The Tomb of Thutmose III in the Valley of the Kings

The blog post for this week is written by Marissa Lopez. Marissa studied Egyptology at AUC and worked for Theban Mapping Project during her time there. She has loved ancient Egypt for as long as she can remember and due to the pandemic, is absolutely loving online lectures and collection tours. 

It has gone by many names over the millennia. Ta-sekhet-ma'at (the Great Field), Wādī al Mulūk, the Valley of the Kings, all for the infamous burial place of the Pharaohs from the Eighteenth to Twentieth Dynasties. Sixty-five tombs and chambers were carved and decorated in a span of almost 500 years, and one of the earliest and most unique is that of Thutmose III, aka, Menkheperra Djehutymes.

Cut into a cliff face, it was originally accessed from above by climbing down from the hilltop, the access cut off once completed. In present times, there is a thin set of stairs that lead to the tomb. I am not a fan of stairs. I suffer from climacophobia, the fear of climbing or descending stairs because I know I’m going to fall and not much convinces me otherwise when I see those steps (fig. 1). As this tomb is 20m up in the face of a cliff, I conquered that fear because nothing could stop me from viewing what I had only seen in books and on television.

Fig. 1: Staircase leading to the tomb of Thutmose III. (Photo by Marissa Lopez)

Once descending the steps to enter the tomb, the initial chambers are undecorated until you reach room E, the well. Still undecorated save for a painted blue ceiling with yellow stars and a kheker frieze at the top, the purpose of the well has been up for debate for years (fig. 2). Was it to stymie thieves (unsuccessful as it was), to catch flood waters, or is it a symbolical burial chamber for Osiris? We may never fully know for sure.

Fig. 2: Painted ceiling and khekher frieze. Photo from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Egypt.KV34.02.jpg

Entering the antechamber, you are surrounded by stick figures representing the 741 deities from the Amduat, like a cast of characters such as found at the beginning of an Agatha Christie novel (fig. 3). This decoration is unique, no other tomb has a room like this, although there is thought there would have been something similar in the tomb of Ramesses IV, but was not completed. I find these figures absolutely delightful.

Fig. 3: Decoration in the antechamber (photo)

Descending down a set of steps, you enter the oval-shaped burial chamber, like a cartouche, with walls decorated with scenes and texts from the Amduat. The Amduat, the Book of the Hidden Chamber, is divided into twelve hours. Unlike other ‘books of the dead’, the text instructs the decoration to be laid out with hours 1-4 on the west wall, 5-6 on the south wall, 7-8 on the north wall, and 9-12 on the east wall. This follows with ancient Egyptian belief that the deceased go to the west, like a setting sun, while rebirth is associated with the east. That being said, with all the versions we have, only three layout the hours as indicated, such as that of Thutmose III. The text is laid out as a scroll around the burial chamber, representing cyclical time and the sun’s own journey (figs. 4–5).

Fig. 4: Layout of the Amduat (from Richter, Barbara A. “The Amduat and Its Relationship to the Architecture of Early 18th Dynasty Royal Burial Chambers.”)

Now let’s take a quick look at the Amduat itself.

Hour 1. Goddess: She Who Smashes the Skulls of Her Enemies. The deceased enters through the Western gate on the horizon, at the Gate Which Swallows All, and is merged with Re. Groups of gods are shown, including the names of the goddesses who guide the deceased through the twelve hours, beginning with She Who Smashes the Skulls of Her Enemies and ending with She Who Sees the Perfection in Her Lord. With such an escort, the deceased is bound to reach their destination on their solar bark.

Fig. 5: The cycle of time in the Amduat (from Richter, Barbara A. “The Amduat and Its Relationship to the Architecture of Early 18th Dynasty Royal Burial Chambers.”)

Hour 2. Goddess: Wise One Who Protects Her Lord. In the watery landscape of Wernes, Re distributes land, provides for various deities, and defeats Re’s enemies. The deities in this hour provide aid to Re through their voices and cries.

Hour 3. Goddess: She Who Cuts Ba-Souls. The ba-souls of the damned are destroyed while the floodwaters in the Netherworld represent the rebirth and resurrection provided by the annual Nile inundation.

Hour 4. Goddess: Great One Who is in the Netherworld. Moving to the land of Rosetau, the Place of Hauling, the scenes are filled with sloping passages, sealed doors, and architecture that provides a template for New Kingdom royal tomb corridors. The voice of Re can be heard by Netherworld deities; however, they cannot see the sun’s light.

Hour 5. Goddess: She Who Is in Her Bark. The Re descends into Sokar’s cavern to contact the waters of Nun, the sound is like the “roar of heaven when it storms”.

Hour 6. Goddess: She of the Harbor. Almost midnight and Re is reuniting with his corpse surrounded by symbols of royal power.

Hour 7. Goddess: She Who Opposes the Associates of Seth. Mehen, the Encircling Serpent, now surrounds the flesh in the bark and will for the remainder of the journey. It’s also the showdown between Apep and Re, and it’s only with Apep’s destruction that allows time and the journey to continue.

Hour 8. Goddess: She of the Deep of the Night. The main theme for Hour 8 involves ten caverns and their unique sounds hint at the act of creation. Provisioning of clothing is also important for the deceased.

Hour 9. Goddess: She Who Protects Her Lord. The emphasis of clothing continues with twelve deities and twelve uraei sitting on the cloth signs while another twelve deities hold oars to help Re exit the Netherworld.

Hour 10. Goddess: Raging One. This hour summarizes the journey of the solar bark. A group of gods punishes the enemies of Re, while Re blesses those who drowned in Nun with a free afterlife.

Hour 11. Goddess: Starry One. It’s time for the final preparations to finish the journey. Twelve deities hold Mehen aloft, determined to continue to the eastern horizon.

Hour 12. Goddess: She Who Sees the Perfection of Her Lord. Finally, the journey is complete as the solar bark travels through Life of the Gods, a giant serpent which it enters through the tail and exits from the mouth after transforming into a solar beetle. A reclining mummy at the end stays below as the ba-soul flies to heaven.

There are a set of videos available that describe and translate each hour, I highly recommend checking them out.

Amdw3t part 1, the Western wall. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjMz0foeR8A)

Amdw3t part 2, the Southern wall. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XUt4lvdNtc)

Amdw3t part 3, the Northern wall. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obD1I3-OF7Y)

Amdw3t part 4, the Eastern wall. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BBo_t9P8qU)

King’s Valley tomb 34 is truly a unique masterpiece in tomb design and decoration and I could barely scratch the surface in this blog post. It is my favorite tomb and I look forward to going back.

Bibliography

Darnell, John C., and Colleen M Darnell. The Ancient Egyptian Netherworld Books. SBL Press, 2018.

Reeves, C. N., and Richard H. Wilkinson. The Complete Valley of the Kings: Tombs and Treasures of Egypt’s Greatest Pharaohs. Thames & Hudson, 2008.

Richter, Barbara A. “The Amduat and Its Relationship to the Architecture of Early 18th Dynasty Royal Burial Chambers.” Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, vol. 44, 2008, pp. 73–104.

Weeks, Kent R. The Illustrated Guide to Luxor Tombs, Temples, and Museums. American University in Cairo Press, 2005.

https://www.thecollector.com/10-surprising-facts-about-egyptian-pharaoh-thutmose-iii/