The following is a list of burials in the Valley of the Kings, in Thebes (modern Luxor, Egypt) and nearby areas.
The numbering system was established by John Gardner Wilkinson in 1821. Wilkinson numbered the 21 tombs known to him (some of which had been open since antiquity) according to their location, starting at the entrance to the valley and then moving south and west. Tombs that have been discovered since then have been allocated a sequential KV number (those in the Western Valley are known by the WV equivalent) in the order of their discovery.
Since the mid 20th century, Egyptologists have used the acronym "KV" (standing for Kings' Valley) to designate tombs located in the Valley of the Kings. Additionally, the acronym "WV" is also used to designate tombs located in the West Valley (of the Kings).
Map
KV1 KV2 KV3 KV4 KV5 KV6 KV7 KV8 KV9 KV10 KV11 KV12 KV13 KV14 KV15 KV16 KV17 KV18 KV19 KV20 KV21 WV22 WV23 WV24 WV25 KV26 KV28 KV29 KV30 KV31 KV32 KV34 KV35 KV36 KV37 KV38 KV39 KV40 KV41 KV42 KV43 KV44 KV45 KV46 KV47 KV48 KV54 KV55 KV56 KV57 KV58 KV59 KV61 KV62 KV63A map of the Valley of the Kings with locations of tombs marked
Table legend
- Tomb is stable and open to visitors
- Tomb is stable, but closed to visitors
- Tomb is unstable and/or unsafe and closed to visitors
East Valley
Most of the open tombs in the Valley of the Kings are located in the East Valley, and this is where most tourists can be found.
Number | Time Period | Discovered | Intended for | Short summary |
---|---|---|---|---|
KV1 | 20th Dynasty | 0001 Antiquity | Ramesses VII | |
KV2 | 20th Dynasty | 0001 Antiquity | Ramesses IV | |
KV3 | 20th Dynasty | 0001 Antiquity | Unidentified | |
KV4 | 20th Dynasty | 0001 Antiquity | Ramesses XI | |
KV5 | 19th Dynasty | 1825 1825 | Ramesses II (sons) | With 120 known rooms and excavation work still underway, it is probably the largest tomb in the valley. |
KV6 | 20th Dynasty | 0001 Antiquity | Ramesses IX | |
KV7 | 19th Dynasty | 0001 Antiquity | Ramesses II | |
KV8 | 19th Dynasty | 0001 Antiquity | Merenptah | |
KV9 | 20th Dynasty | 0001 Antiquity | Ramesses V | Also known as the Tomb of Memnon or La Tombe de la Métempsychose. |
KV10 | 20th Dynasty | 0001 Antiquity | Amenmesse | While intended for him, there is no direct evidence that Amenmesse was ever buried at this tomb. |
KV11 | 20th Dynasty | 0001 Antiquity | Ramesses III | Also referred to as Bruce's Tomb, The Harper's Tomb. |
KV12 | 18th Dynasty | 0001 Antiquity | Various | This was possibly used as a family tomb. |
KV13 | 19th Dynasty | 0001 Antiquity | Bay | |
KV14 | 19th Dynasty | 0001 Antiquity | Twosret | |
KV15 | 19th Dynasty | 0001 Antiquity | Seti II | |
KV16 | 19th Dynasty | 1817 1817 | Ramesses I | |
KV17 | 19th Dynasty | 1817 1817 | Seti I | Also known as Belzoni's tomb, the tomb of Apis, or the tomb of Psammis, son of Necho. |
KV18 | 20th Dynasty | 0001 Antiquity | Ramesses X | While this tomb was intended for the burial of Pharaoh Ramesses X, it was apparently abandoned while still incomplete. |
KV19 | 20th Dynasty | 1817 1817 | Ramesses VIII | |
KV20 | 18th Dynasty | 1799 1799 | Thutmose I & Hatshepsut | This tomb has been closed since 1994 due to flooding. |
KV21 | 18th Dynasty | 1817 1817 | Queen ... | The original owner of this tomb is unknown, tombs KV22 to KV25 are part of the west valley mentioned below. |
KV26 | 18th Dynasty | 1835 c.1835 | Unknown | The original owner of this tomb is unknown. |
KV27 | 18th Dynasty | 1832 c.1832 | Unknown | The original owner of this tomb is unknown. |
KV28 | 18th Dynasty | 1832 c.1832 | Unknown | The original owner of this tomb is unknown. |
KV29 | Unknown | 1832 c.1832 | Unknown | The original owner of this tomb is unknown. |
KV30 | 18th Dynasty | 1817 1817 | Unknown | Known as Lord Belmore's tomb. |
KV31 | 18th Dynasty | 1817 1817 | Unknown | Excavations which mapped KV31 in 2010 & 2011 found the remains of five mummified elite individuals dating to the Eighteenth Dynasty. |
KV32 | 18th Dynasty | 1898 1898 | Tia'a | |
KV33 | 18th Dynasty | 1898 1898 | Unknown | The original owner of this tomb is unknown. |
KV34 | 18th Dynasty | 1898 1898 | Thutmose III | |
KV35 | 18th Dynasty | 1898 1898 | Amenhotep II | During the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt over a dozen mummies were relocated here. Many of these included royalty as indicated by inscriptions on their burial wrappings. This tomb has been closed since 1994 due to flooding. |
KV36 | 18th Dynasty | 1899 1899 | Maiherpri | A noble from the time of Hatshepsut. |
KV37 | 18th Dynasty | 1899 1899 | Unknown | The original owner of this tomb is unknown. |
KV38 | 18th Dynasty | 1899 1899 | Thutmose I | KV38 was used for the reburial of Pharaoh Thutmose I of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Thutmose I was originally entombed in KV20 before being moved here by Thutmose III. |
KV39 | 18th Dynasty | 1899 1899 | Amenhotep I | |
KV40 | 18th Dynasty | 1899 1899 | Various royal individuals | Burials date to the time of Thutmose IV and Amenhotep III, with members of their family being interred in it. Later intrusive burials from the 22nd Dynasty are also present. |
KV41 | 18th Dynasty | 1899 1899 | Not used | This has been described as a shaft rather than a tomb possibly belonging to Queen Tetisheri. |
KV42 | 18th Dynasty | 1900 1900 | Merytre-Hatshepsut | This tomb was originally constructed for Hatshepsut-Meryetre, the wife of Thutmose III. She was never buried here though, and the tomb was later reused by Sennefer (mayor of Thebes during the reign of Amenhotep II). |
KV43 | 18th Dynasty | 1903 1903 | Thutmose IV | |
KV44 | 18th Dynasty | 1901 1901 | Unknown | The original owner of this tomb is unknown. |
KV45 | 18th Dynasty | 1902 1902 | Userhet | Tomb of a noble |
KV46 | 18th Dynasty | 1905 1905 | Yuya & Tjuyu | The parents of Queen Tiy. Until the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, this was the best preserved tomb to be found in the Valley. |
KV47 | 19th Dynasty | 1905 1905 | Siptah | |
KV48 | 18th Dynasty | 1906 1906 | Amenemipet called Pairy | |
KV49 | 18th Dynasty | 1906 1906 | Storage | Tomb was possibly a store room. |
KV50 | 18th Dynasty | 1906 1906 | Animals (pets) | Tombs contain animal burials, which were possibly the pets of Amenhotep II, whose tomb is nearby. |
KV51 | 18th Dynasty | 1906 1906 | Animals (pets) | Tombs contain animal burials, which were possibly the pets of Amenhotep II, whose tomb is nearby. |
KV52 | 18th Dynasty | 1906 1906 | Animals (pets) | Tombs contain animal burials, which were possibly the pets of Amenhotep II, whose tomb is nearby. |
KV53 | 18th Dynasty | 1906 1906 | Unknown | The original owner of this tomb is unknown. |
KV54 | 18th Dynasty | 1907 1907 | Embalming cache | This was probably an embalming cache for the tomb of Tutankhamun. |
KV55 | 18th Dynasty | 1907 1907 | Smenkhkare & Akhenaten |
This tomb might be another mummy cache, and once possibly contained the burials of several Amarna Period royals – Tiy and Smenkhkare/Akhenaten. |
KV56 | 19th Dynasty | 1908 1908 | Unknown | Known as the Gold Tomb, the original owner of this tomb is unknown. Items with names of Ramesses II, Seti II and Twosret were found. |
KV57 | 18th Dynasty | 1908 1908 | Horemheb | This tomb has been closed since 1994 due to flooding. |
KV58 | 18th Dynasty | 1909 1909 | Unknown | Known as Chariot Tomb, the original owner of this tomb remains unknown. Gold foil contains names of Tutankhamun and Ay |
KV59 | Unknown | 1885 c.1885 | Not used | This tomb appears to have been unused |
KV60 | 18th Dynasty | 1903 1903 | Sitre In | KV60 contains the mummy of Sitre In, who was a royal nurse of Hatshepsut. Another mummy was found that could be Hatshepsut herself, this is yet to be proven by DNA. |
KV61 | Unknown | 1910 1910 | Not used | This tomb appears to have been unused. |
KV62 | 18th Dynasty | 1922 1922 | Tutankhamun | Perhaps the most famous discovery of modern Western archaeology was made here by Howard Carter on November 4, 1922, with clearance and conservation work continuing until 1932. It was the first royal tomb to be discovered still largely intact (although tomb robbers had entered it), and was for many years the last major discovery in the valley. |
KV63 | 18th Dynasty | 2005 2005 | Storage | Initially believed to be a royal tomb, it is now believed to have been a storage chamber for the mummification process. |
KV64 | 18th Dynasty | 2011 2011 | Nehmes-Bastet | The tomb of a priestess, discovered in January 2011. The tomb was excavated in 2012 and was shown to have been used in the 18th as well as in the 22nd dynasty. The Lady Nehmesbastet lived during the 22nd dynasty. |
West Valley
The numbering the West Valley follows in sequence to that of the East Valley, and there are only five known burials/pits in the valley.
Number | Time Period | Discovered | Intended for | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
WV22 | 18th Dynasty | 1799 | Amenhotep III | The badly damaged mummy of Amenhotep III was later moved from the tomb, and restored in Year 13 of Smendes, and was ultimately discovered cached in KV35. This tomb was re-excavated in the 1990s, but is not open to the public. |
WV23 | 18th Dynasty | 1816 | Ay | The contents of KV58 likely originated from WV23, as Ay's name occurs more frequently than that of Tutankhamun. "WV23" is the only tomb open to the public in the West Valley. |
WV24 | 18th Dynasty | c.1832 | Unknown | "WV24" is an unfinished tomb that may have been intended for a high ranking noble. It could have also been built as a storage chamber for overflow from the royal burial as seen with WV23 and WVA. |
WV25 | 18th Dynasty | 1817 | Unknown | This tomb may have been started as the Theban burial of Akhenaten, but it was never finished. |
KV65 | 18th Dynasty | 2018 | Unknown | An unfinished tomb entrance, discovered in 2018 |
WVA | 18th Dynasty | 1845 | Storage | This was a storage chamber for Amenhotep III's tomb which is located nearby. |
See also
- List of burials in the Valley of the Queens
- Minor tombs in the Valley of the Kings
- Theban Mapping Project
Notes
- ^ It's impossible to know when any given tomb will be open or closed to visitation.
- ^ This column only includes the Dynasty in which the tomb was finished in. Numerous tombs found in the Valley of the Kings were reused during later periods that stretch into the Byzantine Empire.
- This tomb was for an unnamed son of Ramesses III.
- KV9 was later reused by Ramesses VI as his own.
- KV13 was later used to entomb Amenherkhepshef and Mentuherkhepshef.
- KV14 was later reused by Setnakhte.
- KV19 was intended for Ramesses VIII, but was later used instead by Mentuherkhepshef
- KV20 may have been re-cut and refurbished during the reign of Hatshepsut to accommodate the burial of both her and her father.
- It has been suggested that KV21 was used for a queen's burial. The two female mummies found within had their left arm crossed on their chest, a pose only used for queens.
- ^ Unconfirmed
References
- "Theban Mapping Project, tomb numbering systems in the valley". Archived from the original on 2007-02-12. Retrieved 2005-12-05.
- Julianna Barnaby. "Visiting The Valley of the Kings: A Practical Guide". The Discoveries Of. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- "KV 1 (Rameses VII) – Theban Mapping Project". www.thebanmappingproject.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-15. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- "KV 2 (Rameses IV)". www.thebanmappingproject.com. Archived from the original on 2009-05-06. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- "KV 3 (Son of Rameses III) – Theban Mapping Project". www.thebanmappingproject.com. Archived from the original on 2012-08-05. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- "KV 4 (Rameses XI) - Theban Mapping Project". www.thebanmappingproject.com. Archived from the original on 2009-04-10. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- "Audio - Atlas of the Valley of the Kings - Theban Mapping Project". Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
- Christian Leblanc. "The Tomb of Ramesses II and Remains of His Funerary Treasure". Archived from the original on 2006-09-19. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
- "Tomb of Ramesses VI (KV9)". Ministry of Antiquities. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- "Tomb of Sety I (KV17)". Ministry of Antiquities. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- "KV22 Thutmes I and Hatshepsut". Theban Mapping Project. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- "KV21 Unknown". Theban Mapping Project. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- Susanne Bickel, Princesses, Robbers and Priests – The unknown side of the Kings' Valley, Presentation at a conference at the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy, October 14, 2017, Online; KV 64 discussed at 40:00 onwards
- ^ "Tomb of Tutankhamun". Ministry of Antiquities. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- "Pharaonic find was mummification room, not tomb", Discovery Channel. Retrieved 29 May 2006.
- Bickel, Suzanne; Paulin-Grothe, Elina; Alsheimer, Tanja (2011). "Preliminary Report on the Work Carried out During the Season 2011" (PDF). University of Basel Kings' Valley Project: 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 November 2021.
- Susanne Bickel, Princesses, Robbers and Priests – The unknown side of the Kings' Valley, Presentation at a conference at the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy, October 14, 2017
- El-Aref, Nevine (10 October 2019). "Zahi Hawass announces two archaeological discoveries by his team in Luxor - Ancient Egypt - Antiquities". Ahram Online. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
External links
- Tomb Numbering Systems in the Valley
- List of tombs in the Valley of the Kings with accurate photographs and descriptions.