KV2
| KV2 | |
|---|---|
| Burial site ofRamesses IV | |
 | |
  KV2 | |
| Coordinates | 25°44′29.2″N32°36′07.7″E/ 25.741444°N 32.602139°E |
| Location | East Valley of the Kings |
| Discovered | Open since antiquity |
| Excavated by | Edward R. Ayrton(1905–06) Howard Carter(1920) |
| Decoration | |
←Previous KV1 Next→ KV3 | |
Tomb KV2,found in theValley of the Kings,is the tomb ofRamesses IV,and is located low in the main valley, betweenKV7andKV1.It has been open since antiquity and contains a large amount of graffiti.
Contemporary plans of the tomb[edit]
There are two known plans of the tomb's layout contemporary to its construction. One onpapyrus(now located at the Egyptian Museum in Turin) provides a detailed depiction of the tomb at 1:28 scale. All of the passages and chambers are present, with measurements written inhieraticscript. The papyrus plan also depicts the pharaoh's sarcophagus surrounded by four concentric sets of shrines, the same layout of shrines that were found intact withinTutankhamun'stomb.[1]The other plan of the tomb was found inscribed on a slab of limestone not far from the tomb's entrance, and is a rough layout of the tomb depicting the location of its doors. The latter plan may have just been a "workman's doodle"[2]but the papyrus plan almost certainly had a deeper ritual meaning, and may have been used toconsecratethe tomb after it was built.[1]
Tomb layout[edit]
Ahieraticostraconhas been discovered mentioning the initiation of the tomb, its location selected by the local governor and two of the pharaoh's chief attendants in the second year of his reign.[3]Ramesses IV ascended the throne late in life, and to ensure that he would have a sizable tomb (during what would be a relatively brief reign of about six years), he doubled the size of the existing work gangs atDeir el-Medinato a total of 120 men.[4]Though sizable, KV2 has been described as "simplistic" in its design and decoration.[5]The tomb was excavated at the base of a hill on the northwest side of theValley of the Kings.
Like other tombs of the20th Dynasty,KV2 is laid out along a straight axis. The successors of Ramesses III from this dynasty constructed tombs that follow this pattern and most were decorated in a similar manner to one other.
The tomb has a maximum length of 88.66 m[6]and consists of three slowly descending corridors labeled B, C, and D. This is followed by an enlarged chamber (E), and then the burial chamber (J). Past the burial chamber lies a narrow corridor (K) flanked by three side chambers [Ka, Kb and Kc].[6]
The tomb is mostly intact and is decorated with scenes from theLitany of Ra,Book of Caverns,Book of the Dead,Book of Amduatand theBook of the Heavens.
Thesarcophagusis broken (probably in antiquity), and themummywas relocated to the mummy cache inKV35.[7]
Visits in antiquity[edit]
The tomb was one of about eleven tombs open to early travelers. KV2 contains the second-highest number of ancient graffiti within it (afterKV9), with 656 individual graffiti left by both Ancient Greek and Roman visitors.[8]This tomb also contains around 50 or so examples ofCopticgraffiti, mostly sketched onto the right wall by the entranceway.[9]The tomb was likely used as a dwelling by Coptic monks,[3]and there are also depictions of Coptic saints and crosses on the tomb's walls.[6]
Early European visitors to the area includedRichard Pococke,who may have visited KV2 and designated it "Tomb B" in hisObservations of Egypt,published in 1743.[10][disputed–discuss]
The savants accompanyingNapoleon'scampaign in Egyptsurveyed the Valley of the Kings and designated KV2 as "IIe Tombeau" ( "2nd Tomb" ) in their list.[10]Other visitors of note includedJames Burton,who mapped the tomb in 1825, and the Franco-Tuscan Expedition of 1828–1829, who conducted anepigraphicsurvey of the tomb's inscriptions.[6]
Modern archeological work[edit]
ArcheologistEdward Ayrtonexcavated the entranceway to the tomb during 1905/1906, followed byHoward Carterin 1920. Both of them found remnants of the materials which had originally come from inside the tomb, such asshabtis,numerous ostraca and fragments of wood, glass andFaience.[3]
Notes[edit]
- ^abDodson & Ikram 2008,p. 27.
- ^Dodson & Ikram 2008,p. 162.
- ^abcReeves & Wilkinson 1996,p. 162.
- ^Dodson & Ikram 2008,p. 32.
- ^The Tomb of Ramesses IV, Valley of the Kings, Egypt, accessed July 15, 2009
- ^abcd"KV 2 (Rameses IV)".www.thebanmappingproject.com.Archived fromthe originalon 2009-05-06.Retrieved2018-02-26.
- ^Reeves & Wilkinson 1996,p. 163.
- ^Reeves & Wilkinson 1996,p. 51.
- ^Reeves & Wilkinson 1996,p. 50.
- ^abReeves & Wilkinson 1996,pp. 52–53.
References[edit]
- Reeves, Nicholas; Wilkinson, Richard H (1996).The Complete Valley of the Kings.Thames and Hudson.ISBN9780500050804.
- Siliotti, A (1996).Guide to the Valley of the Kings and to the Theban Necropolises and Temples.A.A. Gaddis.
- Dodson, Aidan; Ikram, Salima (2008).The Tomb in Ancient Egypt: Royal and Private Sepulchres from the Early Dynastic Period to the Romans.Thames & Hudson.ISBN9780500051399.
External links[edit]
- Theban Mapping Project: KV2– Includes description, images, and plans of the tomb.
