Tomb KV35 is the burial place of
Amenhotep II, 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 of Egypt, in the
Valley of the Kings in
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. Later, it was used as a cache for other royal mummies. It was discovered by
Victor Loret in March 1898.
Layout and history

It has a bent axis, typical of the layout of early
Eighteenth Dynasty tombs, but several features make this tomb unusual. The burial chamber is rectangular and divided into upper and lower pillared sections, with the lower part holding the cartouche-shaped royal sarcophagus of the king. This style of burial chamber became standard for royal burials in the later
New Kingdom.
Only the burial chamber of the tomb is decorated, albeit in an unusual style that, other than ''
KV34'' (the tomb of Amenhotep II's father,
Thutmose III), is not found elsewhere in the Valley of the Kings. On a yellow-tinged background (intended to resemble aged
papyrus
Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, ''Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'' or ''papyruses'') can a ...
), the ''
Amduat'' is traced, depicting the
ancient Egyptian deities as simple (almost naive)
stick figures, with text written in the
cursive hieroglyphic book hand used more commonly for sacred texts on papyrus.
Later the tomb was used as a
mummy
A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and Organ (biology), organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to Chemical substance, chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the ...
cache. Mummies belonging to the following individuals were relocated here during the
Third Intermediate Period and were identified by inscriptions on their burial wrappings:
*
Amenhotep II (the original tomb owner found in his original sarcophagus)
Side Chamber:
*
Thutmose IV
*
Amenhotep III
*
Merneptah
*
Seti II
*
Siptah
*
Ramesses IV
*
Ramesses V
*
Ramesses VI
*
Queen Tiye, who was identified as the so-called ''Elder Lady'' in February 2010 via DNA testing.
* A prince, identified by some as
Webensenu, son of
Amenhotep II, whose
canopic jars were found in the tomb, or
Thutmose, the elder son of
Amenhotep III and
Tiye
*
The Younger Lady who, in June 2003, was controversially claimed to be
Nefertiti by British Egyptologist
Joann Fletcher
Joann Fletcher (born 30 August 1966) is an Egyptologist and an honorary visiting professor in the department of archaeology at the University of York. She has published a number of books and academic articles, including several on Cleopatra, an ...
, whereas Egyptologist
Zahi Hawass believed it to be
Kiya, another wife of
Akhenaten
Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Akhenaton or Echnaton ( ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning 'Effective for the Aten'), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eig ...
who is thought by some to be the birth mother of
Tutankhamun. Some believed this mummy to be a male. However, with DNA testing, this mummy was shown in February 2010 to be a woman, the mother of
Tutankhamun, and the daughter of Amenhotep III and Tiye (making her both the sister and wife of Akhenaten). Her name, however, remains unknown, leaving open the possibility that she is likely either
Nebetiah or
Beketaten.
* An "unknown woman D" in an upturned lid of a coffin inscribed for
Setnakhte (may be queen
Tawosret).
* Two skulls were found in the well and an anonymous arm was found with the above "Younger Lady." A body on a boat was stolen or destroyed at the start of the twentieth century.
Most of the mummies discovered in KV35, including all mummies identified as monarchs or consorts, are on display at the Royal Mummies Gallery of the
National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
, having been moved there in 2021 during the
Pharaohs' Golden Parade.
Gallery
File:Raum des Sarkophags KV35.jpg
File:AmHour2.jpg
File:Valle de los Reyes 1999 02.jpg
File:KV 35 Tomb Interior.jpg
File:Sarkophag KV35.jpg
File:Amenhotep II Uraeus.jpg
File:Valle de los Reyes 1999 03.jpg
References
Citations
Works cited
*
External links
William Max Miller's Theban Royal Mummy Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kv35
1898 archaeological discoveries
Buildings and structures completed in the 14th century BC
Valley of the Kings
Amenhotep II
Merneptah