- The Unique Decor of KV34
- Discovery of Thutmose III tomb
- Loret's Conviction and the Tomb's Entrance
- Thutmose III tomb plan
- The Evolution of Royal Tomb Plans in the Valley of the Kings
- The Decorative Splendor of Thutmose III's Tomb
- Thutmose III Tomb: Unraveling Location, Orientation, and Unfinished Construction
- FAQ
Unlike other tombs explored in the valley of the kings where the occupant remains a puzzle, Thutmose III tomb in KV34 leaves no room for doubt.
His name adorns the walls, sarcophagus, and even fragments scattered throughout the plundered chambers. The tomb’s intended occupant is clear.
However, that doesn’t make the story of Thutmose III’s tomb any less captivating. A closer look reveals a surprising truth: this seemingly straightforward tomb holds mysteries as deep as those surrounding its unidentified counterparts.
The Unique Decor of KV34
Located in the Valley of the Kings, in the Theban necropolis on the west bank of the Nile opposite Luxor in Egypt, KV34 is the tomb of Thutmose III.
The wall decorations are in a very particular style that is not found anywhere else in the valley. The oldest known version of the Amduat is found there, as well as the Litany of Re.
Discovery of Thutmose III tomb
In February 1898, a significant discovery unfolded in the Valley of the Kings, an ancient necropolis on the west bank of the Nile in Egypt. Hassan Effendi Hosni, an inspector from Gourna, made the remarkable find of the tomb of Thutmose III.
This momentous event took place under the guidance of Victor Loret, the director of the Egyptian Antiquities Service.
Loret’s Conviction and the Tomb’s Entrance
Driven by a firm belief in the existence of undiscovered tombs in the southernmost region of the Valley of the Kings, Loret embarked on a meticulous exploration.
His efforts led him to an opening located approximately eight to ten meters below ground level. This opening marked the entrance to the tomb of Thutmose III, which had been concealed by debris carried down by torrential rains.
The Plundered Tomb
Despite its grand status and the immense riches it was likely to contain, the tomb of Thutmose III was not spared from the hands of ancient tomb raiders. Upon its discovery in 1898, the tomb was found to have been extensively pillaged, leaving behind a trail of emptiness and shattered remnants of its former splendor.
The Desolate Interior
The once-opulent burial chamber was stripped bare of its treasures, leaving only the empty and damaged red quartzite sarcophagus pushed into a corner. The sarcophagus, once intended to house the pharaoh’s eternal slumber, had been violated, its contents stolen.
Scattered throughout the tomb were fragments of what were once precious objects, now reduced to mere relics of a bygone era – small artifacts, an unidentified mummy, and a wooden statue, all bearing the marks of plunder and neglect.
The Fate of the Mummy
The pharaoh’s mummy, once destined to rest in the sanctity of its tomb, had also been displaced. It was later found in the Deir el-Bahari cache, where it was discovered in its linen shroud in 1881. It is believed that the tomb’s plundering and the mummy’s relocation occurred during the tumultuous Third Intermediate Period of Egyptian history.
Thutmose III tomb plan
The Tomb’s Location and Layout
Thutmose III’s tomb, situated in the southernmost portion of the Wadi, is carved into the cliff face at the base of a water-eroded crevice.
The hypogeum features a bent plan, initially oriented along a north-south axis before transitioning to an east-west axis, and extends over a total length of 76.11 meters. Its overall appearance is characterized by a certain irregularity in the shape of its chambers.
Entrance and Initial Descent
Entry into the tomb is gained through a first staircase that plunges steeply into the mountainside.
After a doorway, this staircase leads to a very steep corridor, initially 8.35 meters long and then 4.38 meters long, interrupted by a second staircase.
This second staircase, extremely steep with roughly hewn steps, features two irregular-shaped niches on either side.
The roughly finished corridor terminates at a generally rectangular well.
Antichamber and Change of Axis
This well precedes an antechamber, the stuccoed walls of which, not being parallel, form a sort of trapezium with massive pillars at its center. This chamber marks the change of axis in the plan, with a new orientation.
A staircase in the north corner of the chamber leads into the sarcophagus hall.
Sarcophagus Hall and Surrounding Annexes
The sarcophagus hall assumes the form of a very regular oval measuring 14.64 meters by 8.53 meters, with smooth, stuccoed walls. Two massive pillars stand in the center, slightly offset to the northwest. Four annexes are placed asymmetrically around the chamber, two to the north and two to the south.
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The Evolution of Royal Tomb Plans in the Valley of the Kings
The Journey Through Royal Tombs: A Changing Landscape
The royal tombs of the Valley of the Kings underwent significant transformations in their architectural plans over time. From the early tombs up to Amenhotep II, a curved axis was the defining feature. Starting with Ay and continuing through the 20th Dynasty, tombs began to incorporate intermediate parallel axes.
Then, from Merenptah onwards, a straight axis became the hallmark of tomb design, with a much larger overall plan.
The Tomb of Thutmose III: A Pioneer in Design
In the early 18th Dynasty, tombs were constructed around a series of four passages alternating with steps or ramps. Each section of the descent was known as one of the “Passages of the Sun,” alluding to the nocturnal journey undertaken by the deceased in the underworld.
The entrance corresponded to the “Passage of the Way of Shu,” the first corridor to the “Passage of Re,” the second staircase to the “Hall where [the gods of the Litany of Re] reside,” the well to the “Hall of Obstacles,” the antechamber to the “Hall of the Chariot,”.
And the chamber to the “Hall where one rests,” “the House of Gold,” or “the Hidden Chamber.” This is precisely the layout inaugurated in the tomb of Thutmose III.
The Protective Well and Its Symbolic Significance
The tomb of Thutmose III also marks the first appearance of a protective well in the Valley of the Kings, positioned before the antechamber.
This well, which would become a recurring feature in the tombs of his successors, could have served both a practical function, collecting rainwater, and a symbolic one, representing the depths of the primordial ocean Nun and thereby holding a symbolic role in the regeneration of the deceased. Its presence is therefore not accidental.
The Bent Plan: A Defining Feature
Similarly, the bent plan, making its debut here, would characterize all the royal tombs of the Valley of the Kings in the early 18th Dynasty.
It may have been influenced by Senusret II. Indeed, until then, the pyramid corridor was straight, and then the corridor system became more complex in reference to the curved territories of the underworld. This is perhaps what we find here.
The Oval Chamber: A Symbol of Regeneration
As for the oval-shaped chamber, it is found in the tomb of Thutmose I, KV38, as well as the tomb of Meritamun-Hatshepsut, KV42, two tombs contemporary with the reign of Thutmose III. It is possible that this shape is linked to the shape of the cartouche or to the shape of the Sokar cave, making it a place of regeneration.
The Decorative Splendor of Thutmose III’s Tomb
Antichamber: A Prelude to the Divine Realm
The decorative elements of the tomb begin at the well, with a frieze of khekers at the top of the wall and a blue ceiling dotted with yellow stars. These two motifs will reappear in the same locations in the antechamber and the chamber.
The antechamber presents a list of the 741 deities from the Book of the Amduat, which unfolds from the right of the entrance onto the walls of the room in two tableaux.
The first is composed of three superimposed rows of vertically oriented rectangles containing a star and an incense burner.
The deities make up the second tableau. They are named and associated with an incense burner, and are arranged in three superimposed rows of vertically oriented rectangles.
Only the pillars are not painted and present a red grid preparatory to the drawing.
Chamber: A Gigantic Papyrus Unfolding the Divine Journey
In the chamber, the Book of the Amduat unfolds in its complete version on the ocher walls of the hieroglyphs in cursive writing and extremely stylized figures, only in black and red for important notions, which give the impression of a gigantic papyrus.
This “papyrus” is divided into three superimposed registers relating the twelve hours of the Amduat, which also appear in an abridged version on the pillars.
Each hour of the complete version is organized in such a way that the inscription noting the events of the hour is at the top of it, that an introduction (mentioning the names of the hour, the door and the region of the afterlife) is in a left column (which also serves as a sectioning of the sections).
And that the hour itself is organized into four registers (general phenomena, the solar barque and the specific motifs of the hour).
It is distributed according to a very particular arrangement where the hours correspond, either hours one to four on the west wall, hours five and six on the south wall, hours seven and eight on the north wall and hours nine to twelve on the east wall.
The Book of the Amduat describes the journey of the Sun during the twelve hours of the night, between its setting and its rising:
The first hour marks the entry into the Otherworld of the Sun by the All-Swallowing Door, with a description of its inhabitants.
The second and third hours describe the fertile lands of the Otherworld, while the negative entities are mastered by characters armed with knives.
The fourth and fifth hours take place in the desert and obscure Country of Sokar (the Ro-Setaou) where the solar barque is hauled by thirsty characters.
At the sixth hour (midnight), Re and Osiris are reunited and the king brings his deceased ancestors back to life.
At the seventh hour, the serpent Apophis is defeated by Isis, Seth and Serket, as he tries to eliminate the Sun.
In the eighth and ninth hours, Re opens the doors of five caves and provides clothing to the deceased king.
At the tenth hour, Horus transports the bodies of drowned people to the Otherworld.
At the eleventh hour, preparations are made for the sunrise, in the form of a scarab, at the twelfth hour. It is at this hour that the boat of the deceased is towed to the light.
Distributed between the two pillars are the Litany of Re, which describe seventy-four of the seventy-five forms of Re that the deceased must know.
There is also on one of the pillars an unusual representation representing, in the upper part, Thutmose III sailing on a boat with his mother Isis, then the king suckled by the goddess Isis in a tree and followed by four women of his family.
A Pioneering Canvas: Unveiling New Decorative Elements
The decoration of Thutmose III’s tomb stands out as particularly unique, marking the introduction of novel decorative types and exhibiting a distinct typology.
The Litany of Re: A Royal Debut
For the first time in a royal tomb, the Litany of Re finds its representation within the walls. The king was required to master the seventy-five Osirian and solar forms of the god Re to achieve assimilation with the deity and integration into the Sun’s cycle.
A possible earlier depiction of the Litany may have existed in the tomb of the vizier User under Hatshepsut’s regency. These texts would become a common feature at the entrances of most tombs until the reign of Seti I.
The Book of the Amduat: A Complete Narrative
The tomb presents one of the few complete examples of the Book of the Amduat in a royal tomb. This book, among the first to detail the Sun’s subterranean journey during the twelve hours of the night, is represented here through extremely stylized figures, painted solely in black and red.
The scenes are accompanied by detailed hieroglyphic inscriptions in cursive writing, with important notions highlighted in red.
The king identifies with the Sun, as during his burial, he too descends into the underworld, hoping to emerge into the light upon his rebirth in the Afterworld.
Decorative Parallels and Uniqueness
The decoration of the Book of the Amduat bears some resemblance to that found in the tomb of Amenhotep II, KV35. This suggests that the antechamber pillars may have originally borne a representation of the king facing a deity.
In the chamber, the theme is entirely original, with no known prior or subsequent examples of the depiction of the 741 deities of the Amduat. The representation of the king being nourished by a deity, in the form of a tree named Isis, like his mother, is also unique.
Thutmose III Tomb: Unraveling Location, Orientation, and Unfinished Construction
Unconventional Location and Orientation: A Cause for Intrigue
Amidst the architectural innovations of Thutmose III’s tomb, the choice of its location and orientation raises intriguing questions.
Unlike most tombs aligned with the cardinal points, Thutmose III‘s tomb deviates from this convention. Marks on the decoration provide clues to its intended orientation. Additionally, Thutmose III’s tomb holds the distinction of being one of the earliest in the Valley of the Kings.
A Possible Connection to Hatshepsut’s Reign
Herbert Ricke’s observations at the Henket-ankh, the temple of millions of years dedicated to the king’s cult, provide a possible explanation. The temple’s original axis, when extended to the Valley of the Kings, intersects precisely with the entrance of Thutmose II’s tomb. However, this axis is not visible in the temple’s final layout.
This raises the question of whether this alignment is a mere coincidence or a deliberate choice. If the latter, it suggests a contemporaneous planning of both the tomb and the sanctuary, possibly under the regency of Hatshepsut.
Unconventional Completion: A Reflection of Naturalism, Urgency, or a Later Addition?
This hypothesis further complicates the tomb’s unfinished appearance. Catharine H. Roehrig proposes that this unfinished state was intentional, aiming to evoke the sinuous path of the underworld.
However, it could also reflect an urgency in construction, whether due to haste (with decoration completed after the king’s death) or a lack of meticulousness.
John Romer’s hypothesis that the decoration was completed by Amenhotep II, Thutmose III’s son, is supported by the fact that the decoration was executed after the sealing of the four annexes of the burial chamber.
It remains puzzling that in a reign of thirty-two years, the king could not have completed the decoration of his tomb, excavated under the regency, while he oversaw the tombs of his father and wife.
Despite the Unfinished State, the Decorative Efficacy Remains
Regardless of the reason for its unfinished appearance, the adaptations in the decoration do not diminish its effectiveness. The essential elements are in place, and its symbolic power remains intact.
FAQ
What was found in Thutmose III’s tomb?
Thutmose III’s tomb, located in the Valley of the Kings (KV34), contained various remarkable items that reflected the wealth and religious beliefs of ancient Egypt. Key discoveries included:
Sarcophagus – A beautifully crafted sarcophagus made of red granite, which originally housed the king’s mummy.
Mummified Remains – The remains of Thutmose III were found, although his original mummy appears to have been lost or moved.
Funerary Goods – Numerous funerary items, including jewelry, amulets, and canopic jars used to store the king’s internal organs.
Wall Paintings – Intricate wall paintings depicting religious ceremonies and scenes from the afterlife, demonstrating the artistic skills of the period.
Furniture and Tools – Items such as beds, chairs, and tools used in daily life and for rituals were also discovered.
These artifacts provide valuable insights into the burial practices and beliefs surrounding kingship in ancient Egypt.
