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A project of the American Research Center in Egypt
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Tomb entrances.
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Entryway A

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A rectangular shaft cut in the hillside on an east-west axis, the entryway has a gate at the bottom of its west side.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Undecorated

Dimensions

  • Width:

    1.48 m
  • Length:

    3.2 m
  • Area:

    4.72 m2
  • Orientation:

    262.4°

Gate B

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The gate is located in the west wall of the entryway shaft.

Condition

Excavated
Cutting finished
Undecorated

Dimensions

  • Height:

    1.69 m
  • Width:

    0.97 m
  • Length:

    0.48 m
  • Area:

    0.47 m2
  • Volume:

    0.79 m3
  • Orientation:

    0° from entryway A

Chamber B

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This undecorated rectangular chamber is entered from entryway shaft A and has a north-south longitudinal axis. Two chambers open off the rear (west) wall and one off the left (south) wall.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Undecorated

Dimensions

  • Height:

    2.89 m
  • Width:

    7.66 m
  • Length:

    3.38 m
  • Area:

    25.78 m2
  • Volume:

    74.5 m3
  • Orientation:

    0° from entryway A

Gate Ba

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The gate is located in the left (south) wall of chamber B.

Condition

Excavated
Cutting finished
Undecorated

Dimensions

  • Height:

    2.13 m
  • Width:

    0.94 m
  • Length:

    0.5 m
  • Area:

    0.47 m2
  • Volume:

    1 m3
  • Orientation:

    90° left from chamber B

Side chamber Ba

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This undecorated rectangular chamber off the left (south) side of chamber B has an east-west longitudinal axis. There appears to be a rough indentation in the left (east) wall, but it is uncertain whether it is the start of a cut or a break in the rock.

Condition

Cutting finished
Damaged structurally
Excavated
Undecorated

Dimensions

  • Height:

    2.42 m
  • Width:

    5.79 m
  • Length:

    3.89 m
  • Area:

    22.42 m2
  • Volume:

    54.26 m3
  • Orientation:

    90° left from chamber B

Gate Bb

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The gate is located in the rear (west) wall of chamber B.

Condition

Excavated
Cutting finished
Undecorated

Dimensions

  • Height:

    1.93 m
  • Width:

    0.9 m
  • Length:

    0.5 m
  • Area:

    0.46 m2
  • Volume:

    0.89 m3
  • Orientation:

    0° from chamber B

Side chamber Bb

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This undecorated rectangular chamber is located beyond the rear (west) wall of chamber B to the left (south) of its center. Its longitudinal axis is oriented north-south.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Undecorated

Dimensions

  • Height:

    2.63 m
  • Width:

    4.91 m
  • Length:

    3.56 m
  • Area:

    17.48 m2
  • Volume:

    45.97 m3
  • Orientation:

    0° from chamber B

Gate Bc

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The gate is located in the rear (west) wall of chamber B.

Condition

Excavated
Cutting finished
Undecorated

Dimensions

  • Height:

    1.93 m
  • Width:

    1.18 m
  • Length:

    0.48 m
  • Area:

    0.57 m2
  • Volume:

    1.1 m3
  • Orientation:

    0° from chamber B

Side chamber Bc

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This undecorated rectangular chamber is located beyond the rear (west) wall of chamber B to the right (north) of its midline. Its longitudinal axis is oriented east-west.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Undecorated

Dimensions

  • Width:

    4.07 m
  • Length:

    4.79 m
  • Area:

    19.51 m2
  • Orientation:

    0° from chamber B

About

About

This undecorated tomb of unknown, non-royal ownership is located on the east side of the same hill in which KV 5 and KV 6 are cut, near the head of the southeast branch off the main Wadi. KV 28 lies only a few meters to the northeast and KV 21 to the southwest. Belzoni and Wilkinson may have known of the tomb, although it was not shown on their maps. Lefébure described it briefly, but no documented clearance took place until Ryan cleared debris resulting from at least seven flood events. The rectangular entryway shaft A opens directly into a rectangular chamber (B) with an axis perpendicular to the shaft. Three side chambers open off this chamber with one on the south (Ba) and two on the west (Bb, Bc).

Noteworthy features:

The unusual design of the tomb with its multiple side chambers is similar to KV 5 (but on a smaller scale), and also to KV 12 and KV 30.

Site History

The lack of decoration or texts, as well as the absence of securely datable artifacts, make dating of the tomb difficult. Its location in a branch Wadi near KV 20 and KV 43 may indicate association with either of these tombs. Clearance in side chamber Bc yielded ceramic remains datable to the reigns of Thutmes IV or Amenhetep III.

Dating

This site was used during the following period(s):

New Kingdom
Dynasty 18

Exploration

1990: Excavation
Ryan, Donald P.
1825-1828: Mapping/planning
Wilkinson, John Gardner

Conservation

Conservation History

Rubble walls plastered with cement were recently constructed around the entry shaft to divert flood water.

Site Condition

The tomb has been partially excavated by Donald Ryan of Pacific Lutheran University. The tomb has suffered from flood damage and until recently was used as a shelter.

Bibliography

Aston, David,  Barbara Aston and Donald P. Ryan.  Pottery from Tombs in the Valley of the Kings, KV 21, 27, 28, 44, 45, and 60.  Cahiers de la céramique égyptienne.  Cairo, IFAO. 6 (2000): 11-38.

Helck, Wolfgang.  Königsgräbertal.  Wolfgang Helk, Ebrnart Otto and Wolfhart Westendorf (eds.). elck, Evbermnart Lexikon der Ägyptologie, 3. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1980.  Pp. 520.

Lefebure, Eugène.  Les hypogées royaux de Thèbes, seconde division: Notices des hypogées (=Mémoires publiés par les members de la mission archéologie française au Caire 3, 1).  Paris, 1889.  P. 187.

Reeves, Carl Nicholas.  Valley of the Kings: The Decline of a Royal Necropolis (= Studies in Egyptology).  London:  KPI, 1990. Pp. 154.

Ryan, Donald P.  Return to Wadi Biban el Moluk: The 2nd (1990) Season of the Valley of the Kings Project.  KMT 2,1 (1991): 26-31.

Ryan, Donald P.  Some Observations Concerning Uninscribed Tombs in the Valley of the Kings.  In: Carl Nicholas Reeves, After Tut'ankhamun: Research and Excavation in the Royal Necropolis at Thebes.  London: KPI, 1992.  Pp. 21-27.  

Ryan, Donald P.   Exploring the Valley of the Kings.  Archaeology 47, 1 (1994): 52-61.

Weeks, Kent R. (ed.).  Atlas of the Valley of the Kings (= Publications of the Theban Mapping Project.  Cairo: American University in Cairo, 1).  Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2000.  Map sheet 46.