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From Amazon.com: This book is the first comprehensive technical publication on the work of the Theban Mapping Project in KV5. It includes detailed archaeological and architectural studies, epigraphic surveys, discussions of conversation work and extensive reports on the sites of geology, hydrology, mineralogy, and geotechnical engineering. 11 x 8 1/2, 90 line drawings, 90 halftone illustrations.

Reviewed by Massimo Bombana: This book is not meant for the experts, but addresses the general public interested in archaeology and Egyptology. It describes with autobiographical details the long and wide amount of work devoted to the discovery and excavation of KV5, the tomb in the Valley of Kings where some of the sons of Ramses II were buried. The different steps in the discovery are described, underlying the enormous problems encountered and the archaeological techniques that had to be used when excavating such a precious relic from the past. Even the smallest part of ceramic or tissue must be collected, studied and catalogued, because it can provide important hints about the history of the tomb and of the men buried there. Historical facts are put into perspective in one of the last chapters with a summary of the life history of Ramses II, of his sons and of the main known historical facts, including the famous battle of Qadesh. Through the entire book the author gives relevance also the human aspects involved in the archaeological work. Many pages are devoted to the relationship of friendship and co-operation established by the team with the local workers, whose personal life, opinions, and interests in the digging are put in foreground. The book ends in fact with such a remark, the toast for the birth of the daughter of one of the workers. That is why, after reading the last lines and closing the book, images of the sunny river bank of Nile remain in the memory of the reader, peopled by real Egyptians, not only of the past but also of the present.

Du site de l'éditeur : L’IFAO a souhaité rassembler, lors d’un colloque, tant des égytologues que des spécialistes d’autres cultures du monde méditerranéen sur le thème de « L’apport de l’Égypte à l’histoire des techniques - méthodes, chronologie et comparaisons ». Pour faire apparaître la diversité des approches possibles, chaque contribution privilégie l’évolution d’une technique dans l’espace et dans le temps, afin de mieux mettre en lumière la valeur relative des différents apports documentaires et les difficultés méthodologiques liées à leur disparité.