Broughshane archaeologist Alistair Dickey, one of the team that has discovered a 3,000 year old tomb in the Valley of the Kings, is coming home to Northern Ireland. Because of other pre-arranged commitments he is having to leave the history-making dig, which has uncovered the first major find in that region since the 1922 discovery of that of King Tutankhamin's last resting place.
It was, he said, both very exciting and very surreal. The 26-year-old Co Antrim man said yesterday that while he is unable to stay along with the team from the University of Memphis, he will be keeping a close eye on developments, particularly as more incredible discoveries could take place over the coming weeks at the site of the dig in Egypt which has unearthed five mummies with painted funeral masks. Mr Dickey said that they were found in an undecorated single chamber tomb, but that the door is only partially open at present. The team is currently clearing rubble at the foot of the shaft and when that is completed the door will then be fully opened. The top priority then will be searching for hieroglyphs that could identify those who were buried there.
That's the whole thing.