QV 15
Anonymous
Entryway A
See entire tombA shaft entrance with modern masonry surround provides access to the tomb.
Chamber B
See entire tombA large, undecorated rectangular chamber that lies parallel to the tomb's shaft entrance. A break in the western wall provides access to the QV 16. It is uncertain whether this break was intentional or natural.
Chamber C
See entire tombA square and undecorated side chamber that lies east of chamber B. It has a small side chamber to the southeast.
Side chamber Ca
See entire tombA small, square undecorated side chamber that lies southeast of Chamber C. A pit in the southeast corner leads to lower side chamber Caa.
Side chamber Caa
See entire tombA small irregular, undecorated side chamber that is accessed via a pit in the southeastern corner of side chamber Ca.
About
About
QV 15 lies on the south side of the main Wadi, on the upper slope of a small ridge. QV15 and QV 16 are connected by a long passage, creating one large continuous subterranean space. QV 15 is the larger of the two with one large chamber (B), a smaller chamber (C) that lies to the east of chamber (B), a small side chamber (Ca), as well as a lower shaft and side chamber (Caa). The tomb has a typical shaft entrance (A) with modern masonry surround.
The tomb dates to the 18th Dynasty and as with other tombs from this period, is undecorated. Elizabeth Thomas considered both tombs to be "tandem" in their layout, indicating that consecutive chambers make up the tomb. She notes the presence of small pits 2m deep in both QV 15 and QV 16. Thomas suggested that QV 15 may have been examined by Ernesto Schiaparelli (1903-1905), since the fill is more irregular than usual, with at least one apparent localized excavation. The tomb was last excavated by the Franco-Egyptian Mission in 1987 and was cleared by the CNRS and SCA in 2008.
Noteworthy features:
QV15 and QV 16 are connected by a long passage, creating one large continuous subterranean space.
Site History
QV 15 was constructed in the 18th Dynasty. Based on the archaeological material recovered by the Franco-Egyptian Mission, it was reused during the Late and Roman periods.
Dating
This site was used during the following period(s):
Exploration
Conservation
Conservation History
Previous efforts to stabilize loose rock with mortar was evident at the time of the GCI-SCA assessment in 2006-2008.
Site Condition
According to the GCI-SCA, the entrance to QV 15 is cut into shale lying below a bed of highly fractured, less clay-rich marl. Fracturing of the ceiling and localized rock loss are evident throughout the tomb. Blackening of some of the rock surface is also present, indicative of a fire. Trash littered the chamber floor. The lower shaft in the rear of QV 15 is host to a large community of bats, estimated at around 100 in February 2008. A similar number were present in December 2009. Droppings are visible throughout the tomb. The inherent weakness of the rock and its susceptibility to moisture have led to rock fracturing and localized loss.
Articles
Tomb Numbering Systems in the Valley of the Queens and the Western Wadis
Geography and Geology of the Valley of the Queens and Western Wadis
Bibliography
CNRS mission report: Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France). Rapport d'activité 1987-1988 URA no. 1064, 1987-1988.
Demas, Martha and Neville Agnew (eds). Valley of the Queens. Assessment Report. Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute, 2012, 2016. Two vols.
Macke, André, Christiane Macke-Ribet, Christian Leblanc, and Jacques Connan. Ta set neferou: une necropole de Thebes-Ouest et son histoire: momification, chimie des baumes, anthropologie, paléopathologie. Vol. 5. Cairo: Nubar Printing House, 2002.
Thomas, Elizabeth. The Royal Necropoleis of Thebes. Princeton: privately printed, 1966.
