KV56

KV56 or Gold Tomb
KV56 or Gold Tomb
Burial site of Unknown royal child
	Gold earrings from KV56
	KV56 or Gold Tomb
Coordinates	25°44′24.2″N32°36′03.9″E / 25.740056°N 32.601083°E Coordinates: 25°44′24.2″N32°36′03.9″E / 25.740056°N 32.601083°E
Location	East Valley of the Kings
Discovered	5 January 1908
Excavated by	Edward R. Ayrton (1908); Nicholas Reeves (1998-2002)
	← Previous; KV55 Next →; KV57

Last updated March 20, 2023

Tomb KV56, also known as the Gold Tomb, is a tomb located in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor, Egypt. It was discovered by Edward R. Ayrton in January 1908 and contained what is thought to be the intact burial of a royal child from the late Nineteenth Dynasty. The burial and casket have disintegrated, leaving a thin layer of gold leaf and stucco in the original location. Most famously the tomb contained spectacular gold and silver jewellery including earrings, rings, silver bracelets with the names of Seti II and Twosret inscribed, and a pair of small silver gloves. The original occupant of this tomb is unknown but was possibly an Eighteenth Dynasty queen.^[1]^[2]

Location, discovery, and layout

The tomb was discovered on 5 January 1908^[3] by Edward Ayrton who was excavating on behalf of Theodore Davis. Excavation was focused on the side valley leading towards the tomb of Amenhotep II; digging began on the northern side at the western end, close to the tomb of Ramesses VI (KV9).^[4] At a depth of 13 feet (4.0 m) below the current ground level, the mouth of a vertical shaft was encountered. The shaft was cut through debris for 5 feet (1.5 m), stabilised on three sides by walls of stacked limestone chips. The shaft descended another 15 feet (4.6 m) into the bedrock, opening out into a single chamber. Both the shaft and chamber were filled with flood debris.^[4]^[5]

The tomb consists of a vertical shaft measuring 8 by 5.6 feet (2.4 m × 1.7 m) cut 15 feet (4.6 m) into the bedrock. The shaft opens to the north to a single unfinished room; the north wall of the chamber has a stepped shape. The room is 25.2 feet (7.7 m) wide; it is the longest on the west side, at 19.05 feet (5.81 m), and shortest along the eastern wall, at 10.4 feet (3.2 m).^[4] The location and layout of the tomb indicate it was originally constructed in the late Eighteenth Dynasty; the shaft is of a similar depth to WV24 but of larger dimensions, and the single chamber would have been the largest of any comparable pit tomb in the Valley, had it been completed.^[2]

Schematic of KV56 KV56.jpg — Schematic of KV56

Excavation and contents

Ayrton removed the flood-washed debris, noting two distinct layers: a top section of flood debris, and a lower level of fine mud. The first finds were pottery and alabaster jars, both whole and fragmented, some of which bore the cartouches of Seti II and Ramesses II. Near the west wall, 6.5 inches (17 cm) from the floor, he encountered a layer of gold leaf and stucco 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) thick covering an area of 4 square feet (0.37 m²). At the southern edge of this deposit was a collection of beads, stone items, and gold and silver objects. On either side of these were blue faience curls and plaques from an inlaid wig. A single uninscribed ushabti carved from alabaster was recovered.^[4]

The gold and silver jewellery recovered from this tomb are among the most spectacular ever uncovered in the Valley of the Kings, giving it the unofficial designation of the 'Gold Tomb'.^[2] The jewellery consisted of a gold circlet decorated with gold flowers whose petals bear the cartouches of Seti II and Twosret; large gold earrings inscribed with the names of Seti II; several pairs of ear studs and earrings of gold and electrum, decorated with beads and enamel; a gold filigree necklace of spherical and pomegranate-shaped beads; a pair of wedjat eyes and a heart amulet in electrum, two shells made of gold, gold amulets in the shape of flies, papyrus flowers, Taweret, heads of Hathor, and Heh, likely all from necklaces; a pair of silver or electrum bracelets depicting Twosret as queen standing before a seated Seti II, three further pairs of bracelets, one of which is for a child, and the plaque from another; nine gold rings, two of which are sized for a child; hands for a child made of silver foil for covering the hands of a mummy or for attaching to a coffin; a single silver sandal; and various gold foil plaques, amulets in the form of animals, and others of carnelian. Maspero and Ayrton suggested that the contents were deposited during the usurpation of Twosret's tomb by Setnakhte, or represents a robber's cache.^[6]^[7]

Cyril Aldred suggested that the area of gold foil and plaster was in fact the remains of a much rotted and flattened coffin. He suggests that, in his haste and without realising, Ayrton had cut through remains of wooden or other organic objects, which would have been reduced to a stain in the sediment, similar to the situation encountered by Guy Brunton in the tomb of Sithathoriunet at El Lahun.^[8] Robbers had entered the tomb in antiquity and looted most of the burial; their entrance was left open for some time, allowing mud and debris to wash in and accumulate before finally flood action sealed the tomb again.^[8] Reeves suggests that the tomb was robbed when already partially filled with mud, resulting in only pieces visible above the infill being taken.^[3] The silver hands, in Aldred's opinion, held the decayed hands of a mummy, as Ayrton retrieved eight of the gold rings from the mud inside. He suggests that the tomb was not a cache of objects but originally contained the burial of a young princess, likely not more than four years old.^[8]

Reinvestigation and original ownership

The tomb was reinvestigated in 1998 and systematically re-excavated between 1999 and 2002 by the Amarna Royal Tombs Project (ARTP), led by Nicholas Reeves. In the years since the initial excavation, the tomb had partially refilled with debris including photographic plates and plastic water bottles. In the centre of the chamber stood a pile of limestone blocks, likely remnants of the original seal, as they were left by Ayrton. The excavation recovered many additional faience wig curls, large quantities of thin gold foil, and additional necklace components and beads, including a gold foil plaque bearing the cartouche of Seti II.^[9]

Reeves has suggested that the intended form of the tomb was square with a single supporting pillar, a layout characteristic of an Eighteenth Dynasty queen's tomb. Furthermore, he suggests that the tomb was dug to receive the Theban reburial of an Amarna Period queen, possibly Nefertiti but more likely Kiya as the shaft is of sufficient width to admit the single burial shrine used in this period. The tomb is close to both KV55 and KV62, which are known to date to the late Eighteenth Dynasty, strengthening the argument for the initial use of the tomb being of contemporaneous dating. Excavations carried out in the area immediately surrounding KV56 yielded Amarna Period material including pottery, a wooden wig fragment from a coffin, a fragment of an alabaster canopic jar, and an ostracon of a priest drawn in Amarna style.^[9]

Related Research Articles

KV55 is a tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. It was discovered by Edward R. Ayrton in 1907 while he was working in the Valley for Theodore M. Davis. It has long been speculated, as well as much disputed, that the body found in this tomb was that of the famous king, Akhenaten, who moved the capital to Akhetaten. The results of genetic and other scientific tests published in February 2010 have confirmed that the person buried there was both the son of Amenhotep III and the father of Tutankhamun. Furthermore, the study established that the age of this person at the time of his death was consistent with that of Akhenaten, thereby making it almost certain that it is Akhenaten's body. However, a growing body of work soon began to appear to dispute the assessment of the age of the mummy and the identification of KV55 as Akhenaten.

Seti II was the fifth pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt and reigned from c. 1203 BC to 1197 BC. His throne name, Userkheperure Setepenre, means "Powerful are the manifestations of Re, the chosen one of Re." He was the son of Merneptah and Isetnofret II and sat on the throne during a period known for dynastic intrigue and short reigns, and his rule was no different. Seti II had to deal with many serious plots, most significantly the accession of a rival king named Amenmesse, possibly a half brother, who seized control over Thebes and Nubia in Upper Egypt during his second to fourth regnal years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twosret</span> Pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty

Twosret, also spelled Tawosret or Tausret was the last known ruler and the final pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt.

Tomb KV46 in the Valley of the Kings is the tomb of the ancient Egyptian noble Yuya and his wife Thuya, the parents of Queen Tiye and Anen. It was discovered in February 1905 by Chief Inspector of Antiquities James E. Quibell, excavating under the sponsorship of American millionaire Theodore M. Davis. Despite robberies in antiquity, the undecorated tomb 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.

Tomb KV19, located in a side branch of Egypt's Valley of the Kings, was intended as the burial place of Prince Ramesses Sethherkhepshef, better known as Pharaoh Ramesses VIII, but was later used for the burial of Prince Mentuherkhepshef instead, the son of Ramesses IX, who predeceased his father. Though incomplete and used "as is," the decoration is considered to be of the highest quality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siptah</span> Pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty

Akhenre Setepenre Siptah or Merenptah Siptah was the penultimate ruler of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. His father's identity is currently unknown. Both Seti II and Amenmesse have been suggested although the fact that Siptah later changed his royal name or nomen to Merneptah Siptah after his Year 2 suggests rather that his father was Merneptah. If correct, this would make Siptah and Seti II half-brothers since both of them were sons of Merneptah.

The area of the Valley of the Kings, in Luxor, Egypt, has been a major area of modern Egyptological exploration for the last two centuries. Before this, the area was a site for tourism in antiquity. This area illustrates the changes in the study of ancient Egypt. Starting as antiquity hunting, and ending as scientific excavation of the whole Theban Necropolis. Despite the exploration and investigation noted below, only eleven of the tombs have actually been completely recorded.

Tomb KV48 is an ancient Egyptian tomb 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, and contained the robbed burial of the Eighteenth Dynasty noble Amenemipet called Pairy.

Tomb KV15, located in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, was used for the burial of Pharaoh Seti II of the Nineteenth Dynasty. The tomb was dug into the base of a near-vertical cliff face at the head of a wadi running southwest from the main part of the Valley of the Kings. It runs along a northwest-to-southeast axis, comprising a short entry corridor followed by three corridor segments, which terminate in a well room that lacks a well, which was never dug. This then connects with a four-pillared hall and another stretch of corridor that was converted into a burial chamber.

Tomb KV47, located in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, was used for the burial of Pharaoh Siptah of the Nineteenth Dynasty. It was discovered on December 18, 1905 by Edward R. Ayrton, excavating on behalf of Theodore M. Davis; Siptah's mummy had been found earlier, cached in KV35. It was the last of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasty kings tombs to be uncovered in the Valley. Ayrton stopped his excavation in 1907 due to safety fears, and Harry Burton returned in 1912 to dig further. The cutting of a side passage was halted after the workmen cut into Side Chamber Ja of the tomb of Tia'a (KV32). The tomb was unfinished at the time of its use.

Tomb KV57 is the royal tomb of Horemheb, the last pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty and is located in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KV49</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb

Tomb KV49, located in the Valley of the Kings, in Egypt is a typical Eighteenth Dynasty corridor tomb. It was the first of a series of tombs discovered in 1906 by Edward R. Ayrton in the course of his excavations on behalf of Theodore M. Davis. The tomb was abandoned before it was completed, and the work was halted as the stairwell in the single chamber was being cut. It was probably used as a store for royal linen, or was used as a mummy-restoration area in the later New Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KV58</span> Ancient Egyptian "Chariot Tomb"

Tomb KV58, known as the "Chariot Tomb", is located in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. It was discovered in January 1909 by Harold Jones, excavating on behalf of Theodore M. Davis. The circumstances of the discovery and specifics of the excavation were only given a passing mention in Davis' account, who attributes the discovery to Edward Ayrton in 1907 instead. The tomb consists of a shaft leading to a single chamber and contained only embossed gold foil, furniture knobs, and a single ushabti. The contents likely originated from the Eighteenth Dynasty tomb of Ay in WV23. Davis considered this tomb to be the burial place of the then little-known pharaoh Tutankhamun.

Tomb KV50 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. Together with KV51 and KV52, it forms a group known as the "Animal Tombs". It contained the burial of a dog mummy and a mummified monkey and is probably associated with the nearby tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KV51</span> Ancient Egyptian "animal tombs"

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KV52</span> Ancient Egyptian "animal tomb"

Tomb KV52 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. Together with KV50 and KV51 it forms a group known as the "Animal Tombs", it contained a mummified monkey, and is probably associated with the nearby tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KV53</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb in the Valley of the Kings

Tomb KV53 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. It has been excavated but never been fully planned, and consists of a single chamber at the end of a shaft.

The Valley of the Kings, also known as the Valley of the Gates of the Kings, is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, rock-cut tombs were excavated for the pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom.

Tiaa or Tiya or Tiy was thought to be the third wife of Pharaoh Seti II, after Takhat and Twosret. Fragments of her burial equipment were found in the tomb of Siptah (KV47), leading to the impression that she might have lived at the end of the 19th Dynasty. However, the king's tomb is connected to the burial of the 18th Dynasty queen Tiaa. The burial equipment of Tiaa mixed into the burial of Siptah. Recent research showed that all artifacts of a queen Tiaa belong to the 18th Dynasty queen. She is thought by some to have been Syrian (Ḫurru). She was once thought to be the mother of Rameses-Siptah, the next Pharaoh of Egypt after the death of his predecessor Seti II. However, Siptah's mother is now known to be a Canaanite woman named Sutailja or Shoteraja from a newly discovered relief in the Louvre museum.

The majority of the 65 numbered tombs in the Valley of the Kings can be considered minor tombs, either because at present they have yielded little information or because the results of their investigation was only poorly recorded by their explorers, while some have received very little attention or were only cursorily noted. Most of these tombs are small, often only consisting of a single burial chamber accessed by means of a shaft or a staircase with a corridor or a series of corridors leading to the chamber, but some are larger, multiple chambered tombs. These minor tombs served various purposes, some were intended for burials of lesser royalty or for private burials, some contained animal burials and others apparently never received a primary burial. In many cases these tombs also served secondary functions and later intrusive material has been found related to these secondary activities. While some of these tombs have been open since antiquity, the majority were discovered in the 19th and early 20th centuries during the height of exploration in the valley.

References

↑ Re-excavating ‘The Gold Tomb’ Archived 16 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
1 2 3 Reeves, Nicholas; Wilkinson, Richard H. (1996). The Complete Valley of the Kings: Tombs and Treasures of Egypt's Greatest Pharaohs (2010 paperback ed.). London: Thames and Hudson. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-500-28403-2.
1 2 Reeves, C. N. (1990). Valley of the Kings: The decline of a royal necropolis. London: Kegan Paul International. pp. 131–133. ISBN 0-7103-0368-8.
1 2 3 4 Davis, Theodore M.; Maspero, Gaston; Ayrton, Edward; Daressy, George; Jones, E. Harold (1908). The Tomb of Siptah; The Monkey Tomb and the Gold Tomb (PDF). London: Archibald Constable and Co., Ltd. pp. 31–32. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
↑ Ayrton, E. R. (1908). "Recent Discoveries in the Biban El Moluk at Thebes". Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology. XXX: 116. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
↑ Davis, Theodore M.; Maspero, Gaston; Ayrton, Edward; Daressy, George; Jones, E. Harold (1908). The Tomb of Siptah; The Monkey Tomb and the Gold Tomb (PDF). London: Archibald Constable and Co., Ltd. pp. XXVIII. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
↑ Davis, Theodore M.; Maspero, Gaston; Ayrton, Edward; Daressy, George; Jones, E. Harold (1908). The Tomb of Siptah; The Monkey Tomb and the Gold Tomb (PDF). London: Archibald Constable and Co., Ltd. pp. 35–46. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
1 2 3 Aldred, Cyril (1963). "Valley Tomb No. 56 at Thebes". The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 49: 176–178. doi:10.2307/3855714. ISSN 0307-5133. JSTOR 3855714 . Retrieved 2 December 2020.
1 2 Reeves, Nicholas. "The Amarna Royal Tombs Project: Four Years' Work, 1998-2002 (2003)" . Retrieved 3 December 2020.

External links

Theban Mapping Project: KV56 includes detailed maps of most of the tombs.

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[1] Re-excavating ‘The Gold Tomb’ Archived 16 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine

[Complete_Valley_153-2] 1 2 3 Reeves, Nicholas; Wilkinson, Richard H. (1996). The Complete Valley of the Kings: Tombs and Treasures of Egypt's Greatest Pharaohs (2010 paperback ed.). London: Thames and Hudson. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-500-28403-2.

[Reeves_Decline-3] 1 2 Reeves, C. N. (1990). Valley of the Kings: The decline of a royal necropolis. London: Kegan Paul International. pp. 131–133. ISBN 0-7103-0368-8.

[Ayrton_31-32-4] 1 2 3 4 Davis, Theodore M.; Maspero, Gaston; Ayrton, Edward; Daressy, George; Jones, E. Harold (1908). The Tomb of Siptah; The Monkey Tomb and the Gold Tomb (PDF). London: Archibald Constable and Co., Ltd. pp. 31–32. Retrieved 2 December 2020.

[Ayrton_PSBA-5] Ayrton, E. R. (1908). "Recent Discoveries in the Biban El Moluk at Thebes". Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology. XXX: 116. Retrieved 24 February 2021.

[Maspero_XXVIII-6] Davis, Theodore M.; Maspero, Gaston; Ayrton, Edward; Daressy, George; Jones, E. Harold (1908). The Tomb of Siptah; The Monkey Tomb and the Gold Tomb (PDF). London: Archibald Constable and Co., Ltd. pp. XXVIII. Retrieved 2 December 2020.

[Daressy_35-46-7] Davis, Theodore M.; Maspero, Gaston; Ayrton, Edward; Daressy, George; Jones, E. Harold (1908). The Tomb of Siptah; The Monkey Tomb and the Gold Tomb (PDF). London: Archibald Constable and Co., Ltd. pp. 35–46. Retrieved 2 December 2020.

[Aldred_1963-8] 1 2 3 Aldred, Cyril (1963). "Valley Tomb No. 56 at Thebes". The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 49: 176–178. doi:10.2307/3855714. ISSN 0307-5133. JSTOR 3855714 . Retrieved 2 December 2020.

[Reeves_2003-9] 1 2 Reeves, Nicholas. "The Amarna Royal Tombs Project: Four Years' Work, 1998-2002 (2003)" . Retrieved 3 December 2020.

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