QV55

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QV55 ( Q ueen's V alley number 55) is the modern number for the tomb of Prince Amunherchepeschef (the older, also known as Amenhirkopshef B ) a son of the ancient Egyptian king ( Pharaoh ) Ramses III. in the valley of the queens . The grave was found during the excavations of Ernesto Schiaparelli in 1904 .

Construction details

The underground grave complex is approx. 30 m long and oriented east-west. A staircase in the east leads to the first room, which is approx. 5 × 6 m in size and has a secondary chamber on the north side. From there one arrives at a corridor (7.35 × 2.55 m), at the end of which in the west there is the burial chamber and from which another secondary chamber branches off in the north.

The first room and the corridor in particular are decorated with fine relief , while the two side chambers and above all the burial chamber are undecorated. Preliminary drawings in the first adjoining chamber indicate that these rooms should also be decorated, but that was not done.

The finished decoration is executed in a recessed relief and mostly shows Ramses III. in front of various deities. Amunherchepeschef, the actual owner of the grave, is always shown behind his father - smaller, with a side curl and usually with a frond. Ramses III is several times. also shown alone in front of or between two deities. On the door from the first chamber to the corridor there is a dedication that expressly states that the ruler had the grave built as a favor.

In the undecorated burial chamber, in addition to the human-shaped (anthropoid), but rather crude sarcophagus of the prince, there was also the skeleton of a fetus .

literature

  • Fathy Hassanein, M. Nelson: La Tombe du Prince Amon- (her) -khepchef (= Collection scientifique. ) Center de documentation et d'études sur l'ancienne Egypte, Cairo 1976.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Aidan Dodson , Dyan Hilton: The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson, London, New York 2004, ISBN 0-500-05128-3 , p. 192.

Coordinates: 25 ° 43 ′ 36.4 "  N , 32 ° 35 ′ 32.8"  E