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 suggested theory is that the tomb was quarried and blocked up in anticipation of a burial which never took place. Given the lack of finds this tomb is undatable. WV24 is located near the end of the West Valley, in between WV23 and WV25. This tomb was first noted by Wilkinson but was only recently cleared by Otto Schaden in 1991-92. It is a single chamber tomb accessed by a shaft. The left and rear wall of the chamber are irregular in shape which might suggest the tomb was left unfinished. The room was filled with debris, partially consisting of