Mysteries still surround Egyptian chamber

Q: Could you describe what the experience was like to come upon this chamber. I’m sure people can only imagine what the thrill was like.

A: Well, the most thrilling part was last year when we found it. We had been working on these crude stone structures that the ancient workmen used while they were building the royal tombs. Whenever they’d build a royal tomb, they would set up a little series of these huts right nearby. Sometimes they'd stay there and mix their ingredients, and work on their tools, and have their lunches, whatever. We ran into these in the front of the tomb of Amenmesse, KV-10. So we followed them.

They had a lot of interesting items: bits of notes and writings from the workmen, doodles on rock, plus pottery and foodstuffs, some tools. We followed this for a few seasons, and we were about to quit doing this last year because we were running out of walls, and the last corner we decided to check. Where we expected to find bedrock, we didn’t find bedrock. So this was late one morning, and I thought it was something unusual, but I didn’t want to let myself get too excited, because it could be just nothing.

But the next day we widened the search, and found a side to a pit, then found the other side, then we hit a corner. When we had that much, I realized we had hit the top of a tomb. So we informed the officials. Initially, the local ones weren’t too impressed. But they finally asked us to write special reports to Cairo, so we did, and we just went from there.

Since that was near the end of the season, we didn’t dare start anything brand new when we were ready to shut down. So we covered everything up and we saved it for this year.

Q: When you come back, I suppose it’s like looking forward to opening a Christmas present.

A: Well, yeah, in a way, because we had no idea what configuration it would be — if it was ever finished, if it was ever used. So we had all these possibilities lying in front of us. Eventually, we cleared everything down to where we were last year and started excavating the shaft until we finally hit the doorway to the tomb. And then of course once we got a good look inside, even just from the doorway, things looked very strange because there was such a cluster of coffins — you would think there would be a lot of mummies.

But we didn’t notice any of the usual funerary accessories: With that number of coffins, you would have expected a number of boxes for ushebtis [funerary dolls] and canopic jars and the extra ingredients that go into a normal Egyptian burial. But we didn’t see any of those things, so that was strange. We thought maybe there were little boxes between or behind the coffins, but they weren’t there.

The more we saw what was there, the more we saw that this was basically an embalmers’ cache, but until we examine those last two coffins, we can’t be sure if that’s all it is.

Q: Can you describe how things are going to go for the show? Are you going to open the last two coffins on live TV?

A: Not for this first segment, because they’ve basically finished the filming for this first segment. They’re out here right now. They’ve shot some interesting things the other day, but this will go into the next segment. Basically what we finished for the first segment, we brought up the infant’s coffin, the one who was on top. We did open it, they did get close-ups of the lid and the pillows inside. That’s basically where the first program will probably end. I’m not sure exactly what they’ll put in the last moments, but the things they’re shooting now will be in the next segment.

Q: How was it to conduct archaeology with a TV camera looking over your shoulder?

A: Generally no problem. It was a good group of guys. At one point, when they first made the agreement, Zahi told me, “If they do something you don’t like, just tell them to get out.” But we never even came close to that kind of a situation. … We don’t have any sort of staged situation, where we bury something and find it for the cameras. If we’re uncovering something, we are uncovering it at that moment. We’re not doing any funny business.

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