Exploration of the Valley of the Kings Period tombs in the main valley. Various expeditions have continued to explore the valley, adding greatly to the knowledge of the area. In 2001 the Theban Mapping Project designed new signs for the tombs, providing information and plans of the open tombs. On February 8, 2006, the Supreme Council of Antiquities announced that an American team led by the University of Memphis had uncovered a pharaonic-era tomb (KV63), the first uncovered there since King Tutankhamun's in 1922. The 18th Dynasty tomb included five intact sarcophagi with coloured funerary masks along with 28 large storage jars, sealed with pharaonic seals. It
Minor tombs in the Valley of the Kings discovered the tomb was blocked by a rebuild stone wall, indicating the tomb was entered and resealed in antiquity. However, it is unclear whether this rebuild wall was itself breached at a later point or not. The contents of the tomb were evidently severely ransacked in antiquity. Ayrton found an unwrapped mummy on the floor, its coffin was only represented by fragments scattered about on the floor. Fragments of the usual funerary equipment (including a wooden chair, magical bricks and shabtis) were also recovered. Most of this material lay on top of a layer of rubble. This equipment identifies the