An international team of scientists and conservators is working to ensure the long-term survival of the 3,300-year-old tomb of Tutankhamen.
A joint study and conservation project by the Egyptian Antiquities Organization and the Getty Conservation Institute was announced last month.The program will deal with the problem of deteriorating wall paintings in the burial chamber of the tomb, located in the Valley of the Kings in Upper Egypt and not affected by Egypt's recent earthquake. The brightly-colored paintings are invaluable both for their uncommon style and for their historical content.
The team will also work out a conservation training and site-protection plan for the future.
The first collaboration of the two institutions concluded four months ago - it involved the conservation of wall paintings in the tomb of Nefertari, favorite wife of Ramses II, in the nearby Valley of the Queens.
The Nefertari project is the subject of an exhibition at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, Calif., which opened Nov. 12.