Nationality French Name Victor Loret | Fields Egyptology, Archaeology | |
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Alma mater Ecole des Hautes Etudes Known for being the Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Service, and his excavations in the Valley of the Kings. Education Ecole pratique des hautes etudes | ||
Victor Clement Georges Philippe Loret (1 September 1859 – 3 February 1946) was a French Egyptologist.
Biography
Loret studied with Gaston Maspero at the École des Hautes Études. In 1897 he became the head of the Egyptian Antiquities Service. In March 1898, he discovered KV35, the tomb of Amenhotep II in the Valley of the Kings. Amenhotep II's mummy was still located in his royal sarcophagus but the tomb also proved to hold a cache of several of the most important New Kingdom Pharaohs such as Thutmose IV, Amenhotep III, Ramesses III and Thutmose III. The cache of Royal Mummies had been placed in KV35 to protect them from looting by tomb robbers by the 21st Dynasty High Priest of Amun, Pinedjem.
Loret also discovered tombs KV32, KV33, KV36, KV38, KV40, KV41 and KV42. His claim to have discovered KV34 is disputed by some Egyptologists who believe that honour should instead be awarded to one of his local foremen. He also discovered Thutmose III in the Valley of Kings.