KV55

Kv 55 is a tomb located in the Vallée of the kings, in the Nécropole thebaine on western bank of the the Nile vis-a-vis Louxor in Egypt. He is discovered in 1907 by Ayrton, which begins the first excavations immediately. It will be necessary to await 1992 - 1993 so that the excavations begin again with Lyla Pinch Brock.

The tomb

The tomb is composed of an entry followed by a simple corridor carrying out directly in the funerary room with its side room. The tomb extends over an overall length from 27,60 Mr.

A painted ostracon, with what can belong to the original plan of the tomb, was found in Kv 55 in 1993 when the tomb is released by Lyla Pinch Brock. It gives indications on the widening of the entry, which one can notice by the traces of masonry on the wall close to the entry of the tomb. These marks indicate that the entry, the staircases, the ceiling were increased and the number of steps increased. The walls and the ceiling in the funerary room were plastered but left without decoration.

This tomb one of most enigmatic ever is probably discovered in Egypt. It seems that he was also used as hiding-place for remainders of funerary equipment of the necropolis royal of Amarna. It contains the remainders of the funerary equipment of the queen Tiyi, Amenhotep {{IV}} (or Akhénaton, -1353/-1338) and other family members royal of. One found there remainders of a gilded vault out of wooden pertaining to the queen Tiyi, a coffin, in the beginning makes for Smenkhkarê (-1336) or Ânkh-Khéperourê, admirably built and encrusted with gold and invaluable stones, which included/understood the mummy.

The mummy

All the indices being able to indicate its owner refer to a king of which the name with unfortunately be unobtrusive. The inscriptions on the coffin are sometimes registered with female and the mummy, very damaged, cannot be identified because of its state, only the bones and the cranium was preserved.

The only about sour thing, is that it seems to have belonged to very a male close relative of Toutânkhamon, an young man died between 19 and 23 years. The very narrow similarity of cranium with that of Toutânkhamon and the same blood group (A2MN), indicate that they were parents. Some Egyptologists (whose Reeves and Dodson) advances that this mummy would belong to Amenhotep {{IV}}/Akhénaton, but the age of late contradicts this assumption, whereas others identify it with Smenkhkarê, its hypothetical successor. This last theory gains the broadest consensus today but is still prone to debate.

In the tomb were also found four vases canopes, various small objects worked, mainly with the names of Amenhotep {{III}} and of Tiyi, but also those of Kiya (wife of Amenhotep V), Amenhotep {{IV}}/Akhénaton and Sitamon (wife of Amenhotep {{III}}). Unfortunately all these elements underwent destruction due to the floods.

Photographs

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