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A project of the American Research Center in Egypt
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Shaft Four, Chamber B
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Shaft 1 Shaft 2 Shaft 3 Shaft 4 Shaft 5 Shaft 6

Entryway 2

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This shaft is cut into a mound on the Wadi floor and leads down to a complex series of chambers. The walls are blackened from fire. 

  • Chamber plan:

    Rectangular
  • Chamber layout:

    Flat floor, no pillars
  • Ceiling:

    Flat

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Entryway 3

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A wide shaft cut into a mound on the floor of the Wadi leads down to the main chamber. The walls are blackened from fire and unplastered.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Entryway 4

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A shaft cut into a mound on the floor of the Wadi leads down to a complex set of chambers. The mouth of the shaft has eroded and the shaft walls are blackened from fire and unplastered.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Entryway 5

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This deep shaft is cut into a mound on the floor of the Wadi and leads down to three separate chambers at different levels. The mouth of the shaft has eroded and the shaft walls are blackened from fire and undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Chamber A

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This chamber lies to the north of the shaft and is orientated north-south. It has one side chamber at the same level and a niche in the eastern wall. The walls and ceiling are blackened from fire and undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Chamber A

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This irregular chamber lies to the north of the shaft entrance and underlies chamber A1. The walls and ceiling are blackened from fire and undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Chamber A

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A large chamber orientated northwest-southeast. The walls are blackened from fire and are undecorated. Two small side chambers lie to the northwest and southeast of the chamber and the western and eastern walls both contain niches. 

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Chamber A

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This large chamber is orientated northwest-southeast and has two side chambers, on to the east and one to the southeast. The walls are blackened from fire and undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Chamber A1

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This small, irregular chamber lies to the north of the shaft entrance and is accessed via a long, narrow passage. It overlies another chamber that is accessed via the shaft. The walls and ceiling of this chamber are blackened by fire and undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Side chamber Aa

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This side chamber lies to the north of the chamber A at the same level. The walls and ceiling are blackened by fire and undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Side chamber Aa

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This side chamber lies to the northwest of chamber A. The walls are blackened from fire and are undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Side chamber Aa

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This side chamber lies to the east of the main chamber and is orientated east-west. The walls are blackened from fire and undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Side chamber Ab

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This side chamber lies to the southeast of the main chamber. The walls are blackened from fire and are undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Side chamber Ab

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This side chamber lies to the southeast of chamber A and is orientated east-west. The walls are blackened from fire and are undecorated

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Chamber B

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This chamber lies to the southeast of the shaft and is orientated north-south. It has four niches cut into the walls, two on the east and two on the west. There is one side chamber to the south that is on the same level, and two side chambers to the south and west that are accessed via ramps cut into the floor. The walls and ceiling in this chamber are blackened by fire and undecorated.

Architectural Features

Pit
Ramps

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Chamber B

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This rectangular chamber lies to the south of the shaft entrance and underlies chamber B1. It has two side chambers, one to the west and one to the south. The walls are irregular, blackened by fire, and are undecorated. 

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Chamber B

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This chamber lies to the southeast of the shaft entrance. It has two side chambers at the same level, one to the west and one to the southeast. A pit in the southeastern end of the chamber floor opens onto stairs leading down to third side chamber and a small passage with stairs to the east leads down to a fourth side chamber. The walls in this chamber are blackened from fire and are undecorated.

Architectural Features

Pit

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Chamber B1

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This large, square chamber lies to the south of the shaft entrance and overlies another main chamber. The walls and ceiling are well cut, blackened by fire, and are undecorated. 

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Side chamber Ba

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This side chamber is accessed through a narrow passage and lies to the southeast of the main chamber at the same level. It overlies another side chamber (Bb) and the floor is elevated above that of the main chamber. It has five niches cut into the walls, one in the northeastern wall, two in the southeastern wall, and two in the southwestern wall. The ceiling and walls in this chamber are blackened from fire and undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Side chamber Ba

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This side chamber lies to the south of chamber B and is orientated northeast-southwest. Four niches are cut into the walls, two on the southeastern side and two on the northwestern side. The walls and ceiling and blackened by fire and undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Side chamber Ba

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This large side chamber lies to the southeast of chamber B. It overlies the fourth side chamber (Bc) and the floor is elevated above that of chamber B. The walls are blackened from fire and are undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Side chamber Bb

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This large, rectangular side chamber lies to the southeast of the main chamber and is accessed through a Ramp cut into the floor at the main chamber's southeastern end. It underlies another side chamber (Ba) and is orientated northwest-southeast. The walls and ceiling are blackened by fire and undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Side chamber Bb

See entire tomb

This small, square side chamber lies to the west of chamber B and is accessed through a narrow passage. The walls and ceiling are well cut, blackened by fire, and are undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Side chamber Bb

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This side chamber lies to the east of chamber B and is accessed by a small passage with stairs. It is orientated northeast-southwest and the walls are blackened from fire and undecorated.

Architectural Features

Steps

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Side chamber Bc

See entire tomb

This smaller, square side chamber lies to the southwest of the main chamber and is accessed via a Ramp cut into the floor at the main chamber's southwestern side. The walls and ceiling are blackened from fire and undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Side chamber Bc

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This side chamber is accessed by stairs leading down from chamber B and underlies chamber Ba. Four niches were cut into the walls, one in the western wall, two in the southeastern wall, and one in the eastern wall. Another side chamber (Bca) lies to the east of this side chamber. The walls and ceiling in this chamber are blackened from fire and are undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Side chamber Bca

See entire tomb

This side chamber lies to the east of side chamber Bc and is orientated east-west. The walls and ceiling are blackened from fire and are undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Side chamber Bd

See entire tomb

This elongated, narrow side chamber lies to the west of chamber B at the same level. It is orientated northwest-southeast and the walls are blackened from fire and undecorated.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

About

About

WB-1 is located in Wadi Bariyah, northwest of Wadi Jabbanat al-Qurud and Wadi al-Gharbi. The site consists of a group of six shaft tombs of varying sizes and depths. The group was brought to the attention of the egyptological community by Howard Carter, who visited the area in 1916-1917 as part of his western wadis survey. He briefly referred to the tombs as five open ‘pits’ located on higher ground within the wadi and dated them to the reign of Amenhetep III based on pottery and a fragment of a canopic jar scattered on the valley floor. Following a survey of the tombs in 2013, the New Kingdom Research Foundation in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MOTA) and the Cambridge Expedition to the Valley of the Kings excavated the 6 shafts of WB-1. 

According to Piers Litherland, co-director of the project, Shafts 1 and 6 are not tombs but either inlets to shafts or embalming pits.

Shaft 2 is the most complex and consists of a shaft leading down into two chambers on different axes (A to the north and B to the south). Chamber A has two side chambers on the same level (Aa and Ab) and Chamber B has 4 side chambers on different levels (Ba and Bd on the same level; Bb and Bc on a lower levels reached by stairs). Side Chamber Bc, which underlies side chamber Ba, has another smaller side chamber to the east (Bca). Chamber A and side chamber Bc also have several niches - chamber A has one in the east and one in the west, and side chamber Bc has one in the east, two in the south, and one in the west.

Shaft 3 lies to the south of Shaft 2 and is the simplest of the shaft tombs. It consists of a shaft leading down into a main chamber (A) and two incomplete side chambers (Aa and Ab) that were storage rooms.

Shaft 4 lies to the west of shafts 2 and 3 and consists of 6 chambers on three different levels. A shaft leads down to two chambers (A and B) on two different axes. Chamber A has one niche to the east and a side chamber to the north (Aa). Chamber B has four niches, two in the east and two in the west, as well as one side chamber on the same level (Ba). Side chamber Ba has five niches, two in the west wall, two in the south wall, and one in the east wall. Ramps in the southwest and south of chamber B lead down into two further side chambers (Bb, which lies below Ba, and Bc).

Shaft 5 lies between shaft 4 and shaft 6 and consists of 6 chambers on two seperate levels. A shaft leads down to both levels. The first level contains two chambers on different axes, one to the north (A1) and a larger, roughly square one to the south (B1). The second level consists of 2 main chambers on two different axes. Chamber A partly underlies chamber A1 and is situated on the north. Chamber B, which is situated on the south, underlies chamber B1 and consists of a large rectangular room with two side chambers to the west and the south (Ba and Bb). Side chamber Ba has four niches, two in the east wall and two in the west wall.

By the time of the NKRF, MOTA, and Cambridge Expedition to the Valley of the Kings excavation, these shafts had already been severely plundered. Several Canopic jars bought and published by Georges Legrain in 1902-1903 have been linked to these tombs (now in the University College London Museum, Cairo Museum, Strasbourg Museum, and in private collections). Piers Litherland and his team found further evidence of looting, destruction, and Damnatio Memoriae - objects from the tomb were purposefully smashed with chisels and others were burnt in order to salvage precious metals like gold. Litherland and Geoffrey Martin, co-directors of the project, have suggested that this could have occurred at any point after the Amarna Period, possibly during the reign of Rameses II or during the reign of Herihor, when the Theban tombs were given a complete overhaul. Furthermore, the damnatio memoriae likely occured due to the owners’ connections with the Amarna Period - the 20 adults and 5 children identified were part of the royal court and family of Amenhetep III and many of the canopic jars recovered reference the “Dazzling City of Aten” or the court of the “Dazzling House of Aten”.

The individuals interred in WB-1 include Tia, probably a daughter of Thutmes IV; Menkheperre, son of Thutmes III; Great royal wife Nebetnehet; several ‘Royal Ornaments’, a title that denotes women of high status and who are attached to the royal household; and individuals with no title, Iwy and Nebamun.  

Noteworthy features:

WB-1 consists of a group of large, complex shaft tombs belonging to the royal family and court members of Thutmes III, Thutmes IV, and Amenhetep III.

Site History

The tombs were constructed during the 18th Dynasty, between the reigns of Thutmes III and Amenhetep III. Following the Amarna Period, tomb contents were removed and destroyed, either during the reign of Ramses II or during the Third Intermediate Period. The mummy of Tia seems to have been removed during the 21st Dynasty and reburied in Shaykh 'Abd al-Qurnah, indicating that some contents were salvaged. Evidence of Roman and Islamic material were recovered from the valley floor around the tomb, suggesting that the Wadi remained active in later periods. 

Dating

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

New Kingdom
Dynasty 18
Thutmes III
New Kingdom
Dynasty 18
Thutmes IV
New Kingdom
Dynasty 18
Amenhetep III

Exploration

1916-1917: Survey and Documentation
Carter, Howard
2013-2014: Survey and Documentation
New Kingdom Research Foundation (NKRF)
2014-present: Publication, Conservation, Excavation
New Kingdom Research Foundation (NKRF), Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Cambridge Expedition to the Valley of the Kings

Conservation

Site Condition

WB-1 was cleared by the New Kingdom Research Foundation, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and the Cambridge Expedition to the Valley of the kings in 2014. The tombs are not open for visitation owing to its distant location in the desert and dangerous nature of entry.

Hieroglyphs

By

Royal Ornament By
Xkr.t-nswt by

Hati

Royal Ornament Hati
Xkr.t-nswt HAt.ti

Hatshepsut

Royal Ornament Hatshepsut
Xkr.t-nswt HAt-Sps(.wt)

Hedjti

Royal Ornament Hedjti
Xkr.t-nswt HD.ti

Henut

Royal Wife Henut
Hmt-nswt Hnwt

Itesresu

Royal Ornament Itesresu
Xkr.t-nswt it.s-rs.w

Iwy

Iwy
iwy

Kafy

Royal Ornament Kafy
Xkr.t-nswt kA.fy

Menkheperre

King's son Menkheperre
sA-nswt mn-xpr-ra

Mutneferet

Royal Ornament Mutneferet
Xkr.t-nswt mwt-nfrt

Nebamun

Nebamun
nb-imn

Nebetnehet

Great Royal Wife, His Beloved, Nebetnehet
Hmt-wrt-nswt mrt.f nbt-nht

Sati

Royal Ornament Sati
Xkr.t-nswt sA.t-ti

Takhat

Royal Ornament Takhat
Xkr.t-nswt tA-xa.t

Tausert

Royal Ornament Tausert
Xkr.t-nswt tA-wsr.t

Tentniut

Royal Ornament Tentniut
Xkr.t-nswt tA-nt-niwt

Tia

King's Daughter Tia
sA.t-nswt tA-aA(.t)

Tuy

Royal Ornament Tuy
Xkr.t-nswt twi

Articles

Foundation Deposits

While more commonly found in association with temple constructions, foundation deposits also have been unearthed at some royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

Bibliography

Raisman, Vivien and Martin Geoffrey Thorndike. Canopic Equipment in the Petrie Collection. Warminster: Aris & Phillips, 1984.