Dr.

Dina Ezz El-Din

Associate Professor of Ancient Egyptian Archaeology
Tourist-Guiding Department
Faculty of Tourism and Hotels
Alexandria University
Part One: Royal and private tombs of the New Kingdom: 
- The Valley of the Kings
- The Valley of the Queens
-Tombs of the Nobles
-Tombs of the workmen of Deir el Madina
 During Dynasty 11, a series of Theban princes named Intef
initiated the process of political reunification in Egypt. They
were buried in complexes cut into low gravel hills at Tarif, at
the northern end of the Theban Necropolis. Called saff
tombs (saff meaning "row" in Arabic).
 These complexes were fronted by a long rectangular
courtyard and a western portico consisting of a row pillars
behind which lay rock-cut offering chambers and burial
crypts.
 The king who brought the reunification to completion,
Mentuhetep II, had a monumental platform constructed in
front of the cliff face at the west end of Deir al Bahari.

 This great monument consisted of a mortuary temple

surmounting a substructure
 During the Twelfth Dynasty, the Egyptian rulers built their
pyramids in Lower Egypt. Those of the Seventeenth Dynasty
were buried at Draa Abu el Naga at Thebes.

 The Egyptian kings of the New Kingdom continued to be

buried at Thebes. However they gave their tombs a new
design.
The Theban Necropolis
 The kings of the 18th Dynasty began a trend of separating the
tomb from the mortuary temple. They concealed their
entrances for purposes of protection.

 Additional means of protection were in the form of guardians

called mDAw.

 The tomb of Ahmose the founder of this Dynasty was

probably at Thebes.
 Thutmosis I is the first king for whom there is definite
information that ha was buried in Thebes (Valley of the
Kings).

 The Valley of the Kings remained as a royal necropolis from

the 18th to the 20th Dynasties.

 However, royal mummies found in the Deir el bahari cache

are an evidence for later burials in the valley.
 Location and Names

 The site of the Valley of the Kings contains a number of New

Kingdom tombs (more than 64), they are divided into 2
sections: The eastern valley (the majority of tombs) and the
western section( 4 -6 tombs).
 The valley is dominated by a mountain having the shape of a
pyramid which was perhaps the origin for giving the region
the name Qurna.

 Another symbolic attraction of the valley emerged from the

form of its cliffs which have the shape of the Axt-sign.
 In the Ancient Egyptian language, the valley of the kings was
called:
 Int : valley
 tA int : the valley
 R n tA int: entrance of the valley
 sxt aAt: the Great Field.
 As for the tomb, it was called: pA xr Tomb
 Axt nHH : horizon of eternity
 st nHh :place of eternity;
 st mAat: place of truth
 The design and plan of the tombs:
 There are many common features between all the royal
tombs of the Valley, however, no two tombs are alike.

 There are three major stages of development for the royal

tombs of the valley. They occurred during the 18th, 19th, and
20th Dynasties.
 A-18th Dynasty: Perpendicular axis
 B-19th Dynasty: Jogged or parallel axis
 C-20th Dynasty: Straight axis

A B C
 The traditional plan of the tombs included a main doorway, a
descending corridor, a room for the well, an antechamber,
and a funeral chamber with pillars.
 The well was cut since the reign of Thutmosis III, it intended
first to deceive the robbers or to gather flood water, then it
developed to be a burial shaft associated with Sokar and
Osiris.
 Cutting the Tombs

 After selecting the convenient place for the tomb and

performing the foundation rituals, the construction began by
the workmen of Deir el Madina.
 The construction was controlled by a vizier. The workmen
were divided into two groups (iswt). There was a “right group”
and a “left group”, each one was working under an overseer.
 The workers consisted of diggers or stone-cutters, assisted by
others responsible for carrying away the limestone chippings
in baskets.
 The deeper they dug into the rocks, the harder working
conditions became, because of the lack of air and light.
Therefore, certain pottery torches were used.
 After the digging, polishers and decorators began their work
in the tomb.
 The number of workers varied from one tomb to the other
according to the dimensions of the rooms, corridors, wells
and passages.
 The decoration consisted of religious scenes illustrating the
Sun’s journey through the underworld, the major Afterlife
books were: the imy-dwAt (the oldest of the royal funerary
texts of this period) , the Litany of Re, the Book of Gates, the
book of Caverns ,..etc
 The Major Books of The afterlife:

 1-Imydwat “ That which is the Underworld” imy-dwAt.

 It was called by the Egyptians “The Book of the Secret Chamber
sS n at imnt. It is the earliest work detailing the journey of the
sun-god through the 12 divisions of the underworld which
correspond to the 12 hours of night.
 The earliest version was found in the burial chamber of
Thutmosis I. The complete copies were inscribed in the
tombs of ThutmosisIII and Amenhotep II. Partial versions
are found in most tombs.
 2- Litany of Re:
 It originated in the 18th Dynasty. It acclaims the sun god Re
under 75 different forms and it also praises the king in his
union with the sun god and other deities. It first appeared on
the pillars of the burial chamber of Thutmosis III. From the
time of Seti I it was used in the entrances of most tombs.
 3-Book of Gates:
 It appeared late in the 18th Dynasty and was inscribed in the
burial chamber and first pillared halls of most later tombs. It
refers to 12 gates which divide the hours of night. The most
complete versions are in the tomb of Ramses VI and on the
sarcophagus of Seti I.
 4- The Book of The Dead:
 It was called by the Egyptians : The Book of Coming Forth by
Day r prt m hrw.
 This was a collection of spells, many of which were derived from
the earlier Pyramid Texts and coffin Texts. It was first used by
commoners on papyri starting from the 18th Dynasty. Some parts
were however inscribed on the walls of the tombs of some kings
of the Ramesside Period.
 5-Book of Caverns:
 In this work the underworld is envisaged as a series of caves
or pits over which the sun god passes. It mainly stresses on
the afterlife rewards and punishments. The complete version
appears on the walls of the tomb of Ramses VI.
 6- Book of Heavens:
 These are texts inscribed during the late New Kingdom. They
describe the sun’s passage through the heavens. They are
found in a number of Ramesside burial chambers and in
several passages of the tomb of Ramses VI.
 7- Book of the Earth:
 Some parts of these texts were found on the shrines of
Tutankhamun and in the burial chamber of Ramses VI. They
describe the birth of the new sun.
Description of the tomb of Thutmosis III (KV 34)

 It was discovered in 1898 by Victor Loret and is considered

the oldest tomb in the valley to have a bent axis.
 The entrance is about 30 m. above ground level. The tomb
begins with a stairway, a corridor, a second stairway and a
second corridor before reaching the ritual shaft.
 The antechamber is characterized by containing a list of 741
divinities of the Imy-Dwat, a motif that was never found in
later tombs.
 In the north side of the antechamber a staircase descends to
the burial chamber.
 The roof of the burial chamber is supported by two pillars,
seven of the pillars’ faces are decorated with the Litany of
Rea. The 8th face ( the north face of the pillar facing the
entrance) has a unique scene.
The Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV 62)
 It was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. Carter
found a step of staircase leading down. It was found
under the foundations of the huts in which settled the
workmen of Ramses VI.
 Going downwards, another 15 steps were found
revealing a stairway of 4 m. long, it led to a doorway
that was blocked with stones covered with plaster and
bearing the seals of Tutankhamun.
 Carter then found a passage leading through a second
doorway into an antechamber that gives way to the
burial chamber.
 The tomb was hidden thanks to the builders of the tomb of
Ramses VI, built just above that of Tutankhamun. They put
all the debris coming out of the tomb upon that of
Tutankhamun. They also erected some huts above the debris.

 The treasures found in the tomb were found in the burial

chamber and its storeroom called the Treasury.
 The scenes on the east wall (right hand side from the burial
chamber's entrance) depict the king's funerals. The mummy
is shown being pulled on a sledge in the procession to the
necropolis.
 On the west wall, the First Hour of the Imy-dwat is
represented: Twelve apes are divided into three registers.
Above them are five standing deities and the solar bark with
kheper the sun god depicted as a scarab upon it between two
representations of Osiris.
 On the south wall, the king is depicted between Hathor,
Mistress of the west, and Anubis, god of the necropolis.

 The main scene of the burial chamber is on the north wall,

it shows "Ay" performing the ritual of the "Opening of the
Mouth" to Tutankhamun's mummy.