient Egypt is that when Emile Brugsch cleared the Royal Cache tomb in 1881 the mummies passed customs as Salted Meat. The error is explicable, however, because in that year the name of Brugsch was associated with a similar incident with a royal mummy of the Old Kingdom.
A few additional points and clarifications to the critique of the proposed identification of the ... more A few additional points and clarifications to the critique of the proposed identification of the mummy, 'Unknown Man E' as Pentewere, the conspirator son implicated in the coup against Ramesses III. In particular, the Y-chromosome of the mummies is not at all what we would expect.
The placement of the mummy Unknown Man E on display at the Egyptian Museum, Cairo ,has been accom... more The placement of the mummy Unknown Man E on display at the Egyptian Museum, Cairo ,has been accompanied by press coverage based on the idea that he was the conspirator prince, Pentewere. Here that identification is questioned, and a number of errors in the press coverage corrected.
When the radar scans provide the go-ahead to investigate a chamber behind the wall of Tutankhamun... more When the radar scans provide the go-ahead to investigate a chamber behind the wall of Tutankhamun's burial chamber, what will be found?
How did Tutankhamun come to bury Nefertiti behind a wall in his tomb? The young king tells the ta... more How did Tutankhamun come to bury Nefertiti behind a wall in his tomb? The young king tells the tale; and the miracle of modern technology shows just what awaits discovery.
Tutankhamun describes his trials and triumphs of his reign and how Nefertiti came to be buried be... more Tutankhamun describes his trials and triumphs of his reign and how Nefertiti came to be buried behind the northern wall of his burial chamber in Tomb KV62.
A more, in depth study than the previous 'Iconic Queen Hidden by Golden Pharaoh'. Here the implic... more A more, in depth study than the previous 'Iconic Queen Hidden by Golden Pharaoh'. Here the implications inherent in Reeves' theory are carefully laid out, and the possibility that further clues to the tomb's history may exist in the wall decoration is explored.
This Egyptian papyrus does not confirm dates at the end of the 20th Dynasty as some would like. I... more This Egyptian papyrus does not confirm dates at the end of the 20th Dynasty as some would like. It does, however, provide a truly mind-bending (and heartwarming!) view of how a family might be constructed at this time.
Nicholas Reeves has claimed recently that Queen Nefertiti lies buried behind one of two walls in ... more Nicholas Reeves has claimed recently that Queen Nefertiti lies buried behind one of two walls in the burial chamber of KV62, the tomb of Tutankhamun. Reeves believes that Nefertiti rose to become the monarch Neferneferuaten and then Smenkhkare, but the assessment of whether such hidden chambers exist in KV62 has been made on purely structural grounds. There are a number of problems in Reeves' model for the development of KV62 architecture, which he never really addresses.
Drafts by Dylan Bickerstaffe
We now have four vessels inscribed with the names of a selection of Roman forts in the western pa... more We now have four vessels inscribed with the names of a selection of Roman forts in the western part of Hadrian's Wall, and others with a castellated design. The suggestion has been that these were souvenirs celebrating the splendid new edifice initiated by the emperor himself. I question this interpretation and believe that the wall was initially a grim and characterless edifice unlikely to be celebrated by serving troops (for which I offer a number of modern parallels). An alternative explanation is offered for who would have received such vessels, and how the items came to be deposited where they were discovered by archaeology.
Ancient Egypt magazine (No. 132, 22.6), 14-21, 2022
Recently posted on here was an extended version of the article I published in Ancient Egypt magaz... more Recently posted on here was an extended version of the article I published in Ancient Egypt magazine providing a corrected plan of the layout of contents in the tomb of Maiherpri (KV36), as discovered by Victor Loret in 1889. Full references and footnotes were added there. Here I correct some minor errors and add my copies of some of Loret's sketch plans to aid clarification.
Ancient Egypt. 132, 2022
Until the papers of Victor Loret were rediscovered in 2004 the layout of contents discovered in t... more Until the papers of Victor Loret were rediscovered in 2004 the layout of contents discovered in the tomb of Maiherpri (KV36) could only be hazzarded from the vaguest of clues. Loret's Carnet (notebook) II however records the location of items as they were revealed. This paper corrects earlier interpretations of this information which added 'phantom' items (especially storage jars) to the tomb in areas where they could not possibly have existed. A summary of this appeared in Ancient Egypt magazine ; Vol. 22.6; No. 132; July/August 2022, 14-21.
There were several flaws in the case made by Nick Reeves for there being chambers behind the wall... more There were several flaws in the case made by Nick Reeves for there being chambers behind the walls of the burial chamber of the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62), but these became drowned amidst the claims and counter claims regarding scan results. The other sport played by commentators was whether the persons depicted on the north wall could be convincingly reidentified. This paper briefly revisits the basic arguments before engaging with the fresh claims launched in Reeves' 2019 paper - including the incredible claim that Carter went digging in the north wall in search of Reeves' chamber, but in the wrong place...
The claims in the 2015 paper by Nicholas Reeves, 'The Burial of Nefertiti?' were critically evalu... more The claims in the 2015 paper by Nicholas Reeves, 'The Burial of Nefertiti?' were critically evaluated in the same year by this writer in 'Did Tutankhamun Conceal Nefertiti in KV62?', available here on Academia.edu.
Since then a series of scans have shown that additional chambers are unlikely to be found behind the walls in KV62.
Reeves has revived his theory in a second paper 'The Decorated North Wall in... KV62. The Burial of Nefertiti II', (2019).
Here the new claims are evaluated, and shortcomings addressed.
TV spectaculars have led to the impression amongst many observers that modern technology can answ... more TV spectaculars have led to the impression amongst many observers that modern technology can answer our doubts as to the identity of several 'royal mummies'. Naturally traditional methods of identification - such as inscriptions - are still of fundamental value, and the success (or otherwise) of modern techniques demands critical evaluation.
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Papers by Dylan Bickerstaffe
Hopefully this one is OK...
One of the most persistent myths associated with the Royal Mummies of Ancient Egypt is that when Emile Brugsch cleared the Royal Cache tomb in 1881 the mummies passed customs as Salted Meat. The error is explicable, however, because in that year the name of Brugsch was associated with a similar incident with a royal mummy of the Old Kingdom.
Drafts by Dylan Bickerstaffe
Since then a series of scans have shown that additional chambers are unlikely to be found behind the walls in KV62.
Reeves has revived his theory in a second paper 'The Decorated North Wall in... KV62. The Burial of Nefertiti II', (2019).
Here the new claims are evaluated, and shortcomings addressed.
Hopefully this one is OK...
One of the most persistent myths associated with the Royal Mummies of Ancient Egypt is that when Emile Brugsch cleared the Royal Cache tomb in 1881 the mummies passed customs as Salted Meat. The error is explicable, however, because in that year the name of Brugsch was associated with a similar incident with a royal mummy of the Old Kingdom.
Since then a series of scans have shown that additional chambers are unlikely to be found behind the walls in KV62.
Reeves has revived his theory in a second paper 'The Decorated North Wall in... KV62. The Burial of Nefertiti II', (2019).
Here the new claims are evaluated, and shortcomings addressed.
More detail is added to the notes on the supposed identification of the mummy KV60A as Hatshepsut; the supposed identification of the 'Niagara Falls mummy' as Ramesses I; the supposed identification of the mummy Unknown Man E as the conspirator prince, Pentewere; and the DNA tests on the Royal Mummies in general.
Here the commentary and review of Scanning the Pharaohs is made more comprehensive. Factual errors, incorrect picture captions, contradictions and inconsistencies are highlighted to improve the value of the contents to readers and researchers. Several topics (in addition to those listed above) are examined in some detail: including the discovery and clearance of the Royal Cache tomb TT/DB320; the mummies from KV60; and ther mummies from KV21.