KV35: Tomb of Amenhotep II

17 March 2000 (morning, continued)

Lotus.

Amenhotep II, blessed by the goddess Hathor

Amenhotep II, assisted by the goddess Hathor

The trail from Deir el-Medina to the Valley of the Kings brings us out near KV35, the tomb of Amenhotep II. Bill would like us to see this one together and then we’ll explore on our own for a couple of hours before meeting up again to tour KV62, Tutankhamen’s tomb.

KV35 is important for a number of reasons, not the least because, like DB320, it housed a royal mummy cache. Discovered in 1898 by French Egyptologist Victor Loret, it had been heavily looted in antiquity, but was still knee-deep in broken funerary furnishings: a higgledy-piggledy puzzle of strange items whose complete form and function could only be guessed at until discovery of similar, unbroken items in Tutankhamen’s tomb over two decades later.

Plan of KV35, Tomb of Amenhotep II

Plan of KV35, Tomb of Amenhotep II

We enter and walk down a very long and steep series of stairs and corridors. The tomb is an odd mix of finished and unfinished surfaces, with this first part being unfinished. When we finally arrive in the burial chamber, however, we’re rewarded with a magnificent “stick figure” illustration of the Amduat that explains, in 12-hour segments, what the deceased will encounter in the netherworld.

The 12th Hour of the Amduat. Public domain photo, Wikimedia Commons.

The 12th Hour of the Amduat. Public domain photo, Wikimedia Commons.

Winged cobra and cedarwood cow god from KV35. From "The Illustrated Guide to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo," American University in Cairo Press.

Winged cobra and cedarwood cow god from KV35. From “The Illustrated Guide to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo,” American University in Cairo Press.

Loret was a careful excavator. He superimposed a series of grids over the chambers as he cleared them and tied his finds to those grids in his notes. He also made sketches and took photographs. Unfortunately, he never published more than a general article about the tomb and no one else took up the task. Still, a few items are always mentioned in the accounts I’ve read: a winged wooden snake sculpture, a painted cedar cow head, and a large model boat that sported a rather gruesome mummy tossed carelessly on top.

And then there was Amenhotep himself. He was in his lidless sarcophagus, encased in an off-the-rack cartonnage mummy case and wrapped in linen supplied for him by the 21st dynasty priests who were in charge of tidying up the Valley of the Kings after extensive looting. These same priests rescued nine of his compatriots and stashed them in a side chamber. With this bonanza, many of the pharaohs not included in the Deir el-Bahari cache (DB320) were now accounted for, leaving the world with an astonishingly complete set of New Kingdom kings.

The three side-room mummies of KV35. Engraving from a photograph.

The three side-room mummies of KV35. Engraving from a photograph.

The mummies didn’t stop there, however, with three more — two women and a boy — on the floor of a side chamber, unwrapped and without any helpful jottings. They’ve inspired speculation ever since, especially the “Elder Lady,” a haughty beauty with flowing hair who is, most likely, Queen Tiye, wife of Amenhotep III.

Amenhotep, packed for shipment to Cairo before being ordered back to his tomb. Note the ancient wreath of flowers around his head.

Amenhotep, packed for shipment to Cairo before being ordered back to his tomb. Note the ancient wreath of flowers around his head.

Loret lovingly packed all the mummies for shipment to Cairo, but at the last-minute the Egyptian government ordered them returned to the tomb. In 1900 that decision was partly reversed, but the three unwrapped mummies stayed in the side chamber and Amenhotep was popped back into his sarcophagus and put on public display.

Then, as if the man hadn’t suffered enough, modern robbers broke into the tomb in late 1901 and ripped the bandages from around Amenhotep’s head and chest, presumably looking for jewelry and amulets and not realizing the wrappings were an ancient re-do and valuables were long gone. Luckily, the mummy was relatively undamaged and so he went back on display until 1931, when he finally made the trip to Cairo and joined the rest of the gang. The three side chamber mummies, however, stayed put.

As we gaze at the stone sarcophagus — it’s quite beautiful, made of red quartzite and with a rounded end like a cartouche — it’s hard to absorb that this space was once so mysterious and complex. Wooden planking covers the floor and the place is packed with people and shockingly hot and humid. These conditions cannot be good for the tomb and I’m seized with guilt for contributing my own sweat and respirations to the mix.

Red quartzite sarcophagus of Amenhotep II. Photo courtesy of Ignati, Wikimedia Commons.

Red quartzite sarcophagus of Amenhotep II. Photo courtesy of Ignati, Wikimedia Commons.

       

Hike to Valley of the Kings

17 March 2000 (morning)

Lotus.After our tour of Deir el-Medina village, Bill and Nancy offer us an Egyptonerd’s dream: a chance to walk over the cliffs to the Valley of the Kings on the same trail used by the tomb builders.

Setting out on the trail from Deir el-Medina to Valley of the Kings

Setting out on the trail from Deir el-Medina to Valley of the Kings

al-Gurn: the horn. A “pyramid” above the Valley of the Kings.

We start from the ruins on a steep ascent and it isn’t long before we’re high enough for breathtaking views, including al-Gurn — “the horn” — a pyramid-shaped mountain that dominates the skyline. Egyptologists have long speculated that the Valley of the Kings was selected because of its proximity to al-Gurn. I guess it’s possible, although since I’m an Old Kingdom kind of girl it doesn’t do much to increase my respect for New Kingdom royals. If you want a pyramid, be a man and go build one!

After the “Luxor Massacre” (slaying of 62 people at Deir el-Bahri) three years ago, the government stepped up security. They’re building new guard stations above us, endless white slashes of stairs leading up to them across the tawny slopes. It’s comforting, I suppose, to know eyes are watching from a safe distance. The Deir el-Bahri murderers killed four Egyptian guards before they could summon help, and it took 45 minutes for first responders to arrive on the scene.

I can hardly believe I’m walking in the footsteps of the ancients, although it shouldn’t be that difficult to imagine since we’re accompanied every step of the way by their descendants.

Bill introduces us to two young men who are great-grandsons of Ahmed el-Rassul, the infamous tomb robber who discovered the royal mummy cache, first revealed to the world in 1881. The fake scarabs, ushabtis, and whatnot that they’re selling are quite nice, and their family connection makes the items all the more intriguing, but it’s tricky to walk the edge of a sheer five hundred foot cliff and haggle at the same time, so I politely decline. Not that it stops them from continuing to try with others in our group. They persist to the point that Bill gets upset with them and puts a firm end to the whole business.

Probable entrance to a tomb

Then Bill tells us of a long-standing rumor that Ahmed el-Rassul had a private “stash,” but died before he could show the spot, so I spend the rest of the hike scouring the landscape with my eagle eyes, sure I’ll be the one to notice the hidden opening that thousands before me have missed. Even as I’m looking, Bill points out a “well” at the base of a cliff face that’s most likely the entrance to a tomb.

Above Hatshepsut’s temple

We pass above Deir el-Bahri and look down on Hatshepsut’s temple, which we’ll visit later today. The temple is in the midst of extensive reconstruction. We can see some behind-the-scenes staging, plus the huge storage areas off to the sides where the blocks are set out in neat rows, waiting to be restored to their proper place.

Then at last we approach the Valley of the Kings. From our high vantage point it looks exactly as it’s always described in books: stark and hot. There isn’t so much as  a weed in evidence and the rock is blindingly white, tempered in only in a few places by a dusting of small black pebbles.

The descent into the valley is the hardest part of the trail. It’s extremely steep and there’s a lot of loose, slippery limestone debris underfoot, and no hand holds. We all make it safely, however, and then it sinks in: we are surrounded by royal tombs, and while the tidy retaining walls at their entrances and the paved paths connecting them counteract the romance to a certain degree, my brain is on fire with excitement as we make our way to Tomb 35, resting place of Amenhotep II.

Looking down into the Valley of the Kings

Looking down into the Valley of the Kings