Exploration of the Valley of the Kings standing for King's Valley, (although the maps show 28 entrances, some of which were unexplored). These paintings and maps were later published in 'The Topography of Thebes and General Survey of Egypt', in 1830. At the same time James Burton explored the valley. His works included making KV17 safer from flooding, although, he is better known for entering KV5. Champollion himself visited the valley along with Ippolito Rosellini and Nestor L'Hôte, in the Franco-Tuscan Expedition of 1829. The expedition spent two months studying the open tombs, visiting about 16 of them in total. They copied the inscriptions and identified the
Valley of the Kings the public. Ramesses II's son and eventual successor, Merenptah's tomb has been open since antiquity; it extends 160 metres, ending in a burial chamber that once contained a set of four nested sarcophagi. Well decorated, it is typically open to the public most years. The last kings of the dynasty also constructed tombs in the valley, all of which follow the same general pattern of layout and decoration. Notable amongst these is the tomb of Siptah, which is well decorated, especially the ceiling. The first ruler of the dynasty, Setnakhte, actually had two tombs constructed for himself. He started excavating