List of burials in the Valley of the Kings

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The following is a list of burials in the Valley of the Kings, in Thebes (modern Luxor, Egypt) and nearby areas.

The numbering system was established by John Gardner Wilkinson in 1821. Wilkinson numbered the 21 tombs known to him (some of which had been open since antiquity) according to their location, starting at the entrance to the valley and then moving south and east. Tombs that have been discovered since then have been allocated a sequential KV number (those in the Western Valley are known by the WV equivalent) in the order of their discovery.[1]

Since the mid 20th century, Egyptologists have used the acronym "KV" (standing for Kings' Valley) to designate tombs located in the Valley of the Kings. Additionally, the acronym "WV" is also used to designate tombs located in the West Valley (of the Kings).

Map[edit]

Table legend[edit]

  •   Tomb is stable and open to visitors[2][a]
  •   Tomb is stable, but closed to visitors
  •   Tomb is unstable and/or unsafe and closed to visitors[a]

East Valley[edit]

Most of the open tombs in the Valley of the Kings are located in the East Valley, and this is where most tourists can be found.

Number Time Period[b] Discovered Intended for Short summary
KV1 20th Dynasty 0001 Antiquity Ramesses VII[3]
KV2 20th Dynasty 0001 Antiquity Ramesses IV[4]
KV3 20th Dynasty 0001 Antiquity Unidentified[c]
KV4 20th Dynasty 0001 Antiquity Ramesses XI[6]
KV5 19th Dynasty 1825 1825 Ramesses II (sons)[7] With 120 known rooms and excavation work still underway, it is probably the largest tomb in the valley.
KV6 20th Dynasty 0001 Antiquity Ramesses IX
KV7 19th Dynasty 0001 Antiquity Ramesses II[8]
KV8 19th Dynasty 0001 Antiquity Merenptah
KV9 20th Dynasty 0001 Antiquity Ramesses V[d] Also known as the Tomb of Memnon or La Tombe de la Métempsychose.
KV10 20th Dynasty 0001 Antiquity Amenmesse While intended for him, there is no direct evidence that Amenmesse was ever buried at this tomb.
KV11 20th Dynasty 0001 Antiquity Ramesses III Also referred to as Bruce's Tomb, The Harper's Tomb.
KV12 18th Dynasty 0001 Antiquity Various This was possibly used as a family tomb.
KV13 19th Dynasty 0001 Antiquity Bay[e]
KV14 19th Dynasty 0001 Antiquity Twosret[f]
KV15 19th Dynasty 0001 Antiquity Seti II
KV16 19th Dynasty 1817 1817 Ramesses I
KV17 19th Dynasty 1817 1817 Seti I[10] Also known as Belzoni's tomb, the tomb of Apis, or the tomb of Psammis, son of Necho.
KV18 20th Dynasty 0001 Antiquity Ramesses X While this tomb was intended for the burial of Pharaoh Ramesses X, it was apparently abandoned while still incomplete.
KV19 20th Dynasty 1817 1817 Ramesses VIII[g]
KV20 18th Dynasty 1799 1799 Thutmose I[h] This tomb has been closed since 1994 due to flooding.
KV21 18th Dynasty 1817 1817 Queen ...[i] The original owner of this tomb is unknown, tombs KV22 to KV25 are part of the west valley mentioned below.
KV26 18th Dynasty 1835 c.1835 Un­known The original owner of this tomb is unknown.
KV27 18th Dynasty 1832 c.1832 Un­known The original owner of this tomb is unknown.
KV28 18th Dynasty 1832 c.1832 Un­known The original owner of this tomb is unknown.
KV29 Un­known 1832 c.1832 Un­known The original owner of this tomb is unknown.
KV30 18th Dynasty 1817 1817 Un­known Known as Lord Belmore's tomb.
KV31 18th Dynasty 1817 1817 Un­known Excavations which mapped KV31 in 2010 & 2011 found the remains of five mummified elite individuals dating to the Eighteenth Dynasty.
KV32 18th Dynasty 1898 1898 Tia'a
KV33 18th Dynasty 1898 1898 Un­known The original owner of this tomb is unknown.
KV34 18th Dynasty 1898 1898 Thutmose III
KV35 18th Dynasty 1898 1898 Amenhotep II During the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt over a dozen mummies were relocated here. Many of these included royalty as indicated by inscriptions on their burial wrappings. This tomb has been closed since 1994 due to flooding.
KV36 18th Dynasty 1899 1899 Maiherpri A noble from the time of Hatshepsut.
KV37 18th Dynasty 1899 1899 Un­known The original owner of this tomb is unknown.
KV38 18th Dynasty 1899 1899 Thutmose I KV38 was used for the reburial of Pharaoh Thutmose I of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Thutmose I was originally entombed in KV20 before being moved here by Thutmose III.
KV39 18th Dynasty 1899 1899 Amenhotep I[j]
KV40 18th Dynasty 1899 1899 Various royal individuals Burials date to the time of Thutmose IV and Amenhotep III, with members of their family being interred in it. Later intrusive burials from the 22nd Dynasty are also present.[12]
KV41 18th Dynasty 1899 1899 Not used This has been described as a shaft rather than a tomb possibly belonging to Queen Tetisheri.
KV42 18th Dynasty 1900 1900 Merytre-Hatshepsut This tomb was originally constructed for Hatshepsut-Meryetre, the wife of Thutmose III. She was never buried here though, and the tomb was later reused by Sennefer (mayor of Thebes during the reign of Amenhotep II).
KV43 18th Dynasty 1903 1903 Thutmose IV
KV44 18th Dynasty 1901 1901 Un­known The original owner of this tomb is unknown.
KV45 18th Dynasty 1902 1902 Userhet Tomb of a noble
KV46 18th Dynasty 1905 1905 Yuya & Tjuyu The parents of Queen Tiy. Until the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, this was the best preserved tomb to be found in the Valley.
KV47 19th Dynasty 1905 1905 Siptah
KV48 18th Dynasty 1906 1906 Amenemipet called Pairy
KV49 18th Dynasty 1906 1906 Storage[j] Tomb was possibly a store room.
KV50 18th Dynasty 1906 1906 Animals (pets) Tombs contain animal burials, which were possibly the pets of Amenhotep II, whose tomb is nearby.
KV51 18th Dynasty 1906 1906 Animals (pets) Tombs contain animal burials, which were possibly the pets of Amenhotep II, whose tomb is nearby.
KV52 18th Dynasty 1906 1906 Animals (pets) Tombs contain animal burials, which were possibly the pets of Amenhotep II, whose tomb is nearby.
KV53 18th Dynasty 1906 1906 Un­known The original owner of this tomb is unknown.
KV54 18th Dynasty 1907 1907 Embalming cache This was probably an embalming cache for the tomb of Tutankhamun.
KV55 18th Dynasty 1907 1907 Smenkhkare &
Akhenaten 		This tomb might be another mummy cache, and once possibly contained the burials of several Amarna Period royals – Tiy and Smenkhkare/Akhenaten.
KV56 19th Dynasty 1908 1908 Un­known Known as the Gold Tomb, the original owner of this tomb is unknown. Items with names of Ramesses II, Seti II and Twosret were found.
KV57 18th Dynasty 1908 1908 Horemheb[13] This tomb has been closed since 1994 due to flooding.
KV58 18th Dynasty 1909 1909 Un­known Known as Chariot Tomb, the original owner of this tomb remains unknown. Gold foil contains names of Tutankhamun and Ay
KV59 Un­known 1885 c.1885 Not used This tomb appears to have been unused
KV60 18th Dynasty 1903 1903 Sitre In KV60 contains the mummy of Sitre In, who was a royal nurse of Hatshepsut. Another mummy was found that could be Hatshepsut herself, this is yet to be proven by DNA.
KV61 Un­known 1910 1910 Not used This tomb appears to have been unused.
KV62 18th Dynasty 1922 1922 Tutankhamun[13] Perhaps the most famous discovery of modern Western archaeology was made here by Howard Carter on November 4, 1922, with clearance and conservation work continuing until 1932. It was the first royal tomb to be discovered still largely intact (although tomb robbers had entered it), and was for many years the last major discovery in the valley.
KV63 18th Dynasty 2005 2005 Storage Initially believed to be a royal tomb, it is now believed to have been a storage chamber for the mummification process.[14]
KV64 18th Dynasty 2011 2011 Nehmes-Bastet The tomb of a priestess, discovered in January 2011.[15] The tomb was excavated in 2012 and was shown to have been used in the 18th as well as in the 22nd dynasty. The Lady Nehmesbastet lived during the 22nd dynasty.[16]

West Valley[edit]

The numbering the West Valley follows in sequence to that of the East Valley, and there are only five known burials/pits in the valley.

Number Time Period[b] Discovered Intended for Comments
WV22 18th Dynasty 1799 Amenhotep III The badly damaged mummy of Amenhotep III was later moved from the tomb, and restored in Year 13 of Smendes, and was ultimately discovered cached in KV35. This tomb was re-excavated in the 1990s, but is not open to the public.
WV23 18th Dynasty 1816 Ay[13] The contents of KV58 likely originated from WV23, as Ay's name occurs more frequently than that of Tutankhamun. "WV23" is the only tomb open to the public in the West Valley.
WV24 18th Dynasty c.1832 Unknown "WV24" is an unfinished tomb that may have been intended for a high ranking noble. It could have also been built as a storage chamber for overflow from the royal burial as seen with WV23 and WVA.
WV25 18th Dynasty 1817 Unknown This tomb may have been started as the Theban burial of Akhenaten, but it was never finished.
KV65 18th Dynasty 2018 Unknown An unfinished tomb entrance, discovered in 2018[17]
WVA 18th Dynasty 1845 Storage This was a storage chamber for Amenhotep III's tomb which is located nearby.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b It's impossible to know when any given tomb will be open or closed to visitation.
  2. ^ a b This column only includes the Dynasty in which the tomb was finished in. Numerous tombs found in the Valley of the Kings were reused during later periods that stretch into the Byzantine Empire.
  3. ^ This tomb was for an unnamed son of Ramesses III.[5]
  4. ^ KV9 was later reused by Ramesses VI as his own.[9]
  5. ^ KV13 was later used to entomb Amenherkhepshef and Mentuherkhepshef.
  6. ^ KV14 was later reused by Setnakhte.
  7. ^ KV19 was intended for Ramesses VIII, but was later used instead by Mentuherkhepshef
  8. ^ KV20 may have been re-cut and refurbished during the reign of Hatshepsut to accommodate the burial of both her and her father.
  9. ^ It has been suggested that KV21 was used for a queen's burial. The two female mummies found within had their left arm crossed on their chest, a pose only used for queens.[11]
  10. ^ a b Unconfirmed

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Theban Mapping Project, tomb numbering systems in the valley". Archived from the original on 2007-02-12. Retrieved 2005-12-05.
  2. ^ Julianna Barnaby. "Visiting The Valley of the Kings: A Practical Guide". The Discoveries Of. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  3. ^ "KV 1 (Rameses VII) – Theban Mapping Project". www.thebanmappingproject.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-15. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  4. ^ "KV 2 (Rameses IV)". www.thebanmappingproject.com. Archived from the original on 2009-05-06. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  5. ^ "KV 3 (Son of Rameses III) – Theban Mapping Project". www.thebanmappingproject.com. Archived from the original on 2012-08-05. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  6. ^ "KV 4 (Rameses XI) - Theban Mapping Project". www.thebanmappingproject.com. Archived from the original on 2009-04-10. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  7. ^ "Audio - Atlas of the Valley of the Kings - Theban Mapping Project". Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  8. ^ Christian Leblanc. "The Tomb of Ramesses II and Remains of His Funerary Treasure". Archived from the original on 2006-09-19. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
  9. ^ "Tomb of Ramesses VI (KV9)". Ministry of Antiquities. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  10. ^ "Tomb of Sety I (KV17)". Ministry of Antiquities. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  11. ^ "KV21 Unknown". Theban Mapping Project. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  12. ^ Susanne Bickel, Princesses, Robbers and Priests – The unknown side of the Kings' Valley, Presentation at a conference at the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy, October 14, 2017, Online; KV 64 discussed at 40:00 onwards
  13. ^ a b c "Tomb of Tutankhamun". Ministry of Antiquities. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  14. ^ "Pharaonic find was mummification room, not tomb", Discovery Channel. Retrieved 29 May 2006.
  15. ^ Bickel, Suzanne; Paulin-Grothe, Elina; Alsheimer, Tanja (2011). "Preliminary Report on the Work Carried out During the Season 2011" (PDF). University of Basel Kings' Valley Project: 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 November 2021.
  16. ^ Susanne Bickel, Princesses, Robbers and Priests – The unknown side of the Kings' Valley, Presentation at a conference at the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy, October 14, 2017
  17. ^ El-Aref, Nevine (10 October 2019). "Zahi Hawass announces two archaeological discoveries by his team in Luxor - Ancient Egypt - Antiquities". Ahram Online. Retrieved 3 April 2023.

External links[edit]

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