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.

East Valley[]

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 Discovered Name Time Period Comments Open to visit?
KV1 Antiquity Ramesses VII 20th dynasty Yes (rotation)
KV2 Antiquity Ramesses IV 20th dynasty Yes (rotation)
KV3 Antiquity Unnamed son of Ramesses III 20th dynasty
KV4 Antiquity Ramesses XI 20th dynasty
KV5 1825 Sons of Ramesses II 19th dynasty With 120 known rooms and excavation work still underway, it is probably the largest tomb in the valley.
KV6 Antiquity Ramesses IX 20th dynasty Yes (rotation)
KV7 Antiquity Ramesses II 19th dynasty
KV8 Antiquity Merenptah 19th dynasty Yes (rotation)
KV9 Antiquity Ramesses V and Ramesses VI 20th dynasty Also known as the Tomb of Memnon or La Tombe de la Métempsychose. Yes
KV10 Antiquity Amenmesse 20th dynasty
KV11 Antiquity Ramesses III 20th dynasty Also referred to as Bruce's Tomb, The Harper's Tomb. Yes (rotation)
KV12 Antiquity Unknown 18th and 19th dynasty It was possibly used as a family tomb.
KV13 Antiquity Bay. Later Amenherkhepshef and Mentuherkhepshef 19th and 20th dynasty
KV14 Antiquity Twosret, later reused by Setnakhte 19th and 20th dynasty Yes (rotation)
KV15 Antiquity Seti II 19th dynasty Yes (rotation)
KV16 1817 Ramesses I 19th dynasty
KV17 1817 Seti I 19th dynasty Also known as Belzoni's tomb, the tomb of Apis, or the tomb of Psammis, son of Necho. Yes
KV18 Antiquity Ramesses X 20th dynasty
KV19 1817 Mentuherkhepshef 20th dynasty
KV20 1799 Thutmose I and Hatshepsut 18th dynasty
KV21 1817 Unknown New Kingdom The original owners of these tombs are unknown.
KV26 1820s Unknown New Kingdom The original owners of these tombs are unknown.
KV27 1820s Unknown New Kingdom The original owners of these tombs are unknown.
KV28 1820s Unknown New Kingdom The original owners of these tombs are unknown.
KV29 1820s Unknown New Kingdom The original owners of these tombs are unknown.
KV30 1817 Unknown 20th dynasty Known as Lord Belmore's tomb.
KV31 1817 Unknown New Kingdom The original owners of these tombs are unknown.
KV32 1898 Tia'a 18th dynasty
KV33 1898 Unknown New Kingdom The original owners of these tombs are unknown.
KV34 1898 Thutmose III 18th dynasty
KV35 1898 Amenhotep II 18th dynasty Over a dozen mummies, many of them royal, were relocated here.
KV36 1899 Maiherpri 18th dynasty A noble from the time of Hatshepsut.
KV37 1899 Unknown New Kingdom The original owners of these tombs are unknown.
KV38 1899 Thutmose I 18th dynasty Probably prepared for this king by Thutmose III.
KV39 1899 Possibly the tomb of Amenhotep I 18th dynasty
KV40 1899 Tomb of King's Daughters and Sons 18th dynasty Burials date to the time of Amenhotep III. Later intrusive burials from the 22nd Dynasty are also present.[2]
KV41 1899 Unknown 18th dynasty The tomb may have belonged to Queen Tetisheri?
KV42 1900 Queen Hatshepsut-Meryetre 18th dynasty
KV43 1903 Thutmose IV 18th dynasty
KV44 1901 Unknown New Kingdom The original owners of these tombs are unknown.
KV45 1902 Userhet 18th dynasty Tomb of a noble
KV46 1905 Yuya and Tjuyu 18th dynasty 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 1905 Siptah 19th dynasty Yes (rotation)
KV48 1906 Amenemopet called Pairy 18th dynasty Tomb of a noble.
KV49 1906 Unknown 18th dynasty Tomb was possibly a store room.
KV50 1906 Unknown 18th dynasty Tombs contain animal burials, which were possibly the pets of Amenhotep II, whose tomb is nearby.
KV51 1906 Unknown 18th dynasty
KV52 1906 Unknown 18th dynasty
KV53 1906 Unknown New Kingdom
KV54 1907 Unknown 18th dynasty This was probably an embalming cache for the tomb of Tutankhamun.
KV55 1907 Smenkhkare/Akhenaten 18th dynasty This tomb might be another mummy cache, and once possibly contained the burials of several Amarna Period royals – Tiy and Smenkhkare/Akhenaten.
KV56 1908 Unknown 19th dynasty 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 1908 Horemheb 18th dynasty
KV58 1909 Unknown 18th dynasty Known as Chariot Tomb, the original owner of this tomb remains unknown. Gold foil contains names of Tutankhamun and Ay
KV59 Unknown New Kingdom The original owners of these tombs are unknown.
KV60 1903 Sitre In 18th dynasty Royal nurse of Hatshepsut
KV61 1910 Unknown New Kingdom This tomb appears to have been unused.
KV62 1922 Tutankhamun 18th dynasty 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.

Open to public: Yes

Yes
KV63 2005 Unknown 18th dynasty The purpose of this tomb is currently unknown.
KV64 2011 Singer [the Lady] Nehmes Bastet 18th and 22nd dynasty An unexcavated tomb entrance, discovered in July 2008[3] The tomb was later excavated 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.[4]
KV65 2008 Unknown New Kingdom An unexcavated tomb entrance, discovered in July 2008[3]
KVB – KVT Unknown New Kingdom These are non-burial pits, some of which may have been intended as tombs, others were probably funerary deposits.

West Valley[]

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

Number Discovered Name Time Period Comments
WV22 1799 Amenhotep III New Kingdom It has recently been investigated, but is not open to the public.
WV23 1816 Ay 18th dynasty The only tomb that is open to the public in the West Valley.
WV24 1820s Unknown
WV25 1817 Unknown This tomb may have been started as the Theban burial of Akhenaten, but it was never finished.
WVA 1845 This was a storage chamber for Amenhotep III's tomb which was located nearby.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Theban Mapping Project, tomb numbering systems in the valley". Archived from the original on 2007-02-12. Retrieved 2005-12-05.
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b Zahi Hawass. "Spotlight Interview: 2008". The Plateau: Official Website for Dr. Zahi Hawass. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
  4. ^ 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

External links[]

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