The Complete Valley of the Kings - Reviewed

I have the paperback of The Complete Valley of the Kings, but even the paperback is very nice with a good binding and a nice quality of reproduction. Similar in structure and layout to its companion title, "The Complete Tutankhamun", it be read as a read through but it also deserves a permanent place in the bookcase as a reference.

Most of the photographs are black and white, but there are some nice color photographs as well. The highlight though in terms of illustrations is the 3D diagrams of the tomb layouts.

Section 1 - Preparations for the Afterlife

This is a fairly short section, for which I am grateful. It may be my personal taste but this first section of 3 dozen pages is the weakest, perhaps because it is a collection of different topics which don't naturally flow from one to the other, although some such as the one of Cutting the Tombs are still interesting in their own right.

Section 2 - Agents of Discovery

The next 30+ pages describe the exploration of the Valley of the Kings. It's interesting to know which tombs have been known about for years and how the numbering of the tombs (KV1, KV2, ,,, KV64) came about.

Section 3 - Tombs of the Kings

90 pages of fantastic material form the core of this book. Each of the tombs for kings (pharaohs) gets its own section, treated chronologically. Where there is uncertainty which is the king's tomb, the alternatives are clearly set out, often in a sidebar which the book uses to great effect. The format for most of the tombs is the same. There is a diagram of the layout of the tomb, showing the chambers and corridors to scale and indicating the third dimension. There are photographs of the interior, including some nice color photographs. These are very welcome as taking photographs yourself within the tombs if you visit is no longer allowed. There is also text describing the tomb, it's discovery and anything unusual or important about it.

Section 4 - Decline of a Royal Necropolis

It might seem that this is an afterthought, but it's another great section as it touches (in much less detail) on some of the lesser tombs in the Valley of the Kings %u2026 those for queens, princes or nobles. It also provided detail on the royal mummies and the two principle mummy caches which for many people will be a highlight of the book.

Summary

The Theban Mapping Project's Atlas is somewhat more definitive in terms of the layout of tombs, but it has always cost several hundred dollars and is really suited to universities. For the lay student of Egyptology, or the tourist who has visited and wants to know more, The Complete Valley of the Kings is an ideal choice.