Getty Conservation Institute Valley of the Queens project records, 1990s-2017, undated, 1990s-2017, undated

Summary

Title:

Getty Conservation Institute Valley of the Queens project records

Dates:

1990s-2017, undated

Creators:

Getty Conservation Institute. Field Projects Division and Getty Conservation Institute. Field Projects Division

Abstract:

Project records date from the 1990s to 2017, and undated and consist of files from the Getty Conservation Institute's (GCI) collaboration with the Egyptian Antiquities Organization (EAO), renamed the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) in 1994. Project aimed to undertake comprehensive conservation and site management planning for the Valley of the Queens. Records consist of electronic and paper files, research documents, correspondence, video and image files, logs, reports, publications, and drawings. The records document project activities such as planning, condition assessments, scientific analyses, conservation treatments, environmental monitoring, graphic documentation, site protection planning, and conservation training.

Extent:

244.2 GB (62,264 files) and 9.2 Linear Feet (19 containers)

Language:

Records are primarily in English with some materials in Arabic, Italian, and Spanish.

Preferred citation:

[Cite the item and series (as appropriate)], Getty Conservation Institute Valley of the Queens project records. Institutional Records and Archives. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, IA50004.

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/IA50004

Background

Scope and content:

The Valley of the Queens project records date from the 1990s to 2017, and undated and consist of the Getty Conservation Institute's (GCI) files from its collaboration with the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) in Egypt to develop and implement a comprehensive plan for the conservation and management of the Valley of the Queens, in Luxor, Egypt. Records in the collection were primarily maintained by the following GCI staff (the positions they held at the time are listed): Neville Agnew, Special Projects Director; Martha Demas Senior Project Specialist; and Thomas Roby, Senior Project Specialist.

The records document project planning, condition assessment surveys, structural assessments, scientific analyses, conservation treatment, environmental monitoring, graphic documentation, site protection planning, translation consultations, bibliography production, and conservation training. Files include signed copies of project agreements, budgets, proposals, tender documents, meeting notes and agendas, correspondence and memos, technical data, reports, field notes, research documentation, photographs, visitor surveys, technical drawings, and maps. Digital materials in the collection consist of files copied from 10 CDs, and files maintained for the project on the GCI's shared network drive. A small portion of the collection documents the GCI's efforts to disseminate information through publications, and videos. These materials include correspondence and memos, drafts, newsletters, and published assessment reports. The collection also contains reports and documentation from the Tomb of Nefertari project, used during preliminary research, and an internal GCI report evaluating the Tomb of Nefertari project in 2005.

Biographical / historical:

The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) is an operating program of the J. Paul Getty Trust, a not-for-profit cultural and philanthropic organization dedicated to the visual arts. Established in 1985, the GCI's mission is to advance conservation practice in the visual arts, broadly interpreted to include objects, collections, architecture, and cultural heritage sites. Working internationally, it serves the conservation community through scientific research, education and training, model field projects, and the broad dissemination of the results of both its own work and the work of others in the field. In all its endeavors, the GCI focuses on the creation and dissemination of knowledge that will benefit the professionals and organizations responsible for the conservation of the world's cultural heritage.

Through field projects, the GCI works to advance conservation practice worldwide on a range of heritage places including buildings, archaeological sites, and urban environments, and to address problems of regional or international relevance. The field projects that the GCI develops and implements incorporate strong research, planning, and educational objectives. While field projects vary in emphasis, complexity, and scope, all are multidisciplinary and involve working with local partners to build knowledge, skills, and experience and to ensure sustainability.

Projects also adhere to a consistent methodology which includes documentation and recording, diagnostic research and assessment, the development and testing of conservation treatments and strategies, implementation, and, finally, dissemination and training. Field project teams consist of the GCI (and sometimes other Getty) staff, representatives of partner organizations, and external consultants. Team members come from a variety of disciplines and include archaeologists, conservators, curators, engineers, architects, art historians, biologists, geologists, chemists, city planners, surveyors, museum administrators, and site managers.

The GCI's first field project was initiated in 1986, in partnership with the Egyptian Antiquities Organization (EAO), renamed the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) in 1994, to conserve the wall paintings in the 3,200 year-old tomb of Queen Nefertari, located in the Valley of the Queens near Luxor, Egypt. The Valley of the Queens is a major component of the World Heritage site of Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis. The Valley was a burial ground, first for officials, and later for royal wives, daughters, and sons from 1550 to 1080 BCE. A number of threats impact the long-term preservation of the Valley, including lack of effective site management.

In 2006, the GCI returned to the Valley of the Queens to develop a comprehensive plan for the conservation and management of the entire Valley. The Valley of the Queens project, also referred to as the "QV project," was conceived as a collaboration in two phases between the GCI and the SCA, to undertake detailed planning for the conservation and management of the Valley of the Queens and jointly implement the results of the plan; provide training for Egyptian personnel in areas of wall paintings conservation and management of archaeological sites; and coordinate closely with other groups working in the Nile River's West Bank to promote an integrated approach to the conservation of ancient Thebes.

Phase I of the project was scheduled to take place between 2006 and 2009, though some Phase I work continued through 2010. Phase I focused on research, assessment, and planning. Detailed proposals and corresponding plans and tender documents for flood mitigation, tomb stabilization, and site and visitor infrastructure were completed by the GCI and Hamza Associates (Cairo) and issued in 2010. Also completed were condition summaries of 111 tombs from the 18th-, 19th-, and 20th-Dynasties in the Valley of the Queens and subsidiary valleys. The tomb assessments were largely carried out between 2006 and 2009 with additional inputs in 2010 and in brief field seasons from 2012 to 2013. The intended Phase II implementation was interrupted by political events in Egypt in 2011 and again in 2013, though some work was completed intermittently. Conservation of the wall paintings in most of the decorated 19th- and 20th-Dynasty tombs was undertaken in 2012. Additional interventions outside the scope of the GCI-SCA project plan were carried out by the SCA from 2006 to 2012. Other collaborative work between the GCI and Egyptian authorities has included the development of oxygen-free display and storage cases for the Royal Mummies in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and an environmental monitoring study of the Great Sphinx at the Giza Plateau outside Cairo. The GCI has also collaborated with Egyptian authorities on the conservation of the tomb of Tutankhamen.

The GCI published results of the project in two reports: Valley of the Queens Assessment Report, Volume 1: Conservation and Management Planning (2012) and Valley of the Queens Assessment Report, Volume 2: Assessment of 18th, 19th, and 20th Dynasty Tombs (2016). The GCI also produced an informational video summary of the project, "In the Valley of the Queens: Conservation and Management," (2012).

Acquisition information:

The records described in this finding aid were transferred by the Getty Conservation Institute and form part of accession 2025.IA.39.

Processing information:

Processing of the Valley of the Queens project records was completed by Meg Suhosky in 2025.

Digital files were transferred off of CDs in the collection, and each set of files was assigned a unique identifier by the archivist. All CDs were removed from the collection, including four CDs containing duplicate files which were not transferrred. Labels written on the media were transcribed in the container list as titles.

The digital network files in the collection are currently unprocessed. Requests to view the files must be received at least eight weeks in advance. Please note that we may not be able to provide access to all file formats due to software and/or system limitations. For more information or to request access, please contact Library Reference at the Getty Research Institute.

Arrangement:

Records are arranged into three series: Series I. Administrative and general files, 2004-2016, undated; Series II. Field campaigns, 1990s-2014, undated; and Series III. Project dissemination, 2008-2017.

Physical / technical requirements:

Access to digital content in IA50004 is only available on-site. Some files are available on Getty networked computers and in the Special Collections Reading Room.

Please note that we may not be able to provide access to all file formats due to software and/or system limitations. For more information, contact Library Reference at the Getty Research Institute.

Physical location:

Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the library catalog record for this collection. Click here for the access policy. See the Administrative Information section of this finding aid for access restrictions specific to the records described below. Please note, some of the records may be stored off site; advanced notice is required for access to these materials.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Related resources

Related material:

The following materials are offered as additional sources of information on the people, programs, and subjects covered by the records. The listing is not exhaustive.

Tomb of Nefertari Project Records, 1984–1996, undated, J. Paul Getty Trust. Institutional Records and Archives, Getty Research Institute, Finding aid no. IA30008.

Press clippings, 1954-2009, 2013-2015, J. Paul Getty Trust. Institutional Archives, Research Library, Getty Research Institute, Finding aid no. IA30017.

Most of the photos related to the project are held in the Getty Conservation Institute's Visual Resources Library.

Project publications available online: https://www.getty.edu/projects/valley-of-queens/

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Archaeological sites -- Conservation and restoration
Tombs -- Egypt
Architecture, Ancient -- Egypt
Environmental monitoring
Mural painting and decoration, Ancient
Mural painting and decoration -- Conservation and restoration -- Egypt -- Thebes (Extinct city)
Condition reports
Condition surveys
Contracts
Logs (records)
Drawings
Correspondence -- 20th century
Historic structure reports
Inventories
Research (documents)
Digital images
Digital media
Electronic records (digital records)

Names:

Getty Conservation Institute. Field Projects Division

Places:

Valley of the Queens (Egypt)

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:

Meg Suhosky

Date Encoded:

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-11-18 12:22:05 -0800 .

Access and use