Theban Tomb TT72 is located in 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 ...

, on the west bank of the

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

, opposite to

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 ...

. It was the tomb of Re, who was the First Prophet of

Amun Amun was a major ancient Egyptian deity who appears as a member of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad. Amun was attested from the Old Kingdom together with his wife Amunet. His oracle in Siwa Oasis, located in Western Egypt near the Libyan Desert, r ...

in the Mortuary temple of

Thutmosis III Thutmose III (variously also spelt Tuthmosis or Thothmes), sometimes called Thutmose the Great, (1479–1425 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. He is regarded as one of the greatest warriors, military commanders, and milita ...

. The tomb is located in the necropolis area around

Sheikh Abd el-Qurna The necropolis of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna () is located on the West Bank at Thebes, Egypt, Thebes in Upper Egypt. It is part of the archaeological area of Deir el-Bahari, and named after the domed tomb of the local saint. This is the most frequently v ...

and dates to the time of

Amenhotep II Amenhotep II (sometimes called Amenophis II and meaning "Amun is Satisfied") was the seventh pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. He inherited a vast kingdom from his father Thutmose III, and held it by means of a few military campaigns i ...

.Porter and Moss, ''Topographical Bibliography: The Theban Necropolis'', p. 142 Re was the son of Ahmose (

TT121 The Theban Tomb TT120 is located in Sheikh Abd el-Qurna. It forms part of the Theban Necropolis, situated on the west bank of the Nile opposite Luxor. The tomb is the burial place of the ancient Egyptian official Ahmose, who was the second proph ...

), who was a first prophet of Amun and Iret, who was a royal ornament and Singer of

Hathor Hathor (, , , Meroitic language, Meroitic: ') was a major ancient Egyptian deities, goddess in ancient Egyptian religion who played a wide variety of roles. As a sky deity, she was the mother or consort of the sky god Horus and the sun god R ...

.Peter A. Piccione, "A Family of Priests in the Theban Tombs of Ahmose and R‘a (TT 121 and 72)", ''Essays for the Library of Seshat: Studies Presented to Janet H. Johnson on the Occasion of Her 70th Birthday'', The Oriental Institute, Chicago, 2017.

Tomb

TT72 has been known for a long time. Lepsius visited and recorded the tomb including the scene depicting Pharaoh Amenhotep II and his mother

Merytre-Hatshepsut Merytre-Hatshepsut, or Hatshepsut-Meryet-Ra, was the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Thutmose III following the death of Queen Satiah. She was the mother of Pharaoh Amenhotep II. Family Merytre-Hatshepsut was of noble birth, possibly the daughter ...

. The tomb was first excavated by Weigall in 1907, who noted the fact that one has a clear view of the temple of Thutmosis III from the tomb. TT72 is located fairly close to the tomb of Re's father Ahmose, TT121. In 1913–14 Winlock worked at the tomb and mapped it for the Metropolitan Museum of Arts. Winlock investigated monks cells related to the Coptic Monasteries nearby. Smoke damage in the tomb indicates it was used as a kitchen or smoke house during Coptic times. The exterior of the tomb shows the use of

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curv ...

s, terraces and ramps. This construction emulates the overall structure of royal temples, including the temple of Tuthmosis III called Djeser-Akhet, where Re served as First Prophet. Just above the tomb is the

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...

to an Egyptian Saint. This structure was built on top of the shrine that Re had constructed.

Hall

One side of the hall shows several different scenes (numbering refers to the numbering used in Porter and Moss): # The deceased offering on behalf Thutmosis II # Several registers showing a banquet with a harpist # Re seated and offerings to

Renenutet Renenūtet (also transliterated Ernūtet, Renen-wetet, Renenet) was a goddess of grain, grapes, nourishment and the harvest in the ancient Egyptian religion. The importance of the harvest caused people to make many offerings to Renenutet during ...

as a serpent # Amenhotep II hunting ibex and ostriches while riding a chariot # Re with relatives making an offering to Amenhotep II and his mother Merytre-Hatshepsut # Re seated and family spearing fish # Re offering to

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 ...

Inner room

The inner room is decorated with funerary scenes including the opening of the mouth. The coffin that was presumably initially put in this room was later found in tomb

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

, the tomb of Amenhotep II. The coffin contained the mummy of

Ramesses VI Ramesses VI Nebmaatre-Meryamun (sometimes written Ramses or Rameses, also known under his princely name of Amenherkhepshef C) was the fifth ruler of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt. He reigned for about eight years in the mid-to-late 12th centur ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:TT071 Buildings and structures completed in the 15th century BC Theban tombs

Tomb

Hall

Inner room

See also

References