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A project of the American Research Center in Egypt
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Entrances to QV76, QV77, QV78, and view of visitors shelter at QV66 and grotto in background.
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About

About

QV 76 is a single chamber shaft tomb on the north side of the main Wadi, adjacent to the paved path. The entrance to the tomb is filled with large boulders and debris and was not accessible to the GCI assessment team in 2006-2008. The tomb is attributed to Merytra, an 18th Dynasty princess.

Elizabeth Thomas stated that little was left to be learned from the tomb, though it is unclear whether she visited and she does not mention its attribution. The tomb was last cleared by the Franco-Egyptian team in 1987. Archaeological material recovered at that time indicates that the tomb was first used in the 18th Dynasty and then was re-used again during the 21st/22nd Dynasty and the Roman period.

Noteworthy features:

QV 76 is an undecorated single chamber shaft tomb attributed to Princess Merytra.

Site History

Archaeological material recovered at that time indicates that the tomb was first used in the 18th Dynasty and then was re-used again during the 21st/22nd Dynasty and the Roman period.

Dating

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

New Kingdom
Dynasty 18
Third Intermediate Period
Dynasty 21
Graeco-Roman Era
Roman Period

Exploration

1966: Documentation
Thomas, Elizabeth
1987: Excavation
Franco Egyptian Mission
2006-2008: Survey and Documentation
Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA)

Conservation

Site Condition

The tomb was not accessible to the GCI-SCA team in 2006-2008, therefore no condition information was recorded. This tomb is, however, close to the main drainage and in the flood path. 

Hieroglyphs

Princess Merytra

King's Daughter, Merytra
sAt-nswt mrt-ra

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

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.

Dodson, Aidan and Dyan Hilton. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. London: Thames and Hudson, 2004.

Leblanc, Christian. Western Thebes and the Queens of the Two Lands in the New Kingdom. In: Kent R. Weeks (Ed.). The Treasures of the Valley of the Kings: Tombs and Temples of the Theben West Bank in Luxor. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2001: 272-93.

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.