Cliff Tomb Of Hatshepsut
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The cliff tomb of Hatshepsut, also known as tomb Wadi A-1, is the tomb quarried for her as the
Great Royal Wife Great Royal Wife, or alternatively, Chief King's Wife () is the title that was used to refer to the Queen consort, principal wife of the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, who served many official functions. Description While most ancient Egyptians were ...
of
Thutmose II Thutmose II was the fourth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, and his reign is thought to have lasted for 13 years, from 1493 to 1479 BC (Low Chronology), or just 3 years from around 1482 to 1479 BC. Little is known about him, and he ...
, a
pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...
of the
Eighteenth Dynasty The Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XVIII, alternatively 18th Dynasty or Dynasty 18) is classified as the first dynasty of the New Kingdom of Egypt, the era in which ancient Egypt achieved the peak of its power. The Eighteenth Dynasty ...
. It is located in Wady Sikkat Taqet Zaid, to the west of the
Valley of the Kings The Valley of the Kings, also known as the Valley of the Gates of the Kings, is an area in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the Eighteenth Dynasty to the Twentieth Dynasty, rock-cut tombs were excavated for pharaohs and power ...
near
Luxor Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt. Luxor had a population of 263,109 in 2020, with an area of approximately and is the capital of the Luxor Governorate. It is among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited c ...
, Egypt. The tomb is cut into a slot in the vertical cliff face above the valley floor. It is unfinished, with the cutting of the burial chamber never being completed. Although never used for a burial, it did contain a sarcophagus inscribed for
Hatshepsut Hatshepsut ( ; BC) was the sixth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, Egypt, ruling first as regent, then as queen regnant from until (Low Chronology) and the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Thutmose II. She was Egypt's second c ...
as Great Royal Wife. Originally found by local diggers, the tomb was later excavated by
Howard Carter Howard Carter (9 May 18742 March 1939) was a British archaeologist and Egyptology, Egyptologist who Discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, discovered Tomb of Tutankhamun, the intact tomb of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, 18th Dynasty Pharaoh ...
on behalf of the
Earl of Carnarvon Earl of Carnarvon is a title that has been created three times in British history. The current holder is George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon. The town and county in Wales to which the title refers are historically spelled Caernarfon, having b ...
in 1916.


Location, discovery, and excavation

The tomb is in what Egyptologist
Howard Carter Howard Carter (9 May 18742 March 1939) was a British archaeologist and Egyptology, Egyptologist who Discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, discovered Tomb of Tutankhamun, the intact tomb of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, 18th Dynasty Pharaoh ...
called a "remote and unfrequented" part of the
Theban Necropolis The Theban Necropolis () is a necropolis on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes, Egypt, Thebes (Luxor) in Upper Egypt. It was used for ritual burials for much of the Ancient Egypt, Pharaonic period, especially during the New Kingdom of Egyp ...
, in Wady Sikkat Taqet Zaid, a branch of Wady Gabbanat el-Qurud, on the western side of the mountains from the
Valley of the Kings The Valley of the Kings, also known as the Valley of the Gates of the Kings, is an area in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the Eighteenth Dynasty to the Twentieth Dynasty, rock-cut tombs were excavated for pharaohs and power ...
. This area, sometimes called the Western Wadis, from the
Valley of the Queens The Valley of the Queens is a site in Egypt, in which queens, princes, princesses, and other high-ranking officials were buried from roughly 1560 BC to 1130 BC. Pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings. The Valley of the Queens was known an ...
, likely served as a burial ground for queens during the early
Eighteenth Dynasty The Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XVIII, alternatively 18th Dynasty or Dynasty 18) is classified as the first dynasty of the New Kingdom of Egypt, the era in which ancient Egypt achieved the peak of its power. The Eighteenth Dynasty ...
. The tomb is cut into a water-worn cleft in the rock at the head of the wady, above the valley floor. The tomb was discovered by locals in October 1916. With
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
underway, reduced numbers of antiquities officials, combined with the economic depression of the war, led to a rise in tomb robbery in the Theban area. Howard Carter recounts that the discovery of the tomb was made by a local group, who, once word of the find spread, were driven off the claim by a rival gang. Carter, on holiday in Luxor, was approached by local leaders and asked to resolve the situation. When Carter and his workmen arrived at the tomb, they found the robbers still at work:
It was midnight when we arrived on the scene, and the guide pointed out to me the end of a rope, which dangled sheer down the face of a cliff. Listening, we could hear the robbers actually at work, so first I severed their rope, thereby cutting off their means of escape, and then, making secure a good stout rope of my own, I lowered myself down the cliff... There were eight at work... I gave the alternative of clearing out by means of my rope or else staying where they were without any rope at all, and eventually they saw reason and departed.
The tomb was entirely filled with water-washed debris, through which the locals had tunneled for a distance of ; the hole was only wide enough to admit a single person, crawling on their stomach. Carter's clearance of the tomb took twenty days, with workmen working relay shifts day and night. Access to the tomb was improved with a timber structure and a projecting stage which allowed an easier ascent from the floor of the valley.


Layout and contents

The tomb has a simple layout, consisting of an entrance stair leading to a descending passageway long which opens to the right into a square antechamber. A further steeper corridor leads from the antechamber to another square room, the sepulchral hall. In the centre of the floor of this hall is cut a steep passage which leads to an unfinished room, presumably intended to be the burial chamber. The floor of the sepulchral hall was covered in limestone slabs which Carter suggests were intended to form a plinth for the sarcophagus, or were intended to seal the tomb. He noted that similarity between these slabs and those found in
KV20 KV20 is a tomb in the Valley of the Kings (Egypt). It was probably the first royal tomb to be constructed in the valley. KV20 was the original burial place of Thutmose I (who was later re-interred in KV38) and later was adapted by his daughter Hat ...
and
KV38 KV38 is an ancient Egyptian tomb located in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. It was used for the reburial of Pharaoh Thutmose I of the Eighteenth Dynasty, and was where his body was removed to (from KV20) by Thutmose III before ultimately being ...
, where they were decorated with scenes from the
Amduat The ''Amduat'' (, () is an important Ancient Egyptian funerary texts, ancient Egyptian funerary text of the New Kingdom of Egypt. Similar to previous funerary texts, such as the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old Kingdom's Pyramid Texts, or the First In ...
. The only significant item found in the tomb was the long yellow
quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock that was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tecton ...
sarcophagus intended for the queen which was located in the final chamber. It is inscribed with texts naming Hatshepsut as Great Royal Wife, among other titles, indicating that it predated her rise to regent and pharaoh. The rectangular lid of the sarcophagus is carved with a long
cartouche upalt=A stone face carved with coloured hieroglyphics. Two cartouches - ovoid shapes with hieroglyphics inside - are visible at the bottom., Birth and throne cartouches of Pharaoh KV17.html" ;"title="Seti I, from KV17">Seti I, from KV17 at the ...
containing a figure of
Nut Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed * Nut (food), a dry and edible fruit or seed, including but not limited to true nuts * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut, NUT or Nuts may also refer to: A ...
facing left and raising her arms to embrace the deceased; it had been broken into two pieces.


References

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External links


Theban Mapping Project
– Plan of the tomb and other details. 1916 archaeological discoveries Hatshepsut George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon