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A project of the American Research Center in Egypt
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Entrance to QV36
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Entryway A

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This steep stepped Ramp contains 14 Steps now covered in modern cement. 12 of these steps were cut into the hill itself and 2 constructed out of uncut blocks. Both the steps and the ramp walls were also originally plastered, but this has since degraded and only remnants are visible.

Architectural Features

Ramp
Steps

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Undecorated

Gate B

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This gate provides access to the tomb and is now completely destroyed. The jambs and upper part of the gate collapsed. A metal door has been installed to prevent access.

Condition

Cutting finished
Damaged structurally
Excavated

Burial chamber B

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This rectangular chamber lies on axis with the entryway and served as the burial chamber. The ceiling is severely cracked and collapsed due to poor rock quality. Two breaks in the western wall provide access to the adjacent QV 37, the northern most break entering the shaft of QV 37 and the southernmost into into its burial chamber. The breaks seem to have been created from inside QV 36, suggesting that they were cut by looters attempting to enter QV 37.

The reliefs and paintings in this chamber are severely damaged. The placement of scenes follows the 'Satra repertoire' and centers on the solarization and protection of the princess. Spells 15, 17, and 145-46 of the Book of the Dead adorn the east, south, and west walls. A Kheker frieze above a band of text run along the upper parts of the walls and a Serekh facade frieze can be found, in fragments, along the lower parts. The ceiling received a black wash but was never completed. 

  • Chamber plan:

    Rectangular
  • Relationship to main tomb axis:

    Parallel
  • Chamber layout:

    Flat floor, no pillars
  • Floor:

    One level
  • Ceiling:

    Flat

Porter and Moss designation:

Hall

Condition

Cutting finished
Damaged structurally
Decorated
Decoration damaged
Decoration unfinished
Excavated

Decoration

  • Kheker Frieze

    Upper part All walls
  • Text

    Upper part All walls
  • Serekh facade frieze

    Lower part All walls
  • Black wash

    Ceiling
  • Text

    Above Gate Ba (North) wall (upper part)
  • Book of the Dead

    Spells 17 and 145-46. Door, unidentifiable male deity (damaged), falcon-headed deity (damaged), Neit, and another Door. (East) wall
  • Book of the Dead

    Spell 15. Per-Nu (Lower Egyptian) shrine, two fecundity figures carrying offerings, Ka deity (damaged), and the day (mandjet) and night (mesketet) solar barks. (South) wall
  • Deity

    Hery-Ma'at (damaged) (West) wall (right part)
  • Deity

    Neb-Nerou (damaged) (North) wall (left part)

Gate Ba

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This gate is cut into the north wall of the burial chamber and provides access to a small side chamber. The upper parts of the gate are well preserved, while the lower parts are badly damaged. The left thickness contains a very faint draft of the princess in red paint, barely visible, and indicates that the decoration of this gate was never completed.

Condition

Cutting finished
Decoration unfinished
Excavated

Decoration

  • Princess

    Draft in red paint. left thickness

Side chamber Ba

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This small side chamber is lower than the burial chamber, evidenced by a step cut after the gate. The excavation of this chamber was completed and the walls had begun to be plastered. The northern wall seems to have ancient repairs and was consolidated to prevent collapse. The ceiling has collapsed.

Condition

Cutting finished
Damaged structurally
Excavated
Undecorated

Gate Bb

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This gate is cut into the southern wall of the burial chamber and provides access to a larger side chamber. The thicknesses display numerous ancient repairs and are indicative of the poor overall quality of the rock in this tomb. The left thickness is decorated with a sky sign above the image of the princess and the left, a sky sign with the image of a baboon. These reliefs form part of and communicate with the scenes in the burial chamber.

Porter and Moss designation:

3

Condition

Cutting finished
Damaged structurally
Decoration damaged
Excavated

Decoration

  • Princess

    left thickness
  • Baboon

    right thickness

Side chamber Bb

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This side chamber lies on axis with the northerly one (Ba). The walls are cut from better quality rock substrate than the other side room. The ceiling, however, is badly damaged. The walls were prepared with plaster and reliefs were carved but never painted. The scenes relate to the deceased's transformation and rebirth and function as a summary of the 'Opening of the Mouth' iconography seen in later New Kingdom tombs.

Porter and Moss designation:

Inner-room

Condition

Cutting finished
Damaged structurally
Decoration damaged
Excavated

Decoration

  • Deity

    Hornedjetef (form of Horus) (North) wall (right part)
  • Deity

    Kneeling Nut (North) wall (left part)
  • Deities and Mummification materials

    Anubis as jackal (damaged) and squatting Ma'at reclining on chapel. Meret-boxes in front of chapel containing linens for mummification. (East) wall (right part)
  • Deities and Mummification materials

    Anubis as jackal (damaged) and squatting Ma'at reclining on chapel. Meret-boxes in front of chapel containing linens for mummification. (West) wall
  • Deities

    Osiris (damaged) flanked by kneeling Isis (right) and kneeling Nephthys (left) (damaged). (South) wall

About

About

QV 36 is located in the southern branch of the main Wadi, next to the paved visitor path. It is entered through a stepped Ramp (A) leading directly into the burial chamber (B). Two side chambers, (Ba) and (Bb), on axis with each other, lie to the north and south of the burial chamber on its eastern side. The west wall of the burial chamber has two prominent openings allowing access to the adjacent QV 37. According to Anne-Marie Loyrette, these were cut from inside the burial chamber of QV 36 and suggest that they were created by looters attempting to enter QV 37.

Ernesto Schiaparelli referred to the tomb owner as "Regina Innominata" as no Cartouche was found on the walls of the tomb to identify the owner. Only the title 'King's Daughter of His Body' survives and spaces were left blank throughout the tomb for insertion of the cartouche. Christian Leblanc dates the tomb to the early 19th Dynasty based on location and architectural form. The unidentified princess may have been the daughter of Seti I or Rameses I. It seems that construction was halted due to collapses within the tomb. Only small areas of raised relief painting survive in main chamber (B), concentrated mainly on the upper half of the south wall. There is almost no painting surviving on the east and west walls and only fragmentary areas around the doorway on the north wall. There is partial survival of areas of the ceiling, which was originally plastered and finished with a black wash. Side chamber (Bb) has substantial amounts of carved but unpainted plaster; the ceiling in this chamber was never plastered. In addition to a similar architectural plan, the iconography in QV 36 shares striking similarities with that in the tomb of Queen Satra (QV 38), and the tomb of another anonymous princess or queen (QV 40). The matching placement of scenes in each of these tombs has been dubbed the 'Satra repertoire' by Heather Lee McCarthy. 

The tomb was discovered and excavated by the Italian Archaeological Expedition, led by Schiaparelli in 1903-4. It was most recently cleared by the Franco-Egyptian Mission in 1985. Elizabeth Thomas likens the tomb's layout to those of QV 33, QV 38 and QV 40. Thomas additionally notes that the condition of QV 36 is far better than that of neighbors QV 31 and QV 33. Currently the tomb is not open to visitation and a metal door prevents access. 

Noteworthy features:

QV 36 is attributed to an unidentified princess who may have been the daughter of Seti I or Rameses I. It seems that construction of the tomb was halted due to collapses. In addition to a similar architectural plan, the iconography in QV 36 shares striking similarities with that in the tomb of Queen Satra (QV 38) and the tomb of another anonymous princess or queen (QV 40).

Site History

The tomb was constructed in the 19th Dynasty and left unfinished.

Dating

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

New Kingdom
Dynasty 19

Exploration

1903-1905: Discovery
Italian Archaeological Expedition
1959-60: Documentation
Thomas, Elizabeth
1970s: Photography
Centre d'Etude et de Documentation sur l'Ancienne Egypte (CEDAE)
1981: Mapping/planning
Theban Mapping Project
1984: Photography
Centre d'Etude et de Documentation sur l'Ancienne Egypte (CEDAE)
1985: Excavation
Franco Egyptian Mission
1988: Survey and Documentation
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
2003: Study
McCarthy, Heather Lee
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)
2009: Photography
Centre d'Etude et de Documentation sur l'Ancienne Egypte (CEDAE)
2010: Conservation
Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA)

Conservation

Conservation History

According to the GCI-SCA, applications of gypsum plaster to rock surfaces have been undertaken in the ceiling area of the side chamber (Ba). These have prevented rock loss, but are cracked in areas, perhaps due to continued localized rock detachment. The raised relief plaster decoration in the side chamber (Bb) has been extensively treated with major plaster repairs. These repairs may conceal structural problems now manifested as cracking in the painting, as seen on the east side of doorway (Ba).

Site Condition

According to the GCI-SCA, the tomb exhibits structural compromise due to fracturing in the ceilings and walls, and substantial ceiling loss in all chambers. Large areas of the main chamber (B) ceiling and east wall have been lost, and fallen rock fragments on the ground are evidence of recent loss. Many small fragments of fractured rock are loose and at risk of falling off. Of particular concern is a large wedge-shaped loss along a major fracture in the ceiling of chamber (B) that extends over a meter up into the rock. This and other losses are related to heavy jointing in the ceiling. Similar rock fracture and loss are evident in side chamber (Ba) and have resulted in a small break in the west wall to the exterior. The floor of the tomb is very irregular in places, probably due to localized surface loss of the rock. However, in other areas of the walls and ceiling there has not been much stone loss, as mason marks and traces of original plaster are still present.

The proximity of QV 37, and the break in the rock wall between them near the entrance, has resulted in lack of stability in the rock above the entrance and forming the west wall of QV 36. This is exacerbated by inherent rock jointing and presence of substantial fibrous salt bands. In chamber (B), very little raised relief painting survives on the east and west walls and only small fragments of painting around the gate (Ba) on the north wall. The south wall has the largest area of surviving painting but there have been substantial losses since the 1903-4 Schiaparelli images. The surviving paintings are fragile. There are cracks in the plaster, flaking off the paint and upper plaster layers, and general abrasion of surfaces. The white background of the paintings is almost completely lost and there is substantial paint loss revealing the plaster below. Surviving areas of painting on the ceiling near the major fracture are also vulnerable. The condition of the raised relief plaster decoration in the side chamber (Bb) is far better, having been extensively treated with major plaster repairs. These repairs may conceal structural problems. There is surface pitting of the plaster at the base of the wall in rear chamber (Bb). The cause may be salt-related and connected with previous moisture problems. For the most part, the paintings in main chamber (B) have not been treated except around gate (Ba) and a few localized edging repairs. The condition of the tomb is largely related to the inherent quality of the rock, which is fractured and weak due to its susceptibility to shrinking-swelling stresses. The presence of salt veins and, perpendicular to them, bands of chert, make the rock susceptible to separation along those features. This tomb shows some signs of flooding, though extant plaster at the base of the west wall in main chamber (B) suggests this was a localized phenomenon. Adjacent tomb QV 37 has clear evidence of recent flooding in the form of cracked mud deposit on the floor, which indicates that this tomb is susceptible as well. The extent of loss of painted plaster on the south wall of chamber (B) since the 1903-4 Schiaparelli images also suggests rapid rate of loss due to flooding.

Hieroglyphs

Princess

King's Daughter of his Body,...
sAt-nswt-n-Xt.f [...]

Bibliography