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A project of the American Research Center in Egypt
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Aerial view of the Valley of the Three Pits
More Details

Entryway A

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A very deep vertical shaft that provides access to the tomb. A large pile of stones 1m high lies to the north of the shaft.

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Undecorated

Burial chamber B

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A large, undecorated, and rectangular burial chamber that lies on axis with the tomb's entrance.

  • Chamber plan:

    Rectangular
  • Relationship to main tomb axis:

    Parallel
  • Chamber layout:

    Flat floor, no pillars
  • Floor:

    One level
  • Ceiling:

    Flat

Condition

Cutting finished
Excavated
Undecorated

About

About

Located further north than tombs QV A through QV L in the Valley of the Three Pits, QV 91 may have been first explored by Georges Daressy (1895). The tomb consists of a very deep vertical shaft (A) leading to a large, undecorated burial chamber (B) that lies on axis with the entrance. While his description of the tomb locations is imprecise, it is clear that he entered at least one shaft tomb at the head of the Valley of the Three Pits and discovered archaeological material dating stylistically to the 25th or 26th Dynasty. It is unclear which of the three tombs held the Late Period material.

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

1895: Excavation
Daressy, Georges
1945-1947: Tomb clearance
Bruyère, Bernard
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

Due to the remote location and the depth of the shaft, the GCI-SCA did not assess the tomb from the interior. The shaft appears to be in good condition and is carved into marl, though substantial amounts of debris has accumulated at the base due to erosion. The area surrounding the entry of the tomb continues to erode due to upslope runoff. 

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

Černý, Jarosłav, Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt and Marcel Kurz. Graffiti de la Montagne thébaine, I/1. Cartographie et étude topographique illustrée. Collection scientifique du CEDAE-CNRS. Cairo, 1969-1970.

Daressy, Georges. Trois points inexplorés de la nécropole thébaine, Annales du Service des antiquités de l’Egypte 2 (1901): 133-136.

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

Loyrette, Anne-Marie. À propos de boules en fritte glaçurée trouvées dans la Vallée des trois puits. In: Jacke Phillips, and Lanny Bell (eds.) Ancient Egypt, the Aegean, and the Near East: Studies in Honour of Martha Rhoads Bell, Vol. 2. San Antonio: Van Sicklen Books, 1997: 359-68.

Loyrette, Anne-Marie. Les tombes de la Vallée des trois puits à Thèbes-Quest. Memnonia, 8 (1997): 177-195.

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.