KV 62_Owner: Tutankhamen
Structure: KV 62
Location: Valley of the Kings,
East Valley, Thebes West Bank, Thebes
Owner: Tutankhamen
Site type: Tomb
Description: KV 62, located in the main wadi, is the most famous tomb in the world because of the treasures it held intact for over three thousand years. The entryway A is cut into the floor of the valley below the beginning of the entry ramp of KV 9, the tomb of Rameses VI. Even before the construction of KV 9, debris had already been dumped on top of the KV 62 entrance. The tomb was forgotten and a group of Rameside workmen's huts were built over it later in antiquity. A descending corridor (B) leads to a rectangular chamber (I) with a side chamber (Ia). The burial chamber J opens off the right (north) end of chamber I with its floor level one meter lower. Another side chamber (Ja), is located off the right (east) wall of the burial chamber J. Howard Carter believed that the four chambers of KV 62, although small, relate directly to lower parts of more traditional royal tomb plans. The walls of the tomb were smoother but, except for burial chamber J, were left undecorated. The burial chamber J is decorated with scenes from the Opening of the Mouth ritual, Imydwat, Book of the Dead, and representations of the king with various deities.
Some have theorized that when Tutankhamen died suddenly at an early age, a tomb that was originally planned for him in the West Valley (KV 23 or KV 25) was not ready. It may have been decided to bury Tutankhamen in the main Valley in a tomb originally intended for Ay when he was still a God's father, near the Amarna cache (KV 55). According to this theory, Ay later took the West Valley tomb (KV 23) after succeeding Tutankhamen to the throne.
Noteworthy features: This tomb originally designed for a non-royal personage nevertheless was used for royal burial, and possessed a nearly intact set of burial equipment.
Axis in degrees: 271.68
Axis orientation: West
Site Location
Latitude: 25.44 N
Longitude: 32.36 E
Elevation: 170.55 msl
North: 99,572.277
East: 94,069.638
JOG map reference: NG 36-10
Modern governorate: Qena (Qina)
Ancient nome: 4th Upper Egypt
Surveyed by TMP: Yes
Measurements
Maximum height: 3.68 m
Mininum width: 0.66 m
Maximum width: 7.86 m
Total length: 30.79 m
Total area: 109.83 m²
Total volume: 277.01 m³
Additional Tomb Information
Owner type: King
Entrance location: Base of sloping hill
Entrance type: Staircase
Interior layout: Corridor and chambers
Axis type: Bent
Decoration
Painting
Categories of Objects Recovered
Accessories
Clothing
Cosmetic equipment
Furniture
Game components
Human mummies
Lighting equipment
Models
Mummy trappings
Scarabs and seals
Sculpture
Tomb equipment
Transport
Vegetal remains
Vessels
Warfare and hunting equipment
Site History
KV 62 may have been constructed for an important official or member of the royal family, probably in the latter half of Dynasty 18. When it was taken over for the burial of Tutankhamen, still unfinished, a burial chamber with side chamber was cut into the right (north) end of the first chamber. KV 62 was robbed at least twice in antiquity, judging from three different sets of seals on the doorways signifying three different closures of the tomb. Other evidence of theft, besides the disturbed appearance of the objects in chamber I and side chamber Ia, includes inventory dockets on various containers that list artifacts not found when the tomb was discovered. The looters appear to have penetrated past chamber I into side chamber Ia, chamber J and side chamber Ja, but did not breach the sealed doors of the shrines surrounding the sarcophagus.
After the final restoration of the burial, perhaps under Horemheb, the location of the tomb was lost as the debris from subsequent tomb construction filled the floor of the center of the Valley.
Dating
This site was used during the following period(s):
New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, Tutankhamen
History of Exploration
Carter, Howard (1922): Discovery (made for the Earl of Carnarvon)
Burton, Harry (1923): Photography (of objects for the Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Carter, Howard (1923-1932): Excavation (conducted for Earl of Carnarvon)
Conservation
Conservation history: Following the 1994 floods, a new shelter was constructed over and around the entrance to protect it from water. Metal doors at the top and bottom of corridor B and a metal stairway have been installed.
Site condition: Since KV 62 was sealed throughout its history, flood debris did not fill the tomb. A fault line runs through the tomb, but it has remained stable and there has been no structural damage to the chambers.
Carter and his team broke through the partition wall between chamber I and burial chamber J to remove Tutankhamen's funeral shrine and other large objects, partially destroying the scenes on the south (front) wall.
Soot on the burial chamber ceiling reminds us that ancient people painted by torchlight and oil lamps. A pink stain and black fungus spots have spread over decorated walls due to moisture. Small amounts of moisture came from the ancient offerings placed in the tomb such as vegetation, and also from the gypsum plaster on which the decoration was painted, which may not have been fully dry when the tomb was sealed.
Sixteen steps descend through
the bedrock toward gate B.
The westernmost end of the stairway
is roofed in by the rock of the valley floor.
The last six steps of the entrance were cut back in ancient times
, together with the lintel and jambs of gate B
, in order to allow passage of larger pieces of funerary furniture
. These features were all subsequently
reconstructed in stone and plaster.
Recently, a shelter was built over the entrance.
Architectural Features
Steps
Overhang
Condition
Cutting finished
Excavated
Undecorated
Dimensions
Width: 1.66 m
Length: 5.61 m
Area: 9.32 m²
Orientation: 271.68°
The lintel and jambs of the doorway
were cut away in antiquity to allow for
the passage of large pieces of funerary furniture
. The lintel was subsequently replaced with a heavy
, limewashed beam.
Carter removed the original blocking when
he discovered the tomb, and again had
to widen the gate when he removed the shrine panels.
Porter and Moss designation: Corridor
Architectural Features
Lintel beam slot
Condition
Excavated
Cutting finished
Undecorated
Dimensions
Height: 2.18 m
Width: 1.57 m
Length: 0.99 m
Area: 1.54 m²
Volume: 3.47 m³
Orientation: 0° from entryway A
Maximum slope: -17.96°
Corridor B
The corridor originally contained material
left over from the funeral feast,
as well as material associated with
the embalming of the king, according to Reeves
. After the first robbery,
the bulk of this material was removed to
KV 54 and the corridor was filled with
limestone chips and rubble to impede
access to the tomb chambers
. This was unsuccessful, as shown by
the tunnel made by the second group of robbers
through the upper left of the blocking debris.
This tunnel was filled with rubble
before the third sealing of the tomb.
Porter and Moss designation: Corridor
Condition
Excavated
Cutting finished
Undecorated
Dimensions
Height: 1.98 m
Width: 1.66 m
Length: 7.67 m
Area: 12.67 m²
Volume: 25.02 m³
Orientation: 0° from entryway A
Gate I
The jambs in gate I, like those in gate B
, were cut back in antiquity.
Carter removed the original blocking of
the gate when he discovered the tomb.
Porter and Moss designation: Antechamber
Condition
Excavated
Cutting finished
Undecorated
Dimensions
Height: 1.97 m
Width: 1.53 m
Length: 0.91 m
Area: 1.39 m²
Volume: 2.79 m³
Orientation: 0° from corridor B
Maximum slope: -16.83°
Chamber I
This chamber (called the Antechamber by Carter)
is long and rectangular,
similar to the pillared section of the burial chambers in other tomb
, but without pillars. The walls are rough and undecorated,
as are all other chamber walls except burial chamber J
. This chamber held over six hundred objects.
Near the left (south) end of the rear (west)
wall a low doorway leads to side chamber Ia.
At the right (north) end of the rear (west)
wall are remains of the abandoned cutting of a gate
. Chisel marks on the ceiling of burial chamber J
indicate that chamber I originally extended
about two meters farther to the right (north).
Near the floor in the center of the west wall
of chamber I is a small recess.
Porter and Moss designation: Antechamber
Architectural Features
Recesses
Condition
Excavated
Cutting finished
Undecorated
Dimensions
Height: 2.75 m
Width: 7.86 m
Length: 3.55 m
Area: 28.02 m²
Volume: 75.79 m³
Orientation: 0° from corridor B
Gate Ia
Although this is a low gate,
black paint lines above the opening indicate
that it was intended to be higher.
Carter removed the original blocking
when clearing the tomb.
Porter and Moss designation: Annex
Condition
Excavated
Cutting finished
Undecorated
Dimensions
Height: 1.44 m
Width: 1 m
Length: 0.7 m
Area: 0.7 m²
Volume: 1.03 m³
Orientation: 8.97° left from chamber I
Maximum slope: -1.68°
Side chamber Ia
This rectangular side chamber
(called the Annexe by Carter),
is the equivalent to the side chambers used for storage
located off chamber F in traditional tombs
. Carter noted that masons' control marks in red
were visible upon the walls.
The floor of this chamber is 0.9 m
lower than the floor of chamber I.
The chamber contained a disordered array
of furniture, baskets, wine jars, calcite vessels
, model boats, and shabtis.
Porter and Moss designation: Annex
Condition
Excavated
Cutting finished
Undecorated
Dimensions
Height: 2.63 m
Width: 4.3 m
Length: 2.6 m
Area: 11.14 m²
Volume: 29.18 m³
Orientation: 4.20° left from chamber I
At the right (north) end of the rear (west)
wall of chamber I is an abandoned cutting for
a gate to a second side chamber intended here
before the construction of the burial chamber J.
Black lines from the top and left side of the cutting
indicate the planned dimensions of the gate.
Condition
Excavated
Cutting unfinished
Undecorated
Dimensions
Height: 1.11 m
Width: 0.66 m Irregular
Length: 0.28 m Irregular
Area: 0.19 m²
Volume: 0.21 m³
Orientation: 0° from chamber I
Maximum slope: 43.18°
Gate J
A partition wall of rubble covered with plaster
was constructed at the right (north)
end of chamber I to close off the large opening
into the burial chamber J. A gate,
with wood beams laid on top as the lintel,
was made in the center of this wall, and after the burial,
it was blocked with rubble and covered
with plaster bearing impressions of the necropolis seal
. The excavators first entered the burial chamber
through a resealed hole made by tomb robbers
in the lower right of the gate.
Eventually it was necessary for Carter to remove
the blocking and dismantle the partition wall in
order to remove the larger burial equipment.
For this reason, it was impossible for
the Theban Mapping Project to obtain
measurements of this gate.
Porter and Moss designation: Sarcophagus chamber
Condition
Excavated
Cutting finished
Undecorated
Damaged structurally
Dimensions
Orientation: 88.04° right from chamber I
The burial chamber is situated right (north)
of chamber I on an east-west axis,
and the floor is almost a meter (3 feet)
lower than that of the previous chamber.
Magical brick niches were cut into each of the four walls of the chamber. The niches were covered by limestone flakes which were then plastered and painted. The chamber held three hundred objects in addition to four shrines inside of which were the sarcophagus, three coffins, burial mask and mummy of the king. Only this chamber was decorated. The background for the scenes was a golden yellow; the figures are in a non-traditional style. The human figures on every wall except the front (south) are laid out using the twenty-square grid during the Amarna Period. The south wall more closely fits the eighteen-square grid pattern of traditional art.
Chamber plan: Rectangular
Relationship to main tomb axis: Parallel
Chamber layout: Flat floor, no pillars
Floor: One level
Ceiling: Flat
Porter and Moss designation: Sarcophagus chamber
Architectural Features
Magical brick niches
Sarcophagus
Sarcophagus emplacement
Condition
Decoration damaged
Decorated
Damaged structurally
Excavated
Cutting finished
Dimensions
Height: 3.68 m
Width: 6.4 m
Length: 4.14 m
Area: 26.22 m²
Volume: 96.7 m³
Orientation: 88.16° right from chamber I
Recesses
Brick niche: one on each wall
Decoration
Book of the Dead: spell 1 Right (east) wall
Deceased with deities: Anubis, Isis, Hathor,
three netherworld deities
(removed in fragments when the partition wall
was dismantled and appear to have been
destroyed in recent flooding) Front (south) wall
Deceased with deities: Tutankhamen,
followed by his ka, welcomed into the netherworld
by Osiris Rear (north) wall
Deceased with deities: Nut Rear (north) wall
Imydwat: first hour Left (west) wall
Opening of the Mouth ritual: Ay, as a priest,
performing the ritual on Tutankhamen
Rear (north) wall
Sarcophagus
Extant remains: Box and lid
Sarcophagus form: Shrine of Upper Egypt
Material: Quartzite
Length: 2.75 m
Width: 1.33 m
Height: 1.49 m
Orientation: east
Emplacement: On floor
Comments: The red granite lid, painted yellow,
was cracked across its center,
and the crack was filled afterwards
with gypsum plaster.
The sarcophagus was supported by
blocks of calcite at each corner.
Marianne Eaton-Krauss has shown that
the raised relief decoration of the box and
the inscriptions were recarved for Tutankhamen,
although the identity of the original owner is not preserved.
Decoration:
Deities: Isis, Nephthys, Serqet and NeitBox exterior
Prayers and hymnsBox exterior
Winged sun diskLid exterior
Gate Ja
This low doorway was never blocked.
There is a step down from burial chamber J
to side chamber Ja in the gate.
Porter and Moss designation: Treasury
Architectural Features
Steps
Condition
Excavated
Undecorated
Cutting finished
Dimensions
Height: 1.67 m
Width: 1.13 m
Length: 0.52 m
Area: 0.58 m²
Volume: 0.94 m³
Orientation: 92.74° right from burial chamber J
Maximum slope: -19.3°
Situated east of the burial chamber,
chamber Ja (called the Treasury by Carter),
is oriented north-south. This storeroom for
Tutankhamen's canopic shrine held over
five hundred objects. It is similar to
the storerooms of other burial chambers in the Valley
, and had the only doorway in KV 62 not sealed
with plaster and rubble.
Iin addition to the canopic chest in its shrine,
the objects included a large figure of an Anubis jackal,
shrines containing divine figures,
a model granary and model boats,
two fetuses in coffins, chests and a chariot.
Porter and Moss designation: Treasury
Condition
Excavated
Undecorated
Cutting finished
Dimensions
Height: 2.35 m
Width: 4.75 m
Length: 3.83 m
Area: 18.06 m²
Volume: 41.88 m³
Orientation: 92.74° right from burial chamber J
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