QV44 is one of several

tombs A tomb ( ''tumbos'') or sepulchre () is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immurement'', althou ...

located in 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 ...

intended for the use of

Ramesses III Usermaatre Meryamun Ramesses III was the second Pharaoh of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt, Twentieth Dynasty in Ancient Egypt. Some scholars date his reign from 26 March 1186 to 15 April 1155 BC, and he is considered the last pharaoh of the New K ...

's sons. The

paint Paint is a material or mixture that, when applied to a solid material and allowed to dry, adds a film-like layer. As art, this is used to create an image or images known as a painting. Paint can be made in many colors and types. Most paints are ...

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

s decorating Khaemwaset E's tomb illustrate his ritual and symbolic journey in the

Afterlife The afterlife or life after death is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's Stream of consciousness (psychology), stream of consciousness or Personal identity, identity continues to exist after the death of their ...

as he meets the main

gods A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

of that region as well as the genies who guard the gates of the kingdom of

Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wikt:wsjr, wsjr'') was the ancient Egyptian deities, god of fertility, agriculture, the Ancient Egyptian religion#Afterlife, afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He was ...

. QV44 is one of several tombs constructed for the sons of Ramesses III. Others are QV55 (

Amun-her-khepeshef Amun-her-khepeshef (died c. 1254 BC; also Amonhirkhopshef, Amun-her-wenemef and Amun-her-khepeshef A) was the firstborn son of Pharaoh Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari. Name He was born when his father was still a co-regent with Seti I ...

), QV53 (Ramesses), QV43 ( Seth-her-khopsef, and QV42 (

Pareherwenemef Pareherwenemef (Pre-hir-wonmef, Prehirwenemef, Rehirwenemef ) was an ancient Egyptian prince of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt, the third son of Pharaoh Ramesses II, the second by Queen Nefertari. Family Pareherwenemef was a son of Pharaoh R ...

). Abitz argues that the princes are identified with the

Four sons of Horus The four sons of Horus were a group of four ancient Egyptian deities, deities in ancient Egyptian religion who were believed to protect deceased people in the ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs, afterlife. Beginning in the First Intermediate Peri ...

and are all real sons of the King. The decorations in these tombs focus more on the King than on his sons.K. A. Kitchen, Review of Ramses III in den Grabern seiner Sohne. By Friedrich Abitz. Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis, in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 76 (1990), pp. 239–40

The tomb

The tomb consist of a corridor, two side rooms, a second corridor and an inner room. The first part of the corridor is decorated with scenes showing King

before a variety of gods and goddesses, including

Ptah Ptah ( ; , ; ; ; ) is an ancient Egyptian deity, a creator god, and a patron deity of craftsmen and architects. In the triad of Memphis, he is the husband of Sekhmet and the father of Nefertem. He was also regarded as the father of the ...

Thoth Thoth (from , borrowed from , , the reflex of " eis like the ibis") is an ancient Egyptian deity. In art, he was often depicted as a man with the head of an African sacred ibis, ibis or a baboon, animals sacred to him. His feminine count ...

Anubis Anubis (; ), also known as Inpu, Inpw, Jnpw, or Anpu in Ancient Egyptian (), is the god of funerary rites, protector of graves, and guide to the underworld in ancient Egyptian religion, usually depicted as a canine or a man with a canine hea ...

, Ra-Harakhty, Geb and more. Porter, Bertha and Moss, Rosalind, Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Reliefs and Paintings Volume I: The Theban Necropolis, Part 2. Royal Tombs and Smaller Cemeteries, Griffith Institute. 1964, pp. 754–55 The side chambers include scenes of the Sons of Horus and the goddesses

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

Nephthys Nephthys or Nebet-Het in ancient Egyptian () was a goddess in ancient Egyptian religion. A member of the Great Ennead of Heliopolis in Egyptian mythology, she was a daughter of Nut and Geb. Nephthys was typically paired with her sister Isis ...

Neith Neith (, a borrowing of the Demotic (Egyptian), Demotic form , also spelled Nit, Net, or Neit) was an ancient Egyptian deity, possibly of Ancient Libya, Libyan origin. She was connected with warfare, as indicated by her emblem of two crossed b ...

and

Serket Serket /ˈsɜːrˌkɛt/ (Ancient Egyptian: ''srqt'') is the goddess of protection against the venomous stings and bites of scorpions in Egyptian mythology. She was primarily worshiped in Lower Egypt during the Predynastic Period (c. 6000 – c ...

. The second corridor includes a scene showing Khaemwaset as an Iunmutef priest. Other scenes depict the

Book of Gates The Book of Gates is an ancient Egyptian funerary text dating from the New Kingdom. The ''Book of Gates'' is long and detailed, consisting of one hundred scenes. It narrates the passage of a newly deceased soul into the next world journeying wi ...

. The inner room is decorated with scenes showing the King before several gods and goddesses. Finds include part of a

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

lid and remains of

Canopic jar Canopic jars are funerary vessels that were used by the Ancient Egypt, ancient Egyptians to house embalmed organs that were removed during the mummification process. They also served to store and preserve the viscera of their soul for the afterl ...

s. File:Coperchio del sarcofago di Khaemuaset 08S7090-Modifica.tif, Lid of the outer sarcophagus of

Khaemwaset Prince Khaemweset (also translated as Khamwese, Khaemwese or Khaemwaset or Setne Khamwas) (c. 1281 BCE - 1225 BCE) was the fourth son of Ramesses II and the second son by his queen Isetnofret. His contributions to Egyptian society were remembered ...

Museo Egizio The Museo Egizio () or Egyptian Museum is an archaeological museum in Turin, Italy, specializing in Art of Ancient Egypt, Egyptian archaeology and anthropology. It houses List of museums of Egyptian antiquities, one of the largest collections of ...

, Turin. File:Prince Khaemwaset holding a feather in Tomb QV44.jpg, Prince Khaemwaset holding a feather in Tomb QV44 File:Prince_Khaemwaset_before_Anubis_in_Tomb_QV44.jpg, Prince_Khaemwaset before Anubis in Tomb QV44 File:Prince_Khaemwaset_behind_Ramesses_III_in_Tomb_QV44.jpg, Prince Khaemwaset behind his father, king Ramesses III File:Prince_Khaemwaset_follows_Ramesses_III_in_Tomb_QV44.jpg, Prince Khaemwaset follows his father Ramesses III in Tomb QV44 File:Prince_Khaemwaset_greets_the_god_Hapy_in_Tomb_QV44.jpg, Prince Khaemwaset greets the god Hapy in Tomb QV44

References

External links

Theban Mapping Project
– Plan of the tomb and other details.

Plan and description of tomb {{DEFAULTSORT:Qv44 Buildings and structures completed in the 12th century BC Valley of the Queens Ramesses III