KV63
Encyclopedia
KV63 is the most recently opened chamber in Egypt
's Valley of the Kings
pharaonic
necropolis
. Initially believed to be a royal tomb
, it is now believed to have been a storage chamber for the mummification process.
The chamber contained seven wooden coffins and many large storage jars. All coffins have now been opened, and were found to contain only mummification
materials, with the jars also containing mummification supplies including salts, linens, and deliberately broken pottery.
Some clay seal impressions contain text, such as the partial word 'pa-aten,' part of the name used by Tutankhamun's wife, Ankhesenamun
. This inscription, the architectural style of the chamber, and the form of the coffins and jars all point to an Eighteenth Dynasty date, roughly contemporary with Tutankhamun
, whose tomb is nearby.
, which credited the find to a team of U.S.
archaeologists from the University of Memphis
, under the leadership of Dr. Otto Schaden
. The chamber — given the name "KV63" in accordance with the sequential numbering convention used in the Valley — was initially thought to be a tomb, the first new one to be revealed there since the discovery of KV62
, the tomb of Tutankhamun
, by Howard Carter
in 1922.
KV63 is located in the area between KV10
(Amenmesse
) and KV62 (Tutankhamun), in the very centre of the Valley's eastern branch and near the main crossroads of the network of paths traversed by thousands of tourists every day.
The discovery was made as the archaeological team was excavating the remains of 19th dynasty
workmen's huts at the entrance to KV10, looking for evidence to clarify the succession of Amenmesse. The area around the huts had accumulated rubble from the occasional flooding. Both Theodore Davis and Howard Carter had dug in the area in the early twentieth century, but had not removed these particular huts. While exploring a layer of dark rock, the dig suddenly came across chips of white stone (these being the last level excavated by Carter). Further exploration revealed a straight edge of cut stone, which turned out to be on the upper lip of a vertical shaft. At that point the team knew they had discovered something much more elaborate and significant than the remains of the tomb-diggers' resthouses. Unfortunately, the discovery came at the very end of the 2004–05 digging season, and further excavations had to be postponed until the team recommenced its work the following autumn.
Zahi Hawass
, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, travelled to Luxor
to visit the new tomb on 10 February 2006, when the international press were also allowed their first glances through the breached door.
and Tjuyu
), thereby dating the construction to the latter portion of the Eighteenth Dynasty (ca. 14th century BCE) of the New Kingdom (16th century to 11th century BCE). It is also broadly speculated that all the three tombs are the work of a same architect, or at least the same school of architects.
The newly revealed shaft descends some five metres. At the bottom of this pit stands a 1.5 metre tall door made of stone blocks. Behind this door, in which the team originally opened up a small window for the 10 February 2006 event, stands the single chamber.
No seals were found on the door, and it was initially believed that KV63 was a reburial and had experienced some intrusion in antiquity. The blocking stones in the doorway were not original, suggesting that the doorway had been opened and closed a few times. The original blocking stones were found inside the tomb, giving evidence that someone had re-entered and sealed the tomb in antiquity.
The chamber measures some four metres by five and has plain white walls. It contained seven wooden coffins, including one scaled for a child and one for a small infant. Two of the adult coffins and the child's coffin feature yellow funerary masks; the others have black funerary masks. It has been suggested that those with yellow faces may have been designed for female occupants. There is extensive termite
damage on some coffins and the result was likened by the excavating team to "black paste"; however, at least two coffins were virtually untouched by termites. These termites seem to have come from the workers' huts above the shaft, and therefore probably date from the pharaonic era. There was no evidence of water damage. However, now that the chamber has been opened, the site is at risk of damage from flash floods.
The identity of the owners of the coffins is unknown. It is possible that the coffins were added to the chamber over a period of time. The collection might be an embalmers' cache or meant for an important family: glass, used for the eyes on one coffin, was a royal monopoly at the time of these burials, and one coffin features arms folded over the torso (not crossed as usually reserved for royalty). Some have resin on them, which might have to be cleaned off to allow identification, as it is possible that the resin obscures the identifying marks. The adult coffin that was at the back of the chamber has visible hieroglyphs under its coating of black resin. The investigating team has not yet announced a translation of any text found on or around the coffins, but hopes remain that the text will help to identify at least one coffin owner.
The chamber also held 28 large storage jars, approximately 75 cm tall, made from both pottery and alabaster. The jars weighed in at around 40 or 43 kg (90–95 pounds), varying slightly in size and weight. Three of them appear to have been broken in antiquity at the rim or lower neck. Most of the jars were discovered with intact lids, but did not bear pharaonic seal impressions. Shortly after their manufacture, the jars were whitewashed while standing in sand, and the bottoms show the original clay. A large ostracon
, not identified to have come from one of the storage jars at this time, was discovered and broken during the modern opening of the tomb.
According to Dr. Schaden, the method of sealing the storage jars had been very deliberate. A mud plug was first inserted, then a seal, and then a large plaster seal. Apparently, the people doing it had thought it of prime importance that it should be done in this very precise manner. This supports the idea that there was a solid reason behind the placing of the artifacts and that the chamber was not merely a dumping ground.
There were quantities of natron
in the chamber, some inside the coffins and some inside little sacks. The jars and contents are similar to those from KV54
, the Tutankhamun
embalming cache
.
Work has been going on to carefully remove the coffins and the storage jars to KV10, which has adequate space for a conservation team to conduct a thorough examination and analysis of the coffins and jars in a proper, scientific manner. A pulley system was devised to facilitate the safe removal of the coffins and jars from the shaft. Grass buckets and bubblewrap were used to lift the jars out from the place where they were packed away for 3000 years. The removal of jars began on 2 March 2006 and most jars have been relocated safely along with one large sealed alabaster jar, which contained small pots packed in mud. Twelve of the storage jars have thus far been examined. Contents include natron
, wood, seeds, shells, carbon, assorted pottery
, small animal bones, papyrus fragments, mud trays, mud seals, and pieces of twine or rope. Egyptologist Salima Ikram is supervising the removal and examination of the contents, a long drawn-out process.
On first examination there appeared to be some kind of stuffing extruding between the lid and the bottom of the youth coffin labeled 'G'. When the coffin was opened this stuffing was revealed to be five pillows., As textile remnants from ancient Egypt are relatively rare, and pillows extremely so, the materials used for these will be of great interest. On May 26, 2006, a 42 cm. pink gold leaf
anthropoid coffinette was discovered inside the youth coffin, under the pillows.
The last and only completely sealed coffin was opened on June 28, 2006. As cameras were rolling, it was revealed that the coffin contained no mummy, only artifacts used for mummification or to decorate a body. It looked like it had once been used, as there was an impression of a human body in the bottom of the coffin. It is theorized that this body was moved or destroyed in antiquity.
Due to its proximity to the tomb of Tutankhamun and the resemblances between the portraits in the sarcophagi, as well as the style contemporary to the 18th Dynasty, it was speculated that the coffins were once used for the bodies of Kiya
and/or even Ankhesenamen, which is supported by the finding of two small golden sarcophagi made to contain small statues that might correspond to her two stillborn children already buried in her husband's tomb, in order to make a connection between them and their mother in the afterlife.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
's Valley of the Kings
Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings , less often called 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, tombs were constructed for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom .The valley stands on the west bank of...
pharaonic
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
necropolis
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
. Initially believed to be a royal tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
, it is now believed to have been a storage chamber for the mummification process.
The chamber contained seven wooden coffins and many large storage jars. All coffins have now been opened, and were found to contain only mummification
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
materials, with the jars also containing mummification supplies including salts, linens, and deliberately broken pottery.
Some clay seal impressions contain text, such as the partial word 'pa-aten,' part of the name used by Tutankhamun's wife, Ankhesenamun
Ankhesenamun
Ankhesenamun was a queen of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. Born as Ankhesenpaaten, she was the third of six known daughters of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten and his Great Royal Wife Nefertiti, and became the Great Royal Wife of her cousin Tutankhamun. The change in her name reflects the changes...
. This inscription, the architectural style of the chamber, and the form of the coffins and jars all point to an Eighteenth Dynasty date, roughly contemporary with Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun , Egyptian , ; approx. 1341 BC – 1323 BC) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty , during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom...
, whose tomb is nearby.
Discovery
The vertical shaft of KV63 was re-discovered on 10 March 2005. The discovery that the shaft led to a chamber was announced on 8 February 2006, by the Supreme Council of AntiquitiesSupreme Council of Antiquities
The Supreme Council of Antiquities is the branch of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture responsible for the conservation, protection and regulation of all antiquities and archaeological excavations in Egypt...
, which credited the find to a team of U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
archaeologists from the University of Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
, under the leadership of Dr. Otto Schaden
Otto Schaden
Otto J. Schaden is an American Egyptologist. He is currently the Field Director of the Amenmesse Tomb Project of the University of Memphis . In addition to his ongoing work on the tomb of Amenmesse in the main arm of the Valley of the Kings, he has also cleared and reinvestigated tombs WV23, WV24,...
. The chamber — given the name "KV63" in accordance with the sequential numbering convention used in the Valley — was initially thought to be a tomb, the first new one to be revealed there since the discovery of KV62
KV62
KV62 is the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings , which became famous for the wealth of treasure it contained. The tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter, underneath the remains of workmen's huts built during the Ramesside Period; this explains why it was spared from the worst of...
, the tomb of Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun , Egyptian , ; approx. 1341 BC – 1323 BC) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty , during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom...
, by Howard Carter
Howard Carter
Howard Carter may refer to:* Howard Carter , English archaeologist who discovered Tutankhamun's tomb* Howard Carter , American basketball player...
in 1922.
KV63 is located in the area between KV10
KV10
Tomb KV10, located in the Valley of the Kings near the modern-day Egyptian city of Luxor, was cut and decorated for the burial of Pharaoh Amenmesse of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. However, there is no proof that he was actually buried here...
(Amenmesse
Amenmesse
Amenmesse was the 5th ruler of the Nineteenth Dynasty in Ancient Egypt, possibly the son of Merneptah and Queen Takhat. Others consider him to be one of the innumerable sons of Ramesses II. Very little is known about this king, who ruled Egypt for only three to four years...
) and KV62 (Tutankhamun), in the very centre of the Valley's eastern branch and near the main crossroads of the network of paths traversed by thousands of tourists every day.
The discovery was made as the archaeological team was excavating the remains of 19th dynasty
Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt
The Nineteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt was one of the periods of the Egyptian New Kingdom. Founded by Vizier Ramesses I, whom Pharaoh Horemheb chose as his successor to the throne, this dynasty is best known for its military conquests in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria.The warrior kings of the...
workmen's huts at the entrance to KV10, looking for evidence to clarify the succession of Amenmesse. The area around the huts had accumulated rubble from the occasional flooding. Both Theodore Davis and Howard Carter had dug in the area in the early twentieth century, but had not removed these particular huts. While exploring a layer of dark rock, the dig suddenly came across chips of white stone (these being the last level excavated by Carter). Further exploration revealed a straight edge of cut stone, which turned out to be on the upper lip of a vertical shaft. At that point the team knew they had discovered something much more elaborate and significant than the remains of the tomb-diggers' resthouses. Unfortunately, the discovery came at the very end of the 2004–05 digging season, and further excavations had to be postponed until the team recommenced its work the following autumn.
Zahi Hawass
Zahi Hawass
Zahi Hawass is an Egyptian archaeologist, an Egyptologist, and former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs. He has also worked at archaeological sites in the Nile Delta, the Western Desert, and the Upper Nile Valley....
, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, travelled to Luxor
Luxor
Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers 487,896 , with an area of approximately . As the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", as the ruins of the temple...
to visit the new tomb on 10 February 2006, when the international press were also allowed their first glances through the breached door.
Description of chamber
The overhang on the shaft of KV63 has been compared with and found to be similar to another Eighteenth Dynasty tombs (that of YuyaYuya
Yuya was a powerful Egyptian courtier during the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt...
and Tjuyu
Tjuyu
Tjuyu was an Egyptian noble goddess, and the mother of queen Tiye, wife of pharaoh Amenhotep III...
), thereby dating the construction to the latter portion of the Eighteenth Dynasty (ca. 14th century BCE) of the New Kingdom (16th century to 11th century BCE). It is also broadly speculated that all the three tombs are the work of a same architect, or at least the same school of architects.
The newly revealed shaft descends some five metres. At the bottom of this pit stands a 1.5 metre tall door made of stone blocks. Behind this door, in which the team originally opened up a small window for the 10 February 2006 event, stands the single chamber.
No seals were found on the door, and it was initially believed that KV63 was a reburial and had experienced some intrusion in antiquity. The blocking stones in the doorway were not original, suggesting that the doorway had been opened and closed a few times. The original blocking stones were found inside the tomb, giving evidence that someone had re-entered and sealed the tomb in antiquity.
The chamber measures some four metres by five and has plain white walls. It contained seven wooden coffins, including one scaled for a child and one for a small infant. Two of the adult coffins and the child's coffin feature yellow funerary masks; the others have black funerary masks. It has been suggested that those with yellow faces may have been designed for female occupants. There is extensive termite
Termite
Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...
damage on some coffins and the result was likened by the excavating team to "black paste"; however, at least two coffins were virtually untouched by termites. These termites seem to have come from the workers' huts above the shaft, and therefore probably date from the pharaonic era. There was no evidence of water damage. However, now that the chamber has been opened, the site is at risk of damage from flash floods.
The identity of the owners of the coffins is unknown. It is possible that the coffins were added to the chamber over a period of time. The collection might be an embalmers' cache or meant for an important family: glass, used for the eyes on one coffin, was a royal monopoly at the time of these burials, and one coffin features arms folded over the torso (not crossed as usually reserved for royalty). Some have resin on them, which might have to be cleaned off to allow identification, as it is possible that the resin obscures the identifying marks. The adult coffin that was at the back of the chamber has visible hieroglyphs under its coating of black resin. The investigating team has not yet announced a translation of any text found on or around the coffins, but hopes remain that the text will help to identify at least one coffin owner.
The chamber also held 28 large storage jars, approximately 75 cm tall, made from both pottery and alabaster. The jars weighed in at around 40 or 43 kg (90–95 pounds), varying slightly in size and weight. Three of them appear to have been broken in antiquity at the rim or lower neck. Most of the jars were discovered with intact lids, but did not bear pharaonic seal impressions. Shortly after their manufacture, the jars were whitewashed while standing in sand, and the bottoms show the original clay. A large ostracon
Ostracon
An ostracon is a piece of pottery , usually broken off from a vase or other earthenware vessel. In archaeology, ostraca may contain scratched-in words or other forms of writing which may give clues as to the time when the piece was in use...
, not identified to have come from one of the storage jars at this time, was discovered and broken during the modern opening of the tomb.
According to Dr. Schaden, the method of sealing the storage jars had been very deliberate. A mud plug was first inserted, then a seal, and then a large plaster seal. Apparently, the people doing it had thought it of prime importance that it should be done in this very precise manner. This supports the idea that there was a solid reason behind the placing of the artifacts and that the chamber was not merely a dumping ground.
There were quantities of natron
Natron
Natron is a naturally occurring mixture of sodium carbonate decahydrate and about 17% sodium bicarbonate along with small quantities of household salt and sodium sulfate. Natron is white to colourless when pure, varying to gray or yellow with impurities...
in the chamber, some inside the coffins and some inside little sacks. The jars and contents are similar to those from KV54
KV54
Tomb KV54 is located in the Valley of the Kings, in Egypt. It was originally excavated by Edward R. Ayrton on behalf of the American lawyer Theodore M. Davis, who funded the work.-Site history:...
, the Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun , Egyptian , ; approx. 1341 BC – 1323 BC) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty , during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom...
embalming cache
Embalming cache
An embalming cache is a collection of material that was used by the Ancient Egyptians in the mummification process and then buried either with or separately from the body...
.
Work has been going on to carefully remove the coffins and the storage jars to KV10, which has adequate space for a conservation team to conduct a thorough examination and analysis of the coffins and jars in a proper, scientific manner. A pulley system was devised to facilitate the safe removal of the coffins and jars from the shaft. Grass buckets and bubblewrap were used to lift the jars out from the place where they were packed away for 3000 years. The removal of jars began on 2 March 2006 and most jars have been relocated safely along with one large sealed alabaster jar, which contained small pots packed in mud. Twelve of the storage jars have thus far been examined. Contents include natron
Natron
Natron is a naturally occurring mixture of sodium carbonate decahydrate and about 17% sodium bicarbonate along with small quantities of household salt and sodium sulfate. Natron is white to colourless when pure, varying to gray or yellow with impurities...
, wood, seeds, shells, carbon, assorted pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
, small animal bones, papyrus fragments, mud trays, mud seals, and pieces of twine or rope. Egyptologist Salima Ikram is supervising the removal and examination of the contents, a long drawn-out process.
On first examination there appeared to be some kind of stuffing extruding between the lid and the bottom of the youth coffin labeled 'G'. When the coffin was opened this stuffing was revealed to be five pillows., As textile remnants from ancient Egypt are relatively rare, and pillows extremely so, the materials used for these will be of great interest. On May 26, 2006, a 42 cm. pink gold leaf
Gold leaf
right|thumb|250px|[[Burnishing]] gold leaf with an [[agate]] stone tool, during the water gilding processGold leaf is gold that has been hammered into extremely thin sheets and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades...
anthropoid coffinette was discovered inside the youth coffin, under the pillows.
The last and only completely sealed coffin was opened on June 28, 2006. As cameras were rolling, it was revealed that the coffin contained no mummy, only artifacts used for mummification or to decorate a body. It looked like it had once been used, as there was an impression of a human body in the bottom of the coffin. It is theorized that this body was moved or destroyed in antiquity.
Due to its proximity to the tomb of Tutankhamun and the resemblances between the portraits in the sarcophagi, as well as the style contemporary to the 18th Dynasty, it was speculated that the coffins were once used for the bodies of Kiya
Kiya
Kiya was one of the wives of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Little is known about her, and her actions and roles are poorly documented in the historical record, in contrast to those of Akhenaten's first royal wife, Nefertiti. Her unusual name suggests that she may originally have been a Mitanni...
and/or even Ankhesenamen, which is supported by the finding of two small golden sarcophagi made to contain small statues that might correspond to her two stillborn children already buried in her husband's tomb, in order to make a connection between them and their mother in the afterlife.
External links
- KV63 Expedition website: 'Dig Diary' of Dr. Otto Schaden with KV-63 Clearance and Excavation photos. See KV-63 Publications Page.
- Question-and-answer session with Roxanne Wilson, staff artist/recorder with the KV-10/KV-63 mission. (28 February 2006)
- Approximate location of KV63
- New Tomb Discovered in the Valley of the Kings (University of Memphis)
- A Concealed Cachet (sic) in Luxor (Zahi Hawass)
- Hypothesis over an "yellow-face" mask's coffin's identification
- U of M-sponsored Find in Egypt Promises More "Wonderful Things" (University of Memphis Press Release)
- The Amenmesse Project (KV10 expedition webpage)
- IEAA KV 63 (IEAA)
News media
- Egypt's New Tomb Revealed (an interactive site by Discovery Channel)
- Pharaonic tomb find stuns Egypt (BBC News, with video footage of tomb)
- Tomb Found in Egypt's Valley of Kings (ABC news, with pictures)
- Tomb of mummies found in Egypt's Valley of the Kings (CBC)
- Experts in new Egypt tomb discovery (The Scotsman)
- New Tomb Found in Valley of Kings (CBS)
- Intact tomb found in Egypt's Valley of the Kings (Washington Post)
- Pharaoh'ld coup for Ulster archaeologist (Belfast Telegraph)
- Michael Slackman, "Tomb Yields Many Mysteries, but no Mummy," New York Times, June 28, 2006