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A project of the American Research Center in Egypt
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Entrance to QV56
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Entryway A

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A steep stepped Ramp provides access to this unfinished tomb. The first five Steps are made of stone blocks, below which are traces of rock-hewn steps. The TMP plan includes the presence of a modern retaining wall in front of the ramp that has since been removed. The entryway was damaged during the flood in 1994 and the retaining wall and steps have deteriorated. The rock on the east side of the tomb's entrance has collapsed and this slope remains unstable. The rock at the bottom of the ramp, however, remains in a stable condition.

Architectural Features

Ramp

Condition

Cutting finished
Damaged structurally
Excavated
Flood Damage

Gate B

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This gate provides access to the unfinished tomb and is undecorated. There is no door preventing access to the tomb.

Condition

Cutting finished
Damaged structurally
Excavated
Flood Damage

Chamber B

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This chamber lies on axis with the tomb's entrance and is unfinished. The relative instability of the rock into which the tomb was cut is probably the main reason for its abandonment.

Condition

Cutting unfinished
Flood Damage
Partly excavated

About

About

QV 56 is located on the north side of the main Wadi. The tomb is entered via a steep stepped Ramp (A). The first five Steps are made of stone blocks, below which are traces of rock-hewn steps leading down into an unfinished chamber (B).  

QV 56 was noted by Heinrich Brugch in 1854. The TMP (1981) section drawing includes the presence of a modern retaining wall in front of the ramp, which has since been removed. The tomb were last cleared out by the Franco-Egyptian Mission in 1987 and was dated to the reign of Rameses I.

Site History

Excavation of the tomb began in the 19th Dynasty, during the reign of Rameses I, and was abandoned shortly afterwards. The relative instability of the rock into which the tomb was cut is probably the main reason for its abandonment.

Dating

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

New Kingdom
Dynasty 19
Rameses I

Exploration

1854: Documentation
Brugsch, Heinrich Karl
1981: Mapping/planning
Theban Mapping Project
1987: Excavation
Franco Egyptian Mission
2006-2008: Survey and Documentation
Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA)

Conservation

Site Condition

QV 56 was damaged during the flood in 1994. According to the GCI-SCA, the retaining wall and the Steps deteriorated during this time. The conglomerate on the east side of the tomb entrance has collapsed and this slope remains unstable. The marl rock at the bottom of the Ramp, however, remains in stable condition. The relative instability of the fan conglomerate, presumably the reason that the tomb was not finished, remains the primary source for eroded material filling the tomb. This, as well as the tomb’s close proximity to the main drainage channel and its exposure to flood water, are the principal causes of the poor condition of QV 56. 

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

Brugsch, Heinrich Karl. Recueil de monuments égyptiens dessinés sur lieux et publiés sous les auspices de Son Altesse le vice-roi d'Égypte Mohammed-Saïd-Pasha par le docteur Henri Brugsch. Leipzig: J.C. Hinrichs'sche Buchhandlung, 1862-1885.

Demas, Martha and Neville Agnew (eds). Valley of the Queens. Assessment Report. Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute, 2012, 2016. Two vols.

Leblanc, Christian. Ta set nefrou: une nécropole de Thèbes-ouest et son histoire, 1: géographie- toponymie: historique de l'exploration scientifique du site. Cairo: Nubar Printing House, 1989.