The University of Basel Kings Valley Project Finds

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1 The University of Basel Kings Valley Project Finds A New Tomb in the VOK : KV64 Kmt 18 T little by Susanne Bickel & Elina Paulin-Grothe Photos The University of Basel Kings Valley Project he first pharaohs who chose the Valley of the Kings as their burial place still adhered to the tradition of having members of their families and professional entourages interred in the vicinities of their own tombs. It is only after the Amarna period that the Valley became an (almost) exclusively royal necropolis. The numerous non-royal tombs there have received very scientific attention until recently. 1

2 View of the interior of KV64, with the incribed wooden coffin of the tomb s occupant, Nehemes-Bastet, a small funerary stela at its foot end. To be granted a tomb in this particular location was certainly considered an important privilege which, as a counterpart, implied some conditions and restrictions. The most striking rule was the fact that non-royal tombs in the Kings Valley were not allowed any wall decoration, quite in contrast to the wonderfully engraved and painted tomb chapels and burial chambers of the same social groups in other parts of the Theban west bank. Whereas the architectural layout 19 Kmt

3 View of the side wadi of the Valley of the Kings where are located a number of uninscribed 18th Dynasty tombs, as indicated by the inset graphic. The modern stairs leading up to KVs 34 (Tomb of Thutmose III) & 33 are at the far right of the photo. of royal tombs seems to have followed a regular scheme of evolution, each plan building upon and enlarging the one of its predecessor, non-royal tombs show a wide variety of architectural designs. T he University of Basel Kings Valley Project, carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of State for Antiquities, started in Its aim is to explore the side valley leading towards the Tomb of Thutmose III (KV34), where several non -royal tombs were up-to-then unexplored or else very little documented. A number of well-known archaeologists have worked in the area: Giovanni Battista Belzoni was certainly there when he discovered the nearby Tomb of Seti I in 1817; Eugène Lefébure Kmt 20 drew a map of the area and mentioned certain features of the side valley in 1886; Victor Loret discovered the Tomb of Thutmose III (KV34) in 1898; and Howard Carter probably undertook some work there at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. However, no records of the results of their investigations seem to be preserved. From the outset of Basel University s project, the main questions to be answered were: Who was buried in these tombs? What date can be assigned to the use of this area as a non -royal necropolis? Can any typology of the architecture of these tombs be described and perhaps even assigned to the specific social status of the tomb owner? The starting point of this approach was the identification of KV32 as being the Tomb of Queen Tiaa, wife

4 Adapted from the Theban Mapping Project of Amenhotep II and mother of Thutmose IV. This discovery was made in 2001 by the Basel University team, who worked in the lower chambers of the Tomb of Siptah (KV- 47). 2 Exploring the area where the tomb prepared for this king of the late Nineteenth Dynasty cut into the pre existing tomb KV32, fragments of Tiaa s canopic chest and ushabtis were found in the thin layer of dust and debris that remained on the floor of the older construction. To present knowledge, twelve tombs were dug into the wadi leading towards the Tomb of Thutmose III, which lies high up in the cliff face. Tomb KV33 is situated at the same level as the royal tomb, all the others lying either at the bottom of the cliff (KV42, KV37, KV59) or in the lower parts of the sloping hill: KVs 26, 40, 64, 29, 61 on the east side of the wadi, KVs 32, 31, 30 on the west side. 3 Only some of these tombs were accessible and documented by the Theban Mapping Project, others have never been studied, although some were visible in the landscape as shaft openings. In the recent field season of 2012, an additional and entirely unknown tomb (KV64) was discovered. T he precise mapping of all the tombs, as well as a survey and modeling of the area are among the priorities of the Basel project. Only when plans and sections of all the structures of the Valley exist, will it be possible to build a typology and to reflect on the reasons for the great variety of layouts and size of non -royal tombs in 21 Kmt

5 Kmt 22 Left, Workmen of the University of Basel Kings Valley Project in the process of rediscovering the entrance to KV59. Above, The interior of KV30, with a long corridor leading to four side chambers. Below, Interior of KV31, with the remains of destroyed mummies visible near the walls of the chamber.

6 the Kings Valley. KVs 32, 33 and 37 open with a flight of stairs which leads into a corridor or directly into a large room. All the other non-royal sepulchers under study are shaft tombs of very different shapes and sizes. The depths of the shafts vary from four meters to nine meters. These open onto either a single chamber or a central room with two/three side chambers. As mentioned above, none of these tombs has received recorded archaeological investigation. Some were filled with thick layers of debris, which covered what remained of the burial equipment, pottery and human bodies. Other tombs were almost empty. The state of preservation of the remains depends on several factors. Some tombs were penetrated repeatedly by floods of rainwater pouring down through the wadis from the desert plateau. This infiltration of moisture and humidity resulted in the destruction of all organic materials. Even more devastating, however, were the hands of robbers who ransacked the tombs. It is known that social and economic conditions at the very end of the New Kingdom lead to large-scale plundering of tombs all over the Theban necropolis. Not only valuables were taken, the wooden coffins were also frequently removed for recycling, and the brutality with which the mummies were unwrapped and then torn apart is striking. T he Project began with the investigation of KV26 and KV30. The former yielded a complete set of pottery, some sixteen large jars, as well as hes- vases and other vessels. KV30, on the other hand, was almost empty except for some pottery shards and small fragments of wooden coffins, which confirmed, however, that burials took place in the Eighteenth Dynasty. KV59 was not apparent on the surface and only a rough estimation of its position was known. It took two seasons work to relocate the entrance. The tomb is situated in the horizontal bedrock under the very high vertical cliff face on the east side of the path leading to the Tomb of Thutmose III, between tombs KV26 and 37, and opposite KV31. The single chamber of the tomb was filled to half its height with very wet debris, which contained no traces of burial equipment at all. Perhaps this structure was never used, or it was entirely cleared in modern times, before being flooded. KV31 is accessible through a shaft that leads to a central room with two side chambers. It yielded a large number of fragmentary finds. Several seal impressions were recovered in front of the entrance door; large amounts of pottery remained in the tomb, as well as fragments of canopic jars and remains of five mummies, all torn apart and stripped of their linen bandages. All the burials date to the Eighteenth Dynasty. A number of Ramesside inscribed and painted ostraca came into the tomb with the limestone debris that filled it after the continues p.29 Above, KV40 (right) & KV64, as they appear today with protective coverings provided by the University of Basel Kings Valley Project. Below, The entrance shaft to KV64, in the process of being cleared. 23 Kmt

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8 The single, roughly hewn chamber of the interior of KV64, looking towards the entry shaft after clearance of approximately one meter of limestone debris. The 22nd Dyn. interment of Nehemes-Bastet was on the opposite side of the chamber. 25 Kmt

9 The in situ undisturbed mummy of Nehemes-Bastet resting in the basin of her coffin as found. Inset, Detail of the part of the inscription on the coffin basin, where the names of the chantress of Amen & her priest father are inscribed. Kmt 26

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12 Opposite, Face of the coffin of Nehemes-Bastet, with yellowpainted decoration. Right, Detail of the KV64 stela, showing Nehemes-Bastet in the attitude of prayer. The full typology of the stela is still under study by the Authors. from p. 23 antique looting. KV40 is one of the largest tombs in the area. It consists of a deep shaft which opens into a six-meter-long corridor and a large central room with three side chambers. This tomb must have been very intensely used. It contains the extremely scattered remains of several dozens of burials dating to both the Eighteenth Dynasty and the Third Intermediate Period. A heavy fire has blackened all the contents and the walls of the tomb at some yet-undetermined period. During the preparations for a protective brick wall around KV40, a manmade feature was discovered in January 2011, under a heap of large stones, only 1.5 meters from the north side of the shaft edge of KV40. This feature was excavated in January and February, 2012, and it turned out to be a previously unknown tomb which has been given the designation KV64. Since the discovery of Tutankhamen s tomb (KV62) in 1922, only one major find has been made in the Valley of the Kings, by Otto Schaden and his American team in 2006, who found tomb KV63, which had been used as a large embalming cache. 4 KV64 consists of a rather small shaft and a single burial chamber. The shaft contained the original fill from pharaonic times. The entrance to the chamber was blocked with stones; the tomb had obviously never been opened since it was last used for a burial. Underneath this blocking were remains of an earlier wall covered with plaster. This indicated that two burials had taken place at different times. The chamber was filled with debris to approximately a one-meter height. In the northern half of the room, a black-painted anthropoid coffin with painted yellow inscriptions and figures still rested in situ on the surface of the debris. By the foot end of the coffin, a wooden painted stela was leaning against the western wall. The coffin and the stela belong to a chantress of Amen named Nehemes-Bastet. The typology of both coffin and stele, as well as the lady s name and title indicate a date in the Twenty-second Dynasty. An inscription on the coffin reveals that Nehemes-Bastet s father was a priest in the Amen Temple at Karnak; she, therefore, belonged to the Theban upper class during the Libyan period. The practice of reusing tombs in the Valley of the Kings and elsewhere in the Theban necropolis is well known. The find of an undisturbed burial is, however, particularly fortunate. It reveals the original setup and content of the burial. No pottery or furniture or other funerary items were included. The massive wooden coffin is clearly the principal, if not only, object. Its rapidly executed yellow-painted decoration features several funerary 29 Kmt

13 Right, The location of KV- 33 (at bottom left of photo), close by the Tomb of Thutmose III (KV- 34). Both were found by V. Loret in Above, Stairwell leading to KV33. Left, Interior of KV33 before clearance; the tomb has a large central chamber & two side rooms. Opposite, Example of the protective walls built around the uninscribed tombs (here KV26) in the University of Basel concession. motifs (winged disk, henu-barque, Abydos emblem, Horus s four sons, protective goddesses) and offering formulae inscribed on the side of the basin. The mummy was placed directly into the coffin, without cartonnage or visible ornaments. Nehemes-Bastet s body is carefully wrapped with a large linen sheet, a bandage around her head, two bands crossed over her chest and four horizontal bands between her hips and feet. The entire mummy was covered with a black resin, probably for some protective, ritual purpose. The small, painted-wood stela was set up at the foot end of the coffin, slightly obliquely to it, as if to warrant eye contact. It features Lady Nehemes-Bastet in a long festive robe, worshipping a seated falcon god. Underneath the thick layer of debris on which the Twenty-second Dynasty burial was placed, remains of the original Eighteenth Dynasty burial were found. This first burial had been severely looted. Most of the objects were robbed or were left behind in a very fragmentary Kmt 30 state. The coffin, parts of the canopic equipment, pottery and possibly pieces of furniture are missing. None of the remaining finds can help establish with certainty the identity of the person first buried in this tomb. It remains unclear whether a wooden tag referring to a royal daughter belonged to the original owner or came into the tomb with debris from outside. Although the KV64 burial chamber is small and only crudely hewn, the quality of the fragmentary objects, especially pieces of glass and fragments of canopic jars could fit a person from the royal family. The body of the original tomb-owner was stripped of its linen bandaging and torn apart. This destruction was probably caused by robbers several generations before the time when the tomb was reemployed for the burial of Nehemes -Bastet. The thick layer of limestone debris was presumably brought into the burial chamber to cover the sad remains of the original interment and create a kind of a new floor level.

14 Another tomb of great interest could be studied this year for the first time: KV33. This lies high up in the cliff, to the south of the entrance to the Tomb of Thutmose III. It was found in 1898 by Victor Loret, at the same time as the pharaonic burial. KV34 seems to have required so much of the French archaeologist s attention that he only briefly mentioned the existence of KV33, without giving any detail. The only known description is to be found in a Baedecker guidebook of the early Twentith Century, stating that the place had two rooms and was uninteresting. A concrete bench was built over its entrance. The possibility of removing this brought to light a flight of ten precisely cut steps which lead to a door opening into a large square room with two small side chambers. All three rooms were cut very accurately and the walls show original chisel marks on their whitish surfaces. The spaces are filled with limestone debris, and on the surface lay many large boulders, which probably belong to the blocking and original filling of the entrance stairwell. The tomb had been thoroughly robbed and many pottery fragments dating to the Eighteenth Dynasty were left on the surface of the debris. Part of the latter consists of loose flood fill, indicating that rain water must have entered this place at some point in the past. The owner of KV33 remains unknown, but the tomb s size and location suggest that it must have been intended for a rather prestigious burial. When the Basel University s Kings Valley Project began, all the shafts that were visible on the surface were filled with plastic bottles and other tourist trash. It was obviously necessary to leave the area in a state where the tomb structures as well as visitors to the Valley were safely protected. As a measure of site management, all the shafts have now been covered with an iron door fixed into brick walls which have been constructed around the original shaft openings. These structures are surrounded by low stonewalls, and the shaft covers have been given a paint coating that fits discretely into the landscape. A lthough the Basel Kings Valley Project is still in progress and the recovered material and certain tombs in our concession still await a detailed study, some preliminary results have emerged. All the non-royal tombs in the area under investigation date to the mid Eighteenth Dynasty, the period between Thutmose III/Amenhotep II and Amenhotep III (ca BC). Every tomb has a different ground plan. Certain tombs, like KV64 and KV26, were used for a single interment, whereas the larger structures probably received several burials. Little can be said so far concerning the exact social status of the tomb owners, except for the certain attribution of KV32 to a queen (Tiaa) and the possible identification of the original interment in KV64 belonging to a royal daughter. When the Valley became an exclusively royal necropolis in the Ramesside period, the Project area, which offers much shade under the steep cliffs, probably became one of the favorite resting places of the workmen engaged in hewing and decorating the royal sepulchers. A votive niche, large amounts of ostraca and graffiti on the cliff walls testify to their activity. The entire area seems to have been severely looted in antiquity, most probably towards the very end of the Twentieth Dynasty. During the Twenty-second Dynasty, certain empty tombs were reused for burials of members of the Theban upper class. Little is known concerning the modern history of the place, no records of early archaeologists are preserved, but it is possible that unofficial digging in the Nineteenth Century brought to light certain objects that are now in museums worldwide with unknown provenance. The University of Basel Kings Valley Project can be found at: projekte/university- of- basel- kings- valley-project/ Notes 1.For the research performed by Donald P. Ryan on some other non-royal tombs, see: tiaa/ 3. The attribution of KV42 is still debated; it has been recently studied and republished by Mohammed el Bialy (Memnonia 10, 1999, ) and does not belong to the concession of Basel University com/ About the Authors Susanne Bickel is professor of Egyptology at Basel University, Switzerland, and head of the University of Basel Kings Valley Project. She has led archaeological projects at Karnak, the Temple of Merneptah at Luxor, Speos Artemidos and Elephantine. Elina Paulin-Grothe is field director of the University of Basel Kings Valley Project. She has been working in the Valley of the Kings since 1998, conducting the work of the Mission Siptah -Ramses X, projekte/misr -mission-siptah-ramses-x/). 31 Kmt