Egyptian Antiquities authorities announced yesterday that a team of American archaeologists from the University of Memphis (how appropriate!) have discovered an intact tomb in the famed Valley of the Kings. It dates to the 18th Dynasty (1500-1300 BC) and is the first intact tomb found there since the discovery of Tutankhamen tomb in 1922.
It does not appear to be a pharaoh's tomb. It has a single chamber and contains five mummies in intact sarcophagi with colored funerary masks along with more than 20 large storage jars that still have intact seals. Apparently they aren't sure who the tomb belongs to yet. It is located 15 feet from Tutankhamen tomb.
With world-wide curiosity about Egyptian archaeology as intense as it is, I'm sure we will be learning much more about this soon. Very cool!
UPDATE
The New York Times has a much more informative article on this subject today. The archaeologists have yet to enter the tomb, but expect to do so before the end of their field season in May.
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