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A project of the American Research Center in Egypt
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Entrance to QV23
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Entryway A

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Shaft entrance has a modern cemented brick surround spanned by a metal grill.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Undecorated

Chamber B

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Large, rectangular roughly cut and undecorated chamber with blackened walls and ceiling surfaces.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Undecorated

Chamber C

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Small roughly cut, undecorated side chamber with a rear niche and pit shaft in the southeast corner of chamber C.

Architectural Features

Pit

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Undecorated

Chamber Ca

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A small roughly cut and undecorated pit chamber that contained several mummies. The dimensions of the chamber are approximate.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Undecorated

About

About

QV 23 lies on a slight slope on the south side of the main Wadi, a few meters south of the principal pathway and near the SCA guard house. It has one main chamber (B) leading to a smaller chamber (C) at its rear. In this chamber (C) is a shaft leading to a lower side chamber (Ca). The main shaft (A) has a modern cemented brick surround spanned by a metal grill.

The tomb was not visited by Elizabeth Thomas. It was last cleared in 1987-88 by the Franco-Egyptian Mission. Archaeological material from this 18th Dynasty tomb suggests it was reused during the Third Intermediate Period.

Site History

The tomb was constructed in the 18th Dynasty and reused in the Third Intermediate Period.

Dating

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

New Kingdom
Dynasty 18
Third Intermediate Period

Exploration

1987-1988: Publication, Conservation, Excavation
Franco Egyptian Mission
1981: Mapping/planning
Theban Mapping Project
2006-2008: Survey and Documentation
Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA)
2008: Tomb clearance
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA)

Conservation

Site Condition

According to the GCI-SCA, the tomb generally appears stable. It is cut into both marl and shale. The wall and ceiling surfaces in both upper chambers are blackened. Although this blackening made it difficult to assess the nature of the rock, it appears that the lower part of the main chamber (B) is cut into shale, with the upper part appearing to be marl. Most of rock in the main chamber is fractured. Bats were heard during the GCI-SCA inspection in 2006-2009, and are presumed to be roosting in the lower chamber (Ca). The tomb rock is vulnerable to significant damage in the event of flooding or water infiltration.

Articles

Geography and Geology of the Valley of the Queens and Western Wadis

The Valley of the Queens and the Western Wadis are made up of numerous valleys spread out over a vast space of desert, each containing tombs for the New Kingdom queens and other royal family members. The poor quality rock has led to damage in several tombs after suffering from earthquakes and floods.

Bibliography

Aston, D.A. The Theban West Bank from the Twenty-fifth Dynasty to the Ptolemaic Period. In: Nigel Strudwick, and John H. Taylor (Eds.). The Theban Necropolis: Past, Present and Future. London: British Museum, 2003: 138- 63.

Aston, David. Burial Assemblages of Dynasty 21-25. Chronology – Typology – Developments. Denkschriften der Gesamtakademie 54 = Contributions to the Chronology of the Eastern Mediterranean 21. Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2009.

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.