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 was a tomb intended for Tetisheri, wife of Senakhtenre Tao I of the seventeenth dynasty. If so, this would be one of the earliest tombs in the valley. KV44 is situated in a side wadi, close to KV45. It was discovered and excavated by Carter in 1901 and has recently been re-examined by Ryan. It consists of a single chamber accessed by a shaft. When discovered the tomb was blocked and inside were discovered three mummies in wooden coffins, these belonged to Tentkerer, a lady of the house of Osorkon I, Heiufaa, and an unnamed songstress of Amun. These burials,