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A project of the American Research Center in Egypt

KV 51
Animal tomb (Baboon, dog)

About the image
Monkey mummies.
More Details

Entryway A

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The entryway is a shallow square shaft.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Undecorated

Dimensions

  • Width:

    1.24 m
  • Length:

    1.44 m
  • Area:

    1.78 m2
  • Orientation:

    241.15°

Chamber B

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This chamber is long and narrow, which could indicate the tomb was to be provided with one or two side chambers.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Undecorated

Dimensions

  • Height:

    1.86 m
  • Width:

    2.66 m
  • Length:

    5.88 m
  • Area:

    15.83 m2
  • Volume:

    29.44 m3
  • Orientation:

    0° from entryway A

Gate B

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The gate leads into chamber B. It was blocked with stones and part of a coffin.

Condition

Excavated
Cutting finished
Undecorated

Dimensions

  • Height:

    1.91 m
  • Width:

    0.74 m
  • Length:

    0.35 m
  • Area:

    0.26 m2
  • Volume:

    0.5 m3
  • Orientation:

    0° from entryway A

About

About

KV 51 is located in the west branch of the southwest Wadi. The tomb consists of an entryway shaft (A) and a single chamber (B). The tomb is undecorated, but contained animal mummies.

Site History

KV 51 is one of a group of three adjacent tombs referred to as the "Animal Tombs." The two others are KV 50 and KV 52. The tombs are said to have belonged to pets of the king, perhaps Amenhetep II, because of the proximity of his tomb (KV 35). But this theory cannot be verified. The tomb was robbed during antiquity.

Dating

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

New Kingdom
Dynasty 18

Exploration

1906: Discovery
Ayrton, Edward Russell
1906: Excavation
Ayrton, Edward Russell

Conservation

Site Condition

The tomb is inaccessible and filled with debris.

Bibliography

Davis, Theodore M., Gaston Maspero, Edward Ayrton, Georges Daressy and E.H. Jones.  The Tomb of Siphtah (= Theodore M. Davis' Excavations, Biban el Moluk, 4).  London, 1908.  Pp. 17-18.

Helck, Wolfgang.  Königsgräbertal.  Wolfgang Helck, Eberhart Otto and Wolfhart Westendorf (eds.).  Lexikon der Ägyptologie.  7 vols. Wiesbaden, 1972-1992.  3: 522.

Reeves, Carl Nicholas.  Valley of the Kings: The Decline of a Royal Necropolis (= Studies in Egyptology).  London:  KPI, 1990. Pp. 170.

Weeks, Kent R. (ed.).  Atlas of the Valley of the Kings (= Publications of the Theban Mapping Project, 1).  Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2000.  Map sheet 63.

Wilkinson, Richard H. and Carl Nicholas Reeves.  The Complete Valley of the Kings.  London:  Thames and Hudson, 1996.  P. 185.