Susan Weeks died by a tragic accidental death of drowning in the Nile at Luxor during the night of December 12/13, 2009, following a party aboard the daihabya "Afandina", moored on the west bank, which she and her husband, famed American Egyptologist Kent R. Weeks, had purchased and restored in 2001. Per her wishes she was buried in the Foreigners' Cemetery near Luxor. She is survived by Kent and two adult children - Christopher and Emily - and a recent grandchild.
She grew up on America's west coast and received a B.A. in Graphic Arts at the University of Washington in 1965. Susan was very interested in archaeology and ancient art and admits to having taken every course available in these subjects at her university. When she learned about the Nubian Salvage Project through Kent Weeks, who was a graduate student at the time, she joined the team at Gebel Adda. She has been working on Ancient Egyptian and Nubian sites with Kent ever since.
Susan had worked alongside Kent in Egypt since 1978, when he initiated the Theban Mapping Project, for which she served as the mission artist. She was at his side during the on going clearance of KV5, the immense Valley of the Kings tomb of the sons of Rameses II, which he had rediscovered in 1995. Her charming pen and ink drawings illustrate the chapter openings of his book on the excavation, The Lost Tomb (1998).
Before working in KV 5, Susan worked on illustrating pottery and flint objects from various places in Egypt including Dakhla Oasis, Hierakonpolis, Giza, Nubia and Fustat. During this work, she and Kent raised their two children, Christopher and Emily. She also spent time working in Yale University's Peabody Museum and the American Museum of Natural History in New York illustrating paleontological subjects such as fossil primates and dinosaurs.
During a regular excavation season in KV 5, Susan labels and bags all the finds from the tomb. She registers objects, pottery, skeletal material, plaster fragments, "and even the tiny charcoal and granite chips." After cleaning and matching up broken pieces, Susan catalogs the pottery according to type. She also draws the pottery and then returns it to the store room in KV 5.
When digging in the tomb stops for any period of time, she takes advantage of the break in work to go down and copy the scenes from the newly excavated walls to paper. Only when no workmen are digging and no dust is airborne can any tracing and recording can be done. This documentation involves many steps including studying the wall to learn what the scene is about, tracing the scenes onto transparent plastic paper on wooden frames, checking and rechecking the tracings, and then inking them. After the day's work in the tomb is done, she recopies notes and inks the reduced drawings for publication.
Susan spoke enthusiastically about her love for her work: "Every morning as we walk into the Valley towards the tomb, I count my blessings. It is a privilege to be able to work here and to share it with my husband. Every day is magic still."
She grew up on America's west coast and received a B.A. in Graphic Arts at the University of Washington in 1965. Susan was very interested in archaeology and ancient art and admits to having taken every course available in these subjects at her university. When she learned about the Nubian Salvage Project through Kent Weeks, who was a graduate student at the time, she joined the team at Gebel Adda. She has been working on Ancient Egyptian and Nubian sites with Kent ever since.
Susan had worked alongside Kent in Egypt since 1978, when he initiated the Theban Mapping Project, for which she served as the mission artist. She was at his side during the on going clearance of KV5, the immense Valley of the Kings tomb of the sons of Rameses II, which he had rediscovered in 1995. Her charming pen and ink drawings illustrate the chapter openings of his book on the excavation, The Lost Tomb (1998).
Before working in KV 5, Susan worked on illustrating pottery and flint objects from various places in Egypt including Dakhla Oasis, Hierakonpolis, Giza, Nubia and Fustat. During this work, she and Kent raised their two children, Christopher and Emily. She also spent time working in Yale University's Peabody Museum and the American Museum of Natural History in New York illustrating paleontological subjects such as fossil primates and dinosaurs.
During a regular excavation season in KV 5, Susan labels and bags all the finds from the tomb. She registers objects, pottery, skeletal material, plaster fragments, "and even the tiny charcoal and granite chips." After cleaning and matching up broken pieces, Susan catalogs the pottery according to type. She also draws the pottery and then returns it to the store room in KV 5.
When digging in the tomb stops for any period of time, she takes advantage of the break in work to go down and copy the scenes from the newly excavated walls to paper. Only when no workmen are digging and no dust is airborne can any tracing and recording can be done. This documentation involves many steps including studying the wall to learn what the scene is about, tracing the scenes onto transparent plastic paper on wooden frames, checking and rechecking the tracings, and then inking them. After the day's work in the tomb is done, she recopies notes and inks the reduced drawings for publication.
Susan spoke enthusiastically about her love for her work: "Every morning as we walk into the Valley towards the tomb, I count my blessings. It is a privilege to be able to work here and to share it with my husband. Every day is magic still."
Susan Weeks died by a tragic accidental death of drowning in the Nile at Luxor during the night of December 12/13, 2009, following a party aboard the daihabya "Afandina", moored on the west bank, which she and her husband, famed American Egyptologist Kent R. Weeks, had purchased and restored in 2001. Per her wishes she was buried in the Foreigners' Cemetery near Luxor. She is survived by Kent and two adult children - Christopher and Emily - and a recent grandchild.
She grew up on America's west coast and received a B.A. in Graphic Arts at the University of Washington in 1965. Susan was very interested in archaeology and ancient art and admits to having taken every course available in these subjects at her university. When she learned about the Nubian Salvage Project through Kent Weeks, who was a graduate student at the time, she joined the team at Gebel Adda. She has been working on Ancient Egyptian and Nubian sites with Kent ever since.
Susan had worked alongside Kent in Egypt since 1978, when he initiated the Theban Mapping Project, for which she served as the mission artist. She was at his side during the on going clearance of KV5, the immense Valley of the Kings tomb of the sons of Rameses II, which he had rediscovered in 1995. Her charming pen and ink drawings illustrate the chapter openings of his book on the excavation, The Lost Tomb (1998).
Before working in KV 5, Susan worked on illustrating pottery and flint objects from various places in Egypt including Dakhla Oasis, Hierakonpolis, Giza, Nubia and Fustat. During this work, she and Kent raised their two children, Christopher and Emily. She also spent time working in Yale University's Peabody Museum and the American Museum of Natural History in New York illustrating paleontological subjects such as fossil primates and dinosaurs.
During a regular excavation season in KV 5, Susan labels and bags all the finds from the tomb. She registers objects, pottery, skeletal material, plaster fragments, "and even the tiny charcoal and granite chips." After cleaning and matching up broken pieces, Susan catalogs the pottery according to type. She also draws the pottery and then returns it to the store room in KV 5.
When digging in the tomb stops for any period of time, she takes advantage of the break in work to go down and copy the scenes from the newly excavated walls to paper. Only when no workmen are digging and no dust is airborne can any tracing and recording can be done. This documentation involves many steps including studying the wall to learn what the scene is about, tracing the scenes onto transparent plastic paper on wooden frames, checking and rechecking the tracings, and then inking them. After the day's work in the tomb is done, she recopies notes and inks the reduced drawings for publication.
Susan spoke enthusiastically about her love for her work: "Every morning as we walk into the Valley towards the tomb, I count my blessings. It is a privilege to be able to work here and to share it with my husband. Every day is magic still."
She grew up on America's west coast and received a B.A. in Graphic Arts at the University of Washington in 1965. Susan was very interested in archaeology and ancient art and admits to having taken every course available in these subjects at her university. When she learned about the Nubian Salvage Project through Kent Weeks, who was a graduate student at the time, she joined the team at Gebel Adda. She has been working on Ancient Egyptian and Nubian sites with Kent ever since.
Susan had worked alongside Kent in Egypt since 1978, when he initiated the Theban Mapping Project, for which she served as the mission artist. She was at his side during the on going clearance of KV5, the immense Valley of the Kings tomb of the sons of Rameses II, which he had rediscovered in 1995. Her charming pen and ink drawings illustrate the chapter openings of his book on the excavation, The Lost Tomb (1998).
Before working in KV 5, Susan worked on illustrating pottery and flint objects from various places in Egypt including Dakhla Oasis, Hierakonpolis, Giza, Nubia and Fustat. During this work, she and Kent raised their two children, Christopher and Emily. She also spent time working in Yale University's Peabody Museum and the American Museum of Natural History in New York illustrating paleontological subjects such as fossil primates and dinosaurs.
During a regular excavation season in KV 5, Susan labels and bags all the finds from the tomb. She registers objects, pottery, skeletal material, plaster fragments, "and even the tiny charcoal and granite chips." After cleaning and matching up broken pieces, Susan catalogs the pottery according to type. She also draws the pottery and then returns it to the store room in KV 5.
When digging in the tomb stops for any period of time, she takes advantage of the break in work to go down and copy the scenes from the newly excavated walls to paper. Only when no workmen are digging and no dust is airborne can any tracing and recording can be done. This documentation involves many steps including studying the wall to learn what the scene is about, tracing the scenes onto transparent plastic paper on wooden frames, checking and rechecking the tracings, and then inking them. After the day's work in the tomb is done, she recopies notes and inks the reduced drawings for publication.
Susan spoke enthusiastically about her love for her work: "Every morning as we walk into the Valley towards the tomb, I count my blessings. It is a privilege to be able to work here and to share it with my husband. Every day is magic still."
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