KV11

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KV11
tomb of Ramses III. ,
originally from Sethnacht

place Valley of the Kings
Discovery date open since ancient times
excavation unknown
Previous
KV10 		The following
KV12
Valley of the Kings
Valley of the Kings
(Eastern Valley)
Ramses III. with an incense offering, tomb painting from KV11

KV11 is the name of the ancient Egyptian tomb of Ramses III. in the valley of the kings . It is also known as the "harpist's grave" or "Bruce's grave" after the Scottish explorer James Bruce who examined the grave in 1769.

history

The tomb was originally started by Sethnacht and then by his successor Ramses III. taken over and expanded. Sethnacht died after three years of reign and took over Queen Tausret's grave KV14 . For Ramses III. on the other hand, the KV3 tomb was originally planned, but this changed due to the poor quality of the rock. In the 13th year of Smendes I found an osirification of Ramses III. held, which was directed by a necropolis clerk named Butehamun . The outer areas of KV11 have been accessible to tourists since Greco-Roman times . After closer examination by James Bruce, it was documented by Jacques de Morgan in 1895 . A detailed documentation of the walls was made in 1983 by Marek Marciniak.

architecture

Isometric representation, floor plan and sectional drawing of the tomb

The grave has a length of 125 m and is constructed in the style of the 19th dynasty , but the entrance facade has a monumental design, which is more typical of the 20th dynasty . The first three corridors were laid out by Sethnacht, the niche-like side chambers in the first two passages, however, by Ramses III. added. The third corridor pierced the ceiling of the tomb of Amenmesse ( KV10 ) and was then converted into a small room. Instead, from this corridor, the rest of the grave was cut into the rock with its axis shifted.

Quite atypically, the fourth corridor rises a little to overcome the chamber below from KV10. This is followed by the well chamber and a pillared hall with a side chamber, which is similar to that of KV10. This is followed by two antechambers and the burial chamber in which the sarcophagus was set up for the first time along the main axis. A side chamber is symmetrically arranged at each of the four corners, as was the case with the grave of Merenptah ( KV8 ). The subsequent final corridor also corresponds to an extremely regular plan.

decoration

Deep relief with a scene from the port book

The walls show scenes from the Amduat (“writing of the hidden space”), the gate book , the “ book of the earth ” and the “ book of the celestial cow ”. They are therefore adorned with a decoration scheme valid for the Ramesside period , which only varies in detail. The colors of the low reliefs are generally well preserved and offer an extraordinary variety.

Entrance area

The entrance area of ​​KV11 is flanked by Hathor pillars. Above the entrance is the sun disk of the god Re , who is also represented as the morning sun in the form of the scarab god Chepri and as the evening sun in the form of the human god Atum with a ram's head. These in turn are worshiped by the goddesses Isis and Nephthys . Furthermore, on each side there is a kneeling figure of the winged goddess Maat , who symbolizes the continuation of the valid divine order both in this world and in the hereafter .

First corridor

Ships on the way to Abydos

The first corridor shows the king before the falcon-headed god Re-Harachte and scenes from the litany of the sun . This is about the course of the sun and, according to the type of incantation, lists 74 manifestations of the sun god that the king assumes on the way through the underworld . In the second part of this text there is an identification between the king and these manifestations.

Second corridor and extensions

Nile god and goddesses with offerings

The “Litany of Ra” continues in the next corridor. This time the main characters are Isis and Nephthys, who are depicted at the end of the corridor with the Schen ring , which is a symbol of the king's infinite rule. Behind each follows a lying Anubis , who keeps watch, as well as the four Sons of Horus , who are on the right and left of the passage to the third corridor. These were supposed to protect the king on his dangerous journey through the other world.

Harper playing before the god Schu

On the left side you can see the god Apis on the walls of the first extension handing over offerings to the gods. The next extension shows the procession of the Nile god with divine personifications from various places in Egypt, all of whom carry rich Nile gifts. The last two additions show the celestial cow and the harper scenes famous for this grave , in which harpers play in front of the gods Atum , Osiris and Schu . The harps carry the heads of the king in regalia with the double crown or the crown of Lower Egypt .

On the right-hand side, the extensions show an enthroned Osiris, the Jaru area , various throne chairs, consumer goods and amphorae , as well as bakers , cooks and butchers who prepare royal food. Standards , arches and quivers are depicted on the walls of the last extension , so all in all you can see things and services that are intended for the king in the afterlife.

Third corridor

Night barge on the journey through the Socar Empire

The walls of the third corridor show the fourth and fifth hours of the " writing of the hidden space ". They are about the way of the night barge through the land of Sokar , a desert kingdom guarded by winged snakes. The boat turns into a snake. The bow and stern of the barque of the sun god form the heads of the snake, which, breathing fire, makes its way through the dark desert landscape.

In the fifth hour the sun god and the boat are pulled over the "secret cave of Sokar", a primeval world that is guarded by the earth god Aker in the form of a double sphinx. In this cave the paths are filled with the "fire from the mouth of Isis" and are therefore impassable. In the deepest depths there is a lake of fire with "unapproachable water," the Osiris refreshment and refreshment offers, the damned but a devastating fire opposes.

Shaft chamber ("well room")

According to Christian Jacq, the “fountain room” fulfills a symbolic function in the context of burial rites . He embodies the "Cave of Sokar" and thus hides the original, abstract water , which has potential life energy. At the same time, the room also forms a shape of the Osiris tomb. When the sarcophagus with the king's mummy was pulled over the well, the “power of Sokar” penetrated it and the deceased was transformed into Osiris. The fountain symbolizes a transformation process in which the deceased king absorbed the energy required for his regeneration and rebirth. After the burial, the back wall of the fountain room was usually bricked up and decorated with scenes of the gods.

Four-pillar hall with extension

Ramses III. with Maat sacrifice before Osiris

The four-pillar hall contains an Osiris shrine and shows sacrificial scenes for the main manifestations of the sun god, Chepri, Re and Atum. The fourth and fifth hours of the Book of the Portals can be seen on the pillars . The fifth hour is interesting, in which the "four races of people" ( Egyptians , Nubians , Asians , Libyans ) are represented, all of which are given a place in the hereafter. The adjoining room shows further scenes from the port book, u. a. becomes Ramses III. also led by the hand in front of Horus and Thoth and gives a Maat sacrifice in the form of a statuette for Osiris .

Fourth corridor and vestibule

The fourth corridor is decorated with scenes from the mouth opening ritual , a rite in which the king's mummy regains the functionality of his senses. The adjoining vestibule , consisting of two antechambers, shows various scenes of gods as well as scenes from the Book of the Dead , which was originally an underworld book of non-kings.

Nocturnal course of the sun after a copy by Champollion

Main chamber, extensions and final corridor

The main chamber of KV11 is damaged by water penetration. The walls were decorated with scenes from the Port Book and the "Book of the Earth". They showed the gods Aker, Geb and Tatenen , several times the sun god in the form of the sun disk and only occasionally his boat. The extensions showed scenes from the "Book of the Celestial Cow", the destruction of humanity by Hathor and other scenes from the Book of the Dead.

On the right wall of the main chamber there was a scene that is no longer preserved, but Jean-François Champollion had made a copy. On it could be seen the course of the sun and the name "Ramses, the ruler of Iunu ", framed by a double uroboros snake and twelve goddesses who worship the king and the sun. The final corridor again showed scenes from the port book.

Grave equipment

Coffin pan, Louvre Museum

The burial equipment included a sarcophagus, which according to Aidan Dodson originally served as an outer container for Seti II and was never used. The wooden trough of the second innermost coffin was decorated with goddesses and the four sons of Horus. It was found in 1898 in the royal hideout KV35 and contained the mummy of Amenhotep III. The coffin lid was lost. On the basis of the damaged pin holes at the trough edge, one can conclude that the lid was forcibly removed in antiquity. Furthermore, there were only a few relatable finds in the grave, including at least five ushabtis made of solid bronze, which are now in the British Museum , in Turin , in the Louvre and in Durham .

mummy

The royal mummy was removed in antiquity and moved to DB320 . There she was hidden in a gilded paper mache coffin, which was in the massive mummy container of the Ahmose Nefertari . The mummy was unwrapped by Gaston Maspero in 1886 and is currently on display in the Mummy Room in Cairo . Before the reburial in antiquity, it was in a sarcophagus tub made of red quartzite , which is now in the Louvre . The lid, on the other hand, is in Cambridge and shows the king in Osiris form with an Atef crown . Furthermore, James Burton and French researchers found human remains in one of the additions to the main chamber, which appear to come from subsequent burials in the Third Intermediate Period .

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : KV11  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ Champollion discovered three undated incomplete graffiti , one of which apparently relates to a grave inspection and the other two to this "osirification", which was also recorded on the king's new mummy bandage.
  2. ↑ According to John Gardner Wilkinson , each of them contained a pit of uncertain purpose.
  3. ↑ The afterlife in which the blessed deceased live.
  4. ↑ The shape of these amphorae is an indication of its origin in the Aegean .
  5. ↑ With one exception in the New Kingdom, this was a purely royal book of the afterlife.
  6. ↑ Personifications of the twelve hours of the night.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gabriele Höber-Kamel: KV11 - the house of eternity for Ramses III. Berlin 2005, p. 24.
  2. ^ N. Reeves, RH Wilkinson: The Valley of the Kings. Mysterious realm of the dead of the pharaohs. Augsburg 2000, p. 160.
  3. ↑ Erik Hornung: Valley of the Kings. The resting place of the pharaohs. Augsburg 1995, p. 218.
  4. ↑ Christian Jacq: The Valley of the Kings. History and discovery of a monument of eternity. Hamburg 1998, p. 42.
  5. ↑ 'Gabriele Höber-Kamel: KV11 - the house of eternity for Ramses III. Berlin 2005, p. 27.
  6. ^ N. Reeves, RH Wilkinson: The Valley of the Kings. Mysterious realm of the dead of the pharaohs. Augsburg 2000, p. 162.

Coordinates: 25 ° 44 '23.8 "  N , 32 ° 36' 4.4"  E