KV31 | |
---|---|
Burial site of Unknown | |
Coordinates | 25°44′18.8″N32°36′02.0″E / 25.738556°N 32.600556°E |
Location | East Valley of the Kings |
Discovered | October 1817 |
Excavated by | Giovanni Battista Belzoni? (1817) University of Basel (2010–11) |
KV31 is an ancient Egyptian tomb located in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor, Egypt. Only the top of the shaft was known prior to excavation by the University of Basel Kings' Valley Project in 2010, and no earlier excavations are known, although it is suggested that the stone sarcophagus excavated by Giovanni Battista Belzoni in 1817 may have originated from this tomb. The tomb was found to be filled with mixed debris of pottery sherds and linen fragments, as well as the remains of five mummified elite individuals dating to the Eighteenth Dynasty.
The tomb consists of a vertical shaft which leads to a chamber that has an additional two rooms leading from it. [1] The majority of the tomb is cut from good quality limestone bedrock; the first chamber is partly cut from bedrock and partly from conglomerate. [2]
The tomb was likely one of two (the other being KV30) tombs excavated in 1817 by Giovanni Battista Belzoni on behalf of Second Earl Belmore. If this is correct, it may be the origin place of a stone sarcophagus donated by Belmore to the British Museum. [3] It was numbered by Victor Loret in 1898 [4] but no excavation is known. [5]
In January 2010 the University of Basel Kings' Valley Project began their excavation of the tomb, of which only the upper portion of the shaft was known. The shaft proved to be well-cut and descends 5 metres (16 ft) through both accumulated conglomerate and bedrock; the fill within the shaft contained modern rubbish above limestone chips, sand, and rocky debris. Three pots containing Nile mud used for sealing the door of the tomb were found at the bottom of the shaft. The shaft opens onto a main chamber with two adjoining rooms, which were found filled throughout with debris to a depth of at least 1 metre (3.3 ft). [1]
It was immediately apparent that the tomb was thoroughly robbed in the past, as pieces of broken funerary items were scattered around. The remains of several mummies and their wrappings were found within the side chambers. A metal door was installed over the shaft at the conclusion of the excavation to protect the tomb and prevent water and debris from re-entering. [2] The tomb was mapped in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. [6]
The fill in all the rooms was found to contain the same mix of broken pottery, from white-washed and decorated jars, wooden fragments from coffins, large quantities of linen bandages and natron bags and other textiles, and the unwrapped remains of mummies. Also found were fragments from two canopic jars, one of calcite and one of limestone; the latter was inscribed but the space for the owner's name was blank. A piece of a dummy jar inscribed for Sennefer was also encountered. Organic materials, including wood and fabric were found to be in excellent condition. The tomb likely dates to the reigns of Thutmose III and Amenhotep II during the mid-Eighteenth Dynasty. Later finds in the tomb include ostraca, a piece of linen embroidered with the cartouche of Ramesses III, and an ushabti from the Twentieth Dynasty. [1]
Within the two side chambers were found five mummies: two women and three men, all between the ages of 18 and 30. As there are no names with the mummies, each was given a designation based upon the room in which they were found (room C or room D). [7] The unwrapping and scattering of the bodies was likely the work of tomb robbers, both ancient and modern. The mummies were likely unwrapped during the Third Intermediate Period, while the removal of heads and hands is attributed to more modern robbers looking for pieces to sell to early tourists. The report suggests that given the large quantity of pottery recovered from the tomb, these mummies were all originally interred together. The style of mummification seen in the individuals conforms to that seen in the elites of the mid-Eighteenth Dynasty. [8]
This body is female, and 18–25 years old at death based on the degree of epiphysial fusion and the unworn nature of her teeth. Her body is 159–160 centimetres (5.22–5.25 ft) long and her height in life is estimated to have been 155–165 centimetres (5.09–5.41 ft). Short silky black hair remains on her head. The ears have been plugged with linen. Her organs were removed through an incision and the torso filled with dense packing; her brain does not appear to have been removed. The body was damaged by ancient robbers, with her face smashed and her head, right hand, and left foot disarticulated; the limbs are fractured and several fingers and toes are missing. Robbers evidentially cut through the bandages with a sharp blade, as cut marks are seen on the head and on the back of the shoulders. The front wall of the torso was also removed and cut marks are seen on the torso stuffing. [9]
This individual is likely to be a young male aged 20–25 years based on the fusion of the epiphyses and the slightly worn teeth. The body measures 159 centimetres (5.22 ft) and the height in life based on the measurements of the long bones is 165 centimetres (5.41 ft). The front half of the head is covered with layers of linen bandages but they are missing on the back of the head, revealing braided hair. The ears may have been plugged; the brain appears not to have been removed. The organs have been removed and the torso is stuffed with rolls of resin-soaked linen. This body retains much of its bandaging, with the arms and legs preserving at least a dozen layers of fabric. The body is separated into several pieces, with the head and pelvis with the legs being separated from the torso and arms. Cut marks left by robbers are visible in the bandage layers of the face and thighs; a portion of the front wall of the torso has been removed. The body exhibits several post-mortem fractures and parts of both hands and parts of the left foot are missing. [10]
This mummy is likely to be male. His headless body was found with his arms crossed over his chest, with the fingers of the left hand clenched, in the manner of a king. This individual is estimated to be 18–25 years old with a height in life of 175 centimetres (5.74 ft). The torso is stuffed with a dense substance. Thick bandaging is preserved on the right leg from mid thigh to mid calf. Both feet are missing, as is the right hand; the limbs show multiple fractures and dislocations. [11]
Body "C4" is the largely intact body of an individual who is possibly male although no genitalia are seen. The body is 154 centimetres (5.05 ft) long with an estimated stature in life of approximately 160 centimetres (5.2 ft). His hair is short save for longer strands on the right side, suggesting the side-lock of youth. The teeth are a little worn but the wisdom teeth have not erupted; the bottom jaw is completely missing. The left arm is broken but present while the right arm is entirely missing. The legs are dislocated at the knee and feet. The embalming incision may be vertical, which possibly dates the mummy to before the reign of Thutmose III. Cut marks left by robbers are seen on the back of the hip. [12]
This is the highly fragmented body of an adult aged 20–30 years. The individual is possibly female, although this is uncertain. Only the skull, parts of the spine, shoulder blades, sternum, right upper arm, one leg and part of the pelvis remain. The grouping is based on the fact the leg and pelvis portions match, and the presence of a spare head. A living height of 155 centimetres (5.09 ft) based on limb measurements is estimated for a male individual. The brain was not removed. The hair on the head is short and reddish, possibly due to bleaching during embalming. A part of the genitals (possibly male) may be preserved on the left side although ancient damage complicates this. The leg belonged to an individual who was likely fat in life, as the skin is folded over in places. [13]
Tomb KV60 is an ancient Egyptian tomb in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. It was discovered by Howard Carter in 1903, and re-excavated by Donald P. Ryan in 1989. It is one of the more perplexing tombs of the Theban Necropolis, due to the uncertainty over the identity of one female mummy found there (KV60A). She is identified by some, such as Egyptologist Elizabeth Thomas, to be that of the Eighteenth Dynasty pharaoh Hatshepsut; this identification is advocated for by Zahi Hawass.
KV20 is a tomb in the Valley of the Kings (Egypt). It was probably the first royal tomb to be constructed in the valley. KV20 was the original burial place of Thutmose I and later was adapted by his daughter Hatshepsut to accommodate her and her father. The tomb was known to Napoleon Bonaparte's expedition in 1799 and had been visited by several explorers between 1799 and 1903. A full clearance of the tomb was undertaken by Howard Carter in 1903–1904. KV20 is distinguishable from other tombs in the valley, both in its general layout and because of the atypical clockwise curvature of its corridors.
The tomb of Yuya and Thuya, also known by its tomb number KV46, is the burial place of the ancient Egyptian noble Yuya and his wife Thuya. They were the parents of Queen Tiye, the chief wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Their tomb, located in the Valley of the Kings, was discovered in February 1905 by the Egyptologist James E. Quibell, excavating under the sponsorship of American millionaire Theodore M. Davis. The tomb was robbed in antiquity but preserved a great deal of its original contents including chests, beds, chairs, a chariot, and numerous storage jars. Additionally, the riffled but undamaged mummies of Yuya and Thuya were found within their disturbed coffin sets. Prior to the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, this was considered to be one of the greatest discoveries in Egyptology.
Yuya was a powerful ancient Egyptian courtier during the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. He was married to Thuya, an Egyptian noblewoman associated with the royal family, who held high offices in the governmental and religious hierarchies. Their daughter, Tiye, became the Great Royal Wife of Amenhotep III. Yuya and Thuya are known to have had a son named Anen, who carried the titles "Chancellor of Lower Egypt", "Second Prophet of Amun", "Sm-priest of Heliopolis", and "Divine Father".
Thuya was an Egyptian noblewoman and the mother of queen Tiye, and the wife of Yuya. She is the grandmother of Akhenaten, and great grandmother of Tutankhamun.
Tomb KV61 is an unused tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. It was discovered by Harold Jones, excavating on behalf of Theodore M. Davis, in January 1910. The tomb consists of an irregularly-cut room at the bottom of a shaft. It was apparently unused and undecorated, thus its intended owner is unknown.
Tomb KV26 is an ancient Egyptian tomb of the Eighteenth Dynasty located in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. It is located in a side valley leading to the tomb of Thutmose III (KV34). It was visited by the early Egyptologist James Burton in the 1820s or 1830s, and by Victor Loret in 1898. It was mapped in the 1980s by the Theban Mapping Project. The first documented excavation of the tomb was carried out in 2009 by the University of Basel's Kings' Valley Project. The tomb contained evidence of at least one burial and fragmented pottery and stone vessels of mid-Eighteenth Dynasty date but nothing is known about its occupant(s).
Tomb KV30 is an ancient Egyptian tomb located in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. It likely dates to the mid-Eighteenth Dynasty and was used for the burial of an unknown individual. It may have been discovered by Giovanni Belzoni in 1817, working on a commission from the Second Earl Belmore. It was excavated in 2009-2010 by the University of Basel's Kings' Valley Project.
Tomb KV29 is an ancient Egyptian tomb in the Valley of the Kings, in the Theban Necropolis of Egypt. It is located near the mid-Eighteenth Dynasty tombs of Tiaa (KV32), Thutmose II or Merytre-Hatshepsut (KV42), and Thutmose III (KV34). The tomb was known since the 1830s and given the number KV29 in 1899 but no records of an earlier excavation exist. The entrance shaft was previously planned by the Theban Mapping Project in the 1990s. The tomb was first excavated by the University of Basel King's Valley Project in 2011. Excavation continued in 2016 but the rest of the tomb is filled with debris and its layout is unknown.
Tomb KV33 is an ancient Egyptian tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. It is located close to the tomb of Thutmose III, KV34. The tomb dates to the mid-Eighteenth Dynasty and was used for the burial of an unknown individual. The layout is simple, consisting of descending steps and a main chamber with two adjoining rooms. KV33 was discovered by Victor Loret in 1898. The small tomb was open to visitors in the early 1900s when it was described in a tourist guidebook. In modern times, a bench was built over the entrance. In 2012 the tomb was excavated for the first time by the University of Basel's Kings' Valley Project.
Tomb KV37 is an ancient Egyptian tomb located in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. The presence of bone fragments and white-washed storage jars indicate that the tomb was used for a burial, probably in the Eighteenth Dynasty. However, its original occupants are unknown.
Tomb KV40 is located in the Valley of the Kings, in Egypt. Artifacts from the tomb attribute it to 18th Dynasty royal family members, though human remains from the later 22nd Dynasty were interred. Although the tomb was excavated by Victor Loret in 1899, no report was published.
Tomb KV21 is an ancient Egyptian tomb located in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. It was discovered in 1817 by Giovanni Belzoni and later re-excavated by Donald P. Ryan in 1989. It contains the mummies of two women, thought to be Eighteenth Dynasty queens. In 2010, a team headed by Zahi Hawass used DNA evidence to tentatively identify one mummy, KV21A, as the biological mother of the two fetuses preserved in the tomb of King Tutankhamun.
Tomb KV59 is an unused tomb located in the Valley of the Kings, in Egypt. It is located in a side valley between KV37 and KV26 and opposite KV31. It is not known for certain when the tomb was discovered or by whom. It was excavated and mapped in 2010–2011 by the University of Basel. The tomb had filled with debris washed in from several floods and the rock was affected by moisture but otherwise it appeared to be unused.
Tomb KV51 is located in the Valley of the Kings, in Egypt. It was discovered in 1906 by Edward R. Ayrton excavating on behalf of Theodore M. Davis. The tomb, together with KV50 and KV52 forms a group of three known as the "Animal Tombs". It contained the burials of three monkeys, one baboon, one ibis and three ducks, and is probably associated with the nearby tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35).
KV64 is the tomb of an unknown Eighteenth Dynasty individual in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor, Egypt that was re-used in the Twenty-second Dynasty for the burial of the priestess Nehmes Bastet, who held the office of "chantress" at the temple of Karnak. The tomb is located on the pathway to KV34 in the main Valley of the Kings. KV64 was discovered in 2011 and excavated in 2012 by Susanne Bickel and Elina Paulin-Grothe of the University of Basel.
Tutankhamun's mummy was discovered by English Egyptologist Howard Carter and his team on 28 October 1925 in tomb KV62 of Egypt's Valley of the Kings. Tutankhamun was the 13th pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom of Egypt, making his mummy over 3,300 years old. Tutankhamun's mummy is the only royal mummy to have been found entirely undisturbed.
Susanne Bickel is a Swiss Egyptologist. She studied Egyptology in Geneva and then worked at the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo and the Swiss Institute of Egyptian Antiquity. She has worked as an archaeologist on multiple sites in Middle and Upper Egypt. Since 2000 she has been a lecturer at the University of Freiburg and since 2006, professor of Egyptology at the University of Basel where she is an expert on Ancient Egyptian deities and demons. Susanne Bickel's research focuses on religion and Egyptian archaeology, particularly the documentation of Egyptian temples. Bickel is director of the University of Basel Kings' Valley Project and was a member of the team that excavated the KV64 tomb, containing the burial of Nehmes Bastet, in 2011.
Nehmes Bastet or Nehemes-Bastet was an Ancient Egyptian priestess who held the office of "chantress"; she was the daughter of the high priest of Amun. She lived during the Twenty-second Dynasty and was buried in tomb KV64 in the Valley of the Kings. It was excavated in 2012 and discovered to be a reuse of a tomb for the burial of a woman of an earlier dynasty, whose name, as yet, is unknown.
Mummies 317a and 317b were the infant daughters of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Their mother is presumed to be Ankhesenamun, his only known wife, who has been tentatively identified through DNA testing as the mummy KV21A. 317a was born prematurely at 5–6 months' gestation, and 317b was born at or near full term. They are assumed to have been stillborn or died shortly after birth.