Kent R. Weeks
Encyclopedia
Dr. Kent R. Weeks is an American
Egyptologist.
He was born in the town of Everett, Washington
, United States
, where he remembers deciding to be an Egyptologist at the age of eight. Weeks attended R. A. Long High School
in Longview, Washington
, and graduated in 1959. He studied anthropology
at University of Washington
in Seattle
, from where he obtained a master's degree. He visited Egypt for the first time in 1963 and was active in digs in Nubia
associated with relocation work necessitated by the building of the Aswan Dam
and the flooding of the Nile Valley
to create Lake Nasser
. In 1970 he earned a doctorate in Egyptology
from Yale University
.
Dr. Weeks professional career began with his appointment as Assistant Curator of Egyptian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
then assistant Professor at the University of Chicago
and Director of its Institute in Luxor (Chicago House), then professor at the University of California, Berkeley
, and in 1988 became a professor of Egyptology at The American University in Cairo. His wife, Susan Weeks, was also an archaeologist and a gifted artist before her passing in December 2009.
In 1978, Weeks devised and launched the Theban Mapping Project
–an exceedingly ambitious plan to photograph and map every temple and tomb in the Theban Necropolis
. As part of this project, Weeks introduced hot air balloon
ing to the Luxor
area with the intent of making inexpensive aerial surveys, which grew into an important part of the local tourist industry. However, a more important achievement of the Project was its 1995 discovery of the identity, and vast dimensions, of KV5
, the tomb of the sons of Ramesses II
in the Valley of the Kings
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Egyptologist.
He was born in the town of Everett, Washington
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he remembers deciding to be an Egyptologist at the age of eight. Weeks attended R. A. Long High School
R. A. Long High School
R. A. Long High School is the oldest high school servicing the city of Longview, Washington. It was erected in 1927, three years after the city of Longview was incorporated. The total student enrollment at the end of the 2005-06 school year was 1017. The school is named for the city's founder,...
in Longview, Washington
Longview, Washington
Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the "Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area", which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longview's population was 36,648 at the time of the 2010 census and is the largest city in Cowlitz County...
, and graduated in 1959. He studied anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
at University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, from where he obtained a master's degree. He visited Egypt for the first time in 1963 and was active in digs in Nubia
Nubia
Nubia is a region along the Nile river, which is located in northern Sudan and southern Egypt.There were a number of small Nubian kingdoms throughout the Middle Ages, the last of which collapsed in 1504, when Nubia became divided between Egypt and the Sennar sultanate resulting in the Arabization...
associated with relocation work necessitated by the building of the Aswan Dam
Aswan Dam
The Aswan Dam is an embankment dam situated across the Nile River in Aswan, Egypt. Since the 1950s, the name commonly refers to the High Dam, which is larger and newer than the Aswan Low Dam, which was first completed in 1902...
and the flooding of the Nile Valley
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
to create Lake Nasser
Lake Nasser
Lake Nasser is a vast reservoir in southern Egypt, and northern Sudan, and is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. Strictly, "Lake Nasser" refers only to the much larger portion of the lake that is in Egyptian territory , with the Sudanese preferring to call their smaller body of water...
. In 1970 he earned a doctorate in Egyptology
Egyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.
Dr. Weeks professional career began with his appointment as Assistant Curator of Egyptian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
then assistant Professor at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and Director of its Institute in Luxor (Chicago House), then professor at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, and in 1988 became a professor of Egyptology at The American University in Cairo. His wife, Susan Weeks, was also an archaeologist and a gifted artist before her passing in December 2009.
In 1978, Weeks devised and launched the Theban Mapping Project
Theban Mapping Project
Theban Mapping Project was established in 1978 by the Theban Foundation, itself established by British archaeologist and Egyptologist John Romer with the goal to create a masterplan of the Valley of the Kings and of the sites of the Theban Necropolis in general....
–an exceedingly ambitious plan to photograph and map every temple and tomb in the Theban Necropolis
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
. As part of this project, Weeks introduced hot air balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
ing to the Luxor
Luxor
Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers 487,896 , with an area of approximately . As the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", as the ruins of the temple...
area with the intent of making inexpensive aerial surveys, which grew into an important part of the local tourist industry. However, a more important achievement of the Project was its 1995 discovery of the identity, and vast dimensions, of KV5
KV5
Tomb KV5 is a subterranean, rock-cut tomb in the Valley of the Kings.It belonged to the sons of Ramesses II. Though KV5 was partially excavated as early as 1825, its true extent was discovered by Dr Kent R. Weeks and his exploration team. The tomb is now known to be the largest in the Valley of the...
, the tomb of the sons of Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
in the Valley of the Kings
Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings , less often called the Valley of the Gates of the Kings , is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom .The valley stands on the west bank of...
.
Publications
- Atlas of the Valley of the Kings: The Theban Mapping Project
- The Lost Tomb, 1998
- The Illustrated Guide to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings
- The Valley of the Kings: The Tombs and the Funerary of Thebes West, (editor)