List of burials in the Valley of the Kings

The following is a list of burials in the Valley of the Kings, in Thebes (modern Luxor in Egypt) and nearby areas.

Egyptologists use the acronym KV (standing for Kings' Valley) to designate tombs located in the Valley of the Kings. The 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 east. 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.[1]

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 Name Time Period Comments
KV1 Ramesses VII 20th dynasty
KV2 Ramesses IV 20th dynasty
KV3 Unnamed son of Ramesses III 20th dynasty
KV4 Ramesses XI 20th dynasty
KV5 Sons of Ramesses II 19th dynasty With 120 known rooms and excavation work still underway, it is probably the largest tomb in the valley.
KV6 Ramesses IX 20th dynasty
KV7 Ramesses II 19th dynasty
KV8 Merenptah 19th dynasty
KV9 Ramesses V and Ramesses VI 20th dynasty Also known as the Tomb of Memnon or La Tombe de la Métempsychose.
KV10 Amenmesse 20th dynasty
KV11 Ramesses III 20th dynasty Also referred to as Bruce's Tomb, The Harper's Tomb.
KV12 Unknown 18th and 19th dynasty It was possibly used as a family tomb.
KV13 Bay. Later Amenherkhepshef and Mentuherkhepshef 19th and 20th dynasty
KV14 Twosret, later reused by Setnakhte 19th and 20th dynasty
KV15 Seti II 19th dynasty
KV16 Ramesses I 19th dynasty
KV17 Seti I 19th dynasty Also known as Belzoni's tomb, the tomb of Apis, or the tomb of Psammis, son of Necho.
KV18 Ramesses X 20th dynasty
KV19 Mentuherkhepshef 20th dynasty
KV20 Thutmose I and Hatshepsut 18th dynasty
KV21, KV26, KV27, KV28, KV29, KV31, KV33, KV37, KV40, KV44, KV59 Unknown New Kingdom The original owners of these tombs are unknown.
KV30 Unknown 20th dynasty Known as Lord Belmore's tomb.
KV32 Tia'a 18th dynasty
KV34 Thutmose III 18th dynasty
KV35 Amenhotep II 18th dynasty Over a dozen mummies, many of them royal, were relocated here (see list).
KV36 Maiherpri 18th dynasty A noble from the time of Hatshepsut
KV38 Thutmose I 18th dynasty Probably prepared for this king by Thutmose III.
KV39 Possibly the tomb of Amenhotep I 18th dynasty
KV41 Unknown 18th dynasty The tomb may have been Queen Tetisheri?
KV42 Queen Hatshepsut-Meryetre 18th dynasty
KV43 Thutmose IV 18th dynasty
KV45 Userhet 18th dynasty Tomb of a noble
KV46 Yuya and Tjuyu 18th dynasty 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 Siptah 19th dynasty
KV48 Amenemopet called Pairy 18th dynasty Tomb of a noble.
KV49 Unknown 18th dynasty Tomb was possibly a store room.
KV50,KV51, KV52 Unknown 18th dynasty Tombs contain animal burials, which were possibly the pets of Amenhotep II, whose tomb is nearby.
KV53 Unknown New Kingdom
KV54 Unknown 18th dynasty This was probably an embalming cache for the tomb of Tutankhamun.
KV55 Smenkhkare/Akhenaten 18th dynasty This tomb might be another mummy cache, and once possibly contained the burials of several Amarna Period royals –Tiy and Smenkhkare/Akhenaten.
KV56 Unknown 19th dynasty Known as the Gold Tomb, the original owner of this tomb is unknown. Items with names of Ramesses II, Seti II and Tawosret were found.
KV57 Horemheb 18th dynasty
KV58 Unknown 18th dynasty Known as Chariot Tomb, the original owner of this tomb remains unknown. Gold foil contains names of Tutankhamen and Ay
KV60 Sitre In 18th dynasty Royal nurse of Hatshepsut
KV61 Unknown New Kingdom This tomb appears to have been unused.
KV62 Tutankhamen 18th dynasty 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. Tutankhamun's tomb was the first royal tomb to be discovered that was still largely intact (although tomb robbers had entered it), and was for many years the last major discovery in the valley. The opulence of his grave goods notwithstanding, King Tutankhamun was a rather minor king and other burials probably had more numerous treasures. Some members of the archaeological teams led by Carter and later archaeologists contracted local lethal viruses through food or animals (particularly insects), resulting in the infamous "Curse of the Pharaohs" modern legend.
KV63 Unknown 18th dynasty The purpose of this tomb is currently unknown.
KV64 Singer [the Lady] Nehmes Bastet New Kingdom An unexcavated tomb entrance, discovered in July 2008[2]
KV65 Unknown New Kingdom An unexcavated tomb entrance, discovered in July 2008[2]
KVB – KVT Unknown New Kingdom These are non-burial pits, some of which may have been intended as tombs, others were probably funerary deposits.

West Valley

The numbering the West Valley follows in sequence to that of the East Valley, and there are only four known burials / pits in the valley.

WV22 – This is the tomb of one of the greatest rulers of the Egyptian New Kingdom, Amenhotep III. It has recently been investigated, but is not open to the public.

WV23 – This is the tomb of Ay and is the only tomb that is open to the public in the West Valley.

WV24 – The original owner of this tomb is unknown.

WV25 – This tomb may have been started as the Theban burial of Akhenaten, but it was never finished.

WVA – This was a storage chamber for Amenhotep III's tomb which was located nearby.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Theban Mapping Project, tomb numbering systems in the valley
  2. 1 2 Zahi Hawass. "Spotlight Interview: 2008". The Plateau: Official Website for Dr. Zahi Hawass. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
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