The royal necropolis of New Kingdom Egypt, known as the Valley of the Kings (KV), is one of the most important--and celebrated--archaeological sites in the world. Located on the west bank of the Nile river, about three miles west of modern Luxor, the valley is home to more than sixty tombs, all dating to the second millennium BCE. The most famous of these is the tomb of Tutankhamun, first discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. Other famous pharaoh's interred here include Hatshepsut, the only queen found in the valley, and Ramesses II, ancient Egypt's greatest ruler. Much has transpired in the study and exploration of the Valley of the Kings over the last few years. Several major discoveries have been made, notably the many-chambered KV5 (tomb of the sons of Ramesses II) and KV 63, a previously unknown tomb found in the heart of the valley. Many areas of the royal valley have been explored for the first time using new technologies, revealing ancient huts, shrines, and stelae. New studies of the DNA, filiation, cranio-facial reconstructions, and other aspects of the royal mummies have produced important and sometimes controversial results.
The Oxford Handbook of the Valley of the Kings provides an up-to-date and thorough reference designed to fill a very real gap in the literature of Egyptology. It will be an invaluable resource for scholars, teachers, and researchers with an interest in this key area of Egyptian archaeology. First, introductory chapters locate the Valley of the Kings in space and time. Subsequent chapters offer focused examinations of individual tombs: their construction, content, development, and significance. Finally, the book discusses the current status of ongoing issues of preservation and archaeology, such as conservation, tourism, and site management. In addition to recent work mentioned above, aerial imaging, remote sensing, studies of the tombs' architectural and decorative symbolism, problems of conservation management, and studies of KV-related temples are just some of the aspects not covered in any other work on the Valley of the Kings. This volume promises to become the primary scholarly reference work on this important World Heritage Site.

Richard H. Wilkinson is Regents' Professor of Egyptian Archaeology at the University of Arizona, author or editor of ten books, including Tausret.
Kent Weeks is Emeritus Professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, and author or editor of twelve books on ancient Egypt.

Contributors
Abbreviations
Preface
Part I: Introduction
Richard H. Wilkinson and Kent R. Weeks
Part II: The Natural Setting
1. Geology of the Valley of the Kings
Judith M. Bunbury
2. Toponyms of the Valley of the Kings and its Approaches
Kent R. Weeks
3. The Hydrology of the Valley of the Kings: Weather, Rainfall, Drainage Patterns and Flood Protection in Antiquity
Andreas Dorn
Part III: The Development of the Royal Necropolis
4. The Egyptian Concept of a Royal Necropolis
John H. Taylor
5. Earlier Royal Tombs, the Royal Cemeteries of Thebes and the Beginnings of the Valley of the Kings
Aidan Dodson
Part IV: Tomb Construction and Development
6. The Royal Necropolis Workmen of Deir el-Medina
Robert J. Demarée
7. Choosing the Location for a Royal Tomb; The Workmen's Techniques and
Tools; Units of Measurement; KV Huts and Work Places
Andreas Dorn
8. The Component Parts of KV Royal Tombs
Kent R. Weeks
9. Collisions, Abandonments, Alterations, Tomb Commencements/Pits and Other Features in the Valley of the Kings
Lyla Pinch-Brock
Part V: Royal Tomb Decoration
10. The Technology of Royal Tomb Decoration
Stephen Rickerby and Lori Wong
11. Iconography; Palaeography; Decorative Elements; Distribution and Development of Scenes
Heather L. McCarthy
Part VI: Individual KV Tombs
12. Royal Tombs of Dynasty Eighteen
Catharine H. Roehrig
13. Royal Tombs of the Nineteenth Dynasty
Hartwig Altenmueller
14. Royal Tombs in Dynasty Twenty
Aidan Dodson
15. Other Tombs: Queens and Commoners in KV
Susanne Bickel
Part VII: Contents of Royal KV Tombs
16. Sarcophagi
Aidan Dodson
17. Canopics
Aidan Dodson
18. Other Tomb Goods
Campbell Price
Part VIII: Getting to the Afterlife
19. Mortuary Ritual in the Valley of the Kings
Alexandra von Lieven
20. Symbolic Aspects of Royal Tombs
Richard H. Wilkinson
21. The Royal Funerary Books: The Subject Matter of Scenes and Texts
Joshua Roberson
Part IX: Destruction, Desecration and Reuse
22. Damnatio Memoriae in the Valley of the Kings
Richard H. Wilkinson
23. Usurpation and Reuse of Royal Tombs
Richard H. Wilkinson
24. Intrusive Burials and Caches
John H. Taylor
Part X: Human Remains from the KV and their Study
25. Early Study and the Unwrapping of Mummies
Rosalie David
26. Modern Biomedical Studies
Rosalie David and Ryan Metcalfe
27. Recent Identity and Relationship Studies, Including X-Rays and DNA
Ryan Metcalfe
Part XI: The Administration of the KV in Dynastic Times
28. The Temples of Millions of Years at Western Thebes
Martina Ullmann
29. Policing and Site Protection; Guard Posts; Enclosure Walls
Carola Vogel
30. Tomb Robberies in the Valley of the Kings
Ogden Goelet
Part XII: The KV from the End of the New Kingdom to the Late 20th Century
31. Late Dynastic, Graeco-Roman and Christian Times; Post-New Kingdom Graffiti
Filip Coppens
32. The History of KV Exploration Prior to the Late 20th Century
Joyce Tyldesley
Part XIII: The KV in the Late 20th and the 21st Century and Beyond
33. Remote Sensing in the Valley of the Kings and its Hinterlands
Sarah H. Parcak and Gregory D. Mumford
34. The Search for Other Tombs
Stephen W. Cross
35. Tomb Recording: Epigraphy, Photography, Digital Imaging, 3-D Surveys
Adam Lowe
36. Conservation and Flood Protection
Michael Jones
37. Tourism in the Valley of the Kings
Kent R. Weeks
38. The Valley of the Kings in the Lives of Modern Egyptians: The People of Qurna
Kees van der Spek
Appendix
Index