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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
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Entryway A

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A gradually sloping shaft provides access to the tomb. The northern side of the shaft has a back wall and ledge constructed of rough stones. There is no protective masonry surround.

Condition

Cutting finished
Damaged structurally
Excavated
Flood Damage
Undecorated

Burial chamber B

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A rectangular, undecorated 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
Flood Damage
Undecorated

About

About

QV A is located at the mouth of the Valley of the Three Pits, in close proximity to tombs QV B through QV K. It consists of a rectangular shaft (A) leading to an undecorated burial chamber (B).

The tomb was explored by both Georges Daressy (1895) and Ernesto Schiaparelli (1903-1905), who found that it had already been looted. Elizabeth Thomas surveyed the tomb in 1959-1960, followed by the Theban Mapping Project (TMP) in 1981. QV A was last excavated and cleared by the Franco-Egyptian Mission in 1989-90. Several objects were recovered, including a seal impression showing bound prisoners before Anubis, fragments of two Canopic jars, a pair of leather children’s sandals, and a piece from a senet game board. Several fragments of utilitarian and imported pottery vessels were also found and, together with the ceramic material from the other tombs in the area, suggest that they came from the same workshop. The inscriptions on the canopic jar fragments tell us that the tomb belonged to an 18th Dynasty official named Minmes, who held the title of ‘cup-bearer’ for Thutmes III.  

Noteworthy features:

QV A belongs to a group of 18th Dynasty tombs in the Valley of the Three Pits that were all constructed under the reign of Thutmes III and belonged to elite officials and members of the royal court.

Site History

The tomb was constructed in the 18th Dynasty.

Dating

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

New Kingdom
Dynasty 18
Thutmes III

Exploration

1895: Tomb clearance
Daressy, Georges
1903-1905: Survey and Documentation
Italian Archaeological Expedition
1959-1960: Survey and Documentation
Thomas, Elizabeth
1981: Survey and Documentation
Theban Mapping Project
1989-1990: Excavation
Franco Egyptian Mission
2006-2008: Survey and Documentation
Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA)

Conservation

Site Condition

Concerns about structural stability prevented the GCI-SCA from assessing the interior of QV A. They record, however, that the area immediately adjacent to the entrance is severely eroded, and the shaft has been partially filled with debris. Erosion of the surrounding slope is the primary mechanism of decay. Water infiltration has also contributed to deterioration since the tombs were carved into a friable shale. 

Hieroglyphs

Minmes

Minmes
mnw-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

CNRS mission report: Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France). Rapport des activités scientifiques et administratives 1992-1994. URA no. 1064. Recherches sur les nécropoles thébaines et le Ramésseum; Publication des temples de la Nubie, 1992-1994.

CNRS mission report: Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France). Rapport des activités scientifiques et administratives: perspectives 1991-1992 URA no. 1064, 1991-1992.

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.

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.

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 1903-1920. Explorazione della Valle delle Reginanella necropolis di Tebe. Vol. 1. Turin: Casa editrice Giovanni Chiantore, 1923.