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A project of the American Research Center in Egypt
About the image
Workers excavate on a slope in one of the small wadisknown as the "Valley of Prince Ahmose" in the Valley of the Queens. In addition to the tomb of Prince Ahmose (QV88), four other tombs were excavated during Schiaparelli's excavations there. Italian Archaeological Expedition excavations. Courtesy of the Egyptian Museum in Turin.
More Details

Entryway A

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A shaft entrance that is considerably eroded and filled with debris. It does not have a protective modern masonry surround.

Condition

Cutting finished
Damaged structurally
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Burial chamber B

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A small, undecorated rectangular burial chamber that is on axis with the entrance. The walls and ceiling are uneven.

  • Chamber plan:

    Rectangular
  • Relationship to main tomb axis:

    Parallel
  • Chamber layout:

    Flat floor, pillars
  • Floor:

    One level
  • Ceiling:

    Flat

Condition

Cutting finished
Damaged structurally
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

About

About

QV 88 lies in the Valley of Prince Ahmose, a small Wadi immediately adjacent to and south of the main wadi. The tomb has a vertical shaft (A) with a single chamber (B) and the entrance has eroded considerably.

Discovered by Ernesto Schiaparelli's mission in 1903, inscriptions found in this tomb attribute it to prince Ahmose, a son of Nebesu and lan. Schiaparelli speculated about Ahmose’s royal origin, although a king named Nebesu is not known in this Dynasty. The funerary goods discovered in the tomb include fragments of mummy wrappings, as well as alabaster and glass jars. Fragments of Canopic jars and ushabti are inscribed with his and his parents' names. A mummified fetus was found by the Italian Archaeological Expedition in 1903 and Schiaparelli records that perfumed oil was sprinkled over the mummy and its fine linen wrappings. The fetus was found within a wooden box, which was also wrapped in linen, and is now on display in the tomb of Amenherkhepshef (QV 55).

Noteworthy features:

The funerary goods discovered in QV 88 include fragments of mummy wrappings, alabaster and glass jars, and fragments of Canopic jars and ushabtis inscribed with Prince Ahmose's and his parents' names.

Site History

The tomb was constructed in the 18th Dynasty.

Dating

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

New Kingdom
Dynasty 18

Exploration

1903: Discovery
Italian Archaeological Expedition
1981: Mapping/planning
Theban Mapping Project
2006-2008: Survey and Documentation
Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA)

Conservation

Site Condition

Since QV 88 is mostly filled with debris, it was not assessed by the GCI-SCA from the interior. However, it is susceptible to continuing erosion from surface water draining through the Valley of Prince Ahmose. While the volume of such water is relatively small compared to that of the main Wadi, the susceptibility of the surrounding rock to water accelerates the rate of decay, as does the lack of a protective surround at the shaft entrance. According to the GCI-SCA, since substantial debris has accumulated in the shaft, it should be entirely reburied and marked for future identification.

Hieroglyphs

Prince Ahmose

King's Son, Ahmose
sA-nswt iaH-ms

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

Ballerini, F. Notizia sommaria degli scavi della missione archeologica italiana in Egitto, anno 1903: Valle delle regine. Torino: Museo di antichità, 1903.

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

Franco, Isabelle. Fragments de «Livre des Morts» sur toile: découverts dans la Vallée des Reines. Bulletin de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale 88 (1988): 71-82.

Leblanc, Christian and Magdi Mohamed Fekri. L’exploration archéologique des vallées laterales de tA st nfrw. Atti del Sesto Congresso Internazionale di Egittologia. Vol. 1. Turin: International Association of Egyptologists, 1993: 259-268.

Leblanc, Christian, and Alberto Siliotti. Nefertari e la valle delle regine. 2nd ed. Florence: Giunti, 2002.

Schiaparelli, Ernesto. Realazione sui lavon della Missione archeologica italiana in Egitto, anni 1903-1020: la tomba intatta dell’architetto Cha: nella necropoli di Tebe. Vol. 2. Turin: Casa editrice Giovanni Chiantore, 1927.