Siptah (original) (raw)

KV 47 is located in the southwest branch of the southwest Wadi. The tomb consists of three gently sloping corridors (B, C, D), followed by a chamber (E), a pillared chamber (F), two subsequent corridors (G, H), and a chamber (I) that leads through a passage with abandoned lateral cuttings for a burial chamber (J1). These are followed by the actual unfinished burial chamber J2, containing a granite Sarcophagus. The entrance of the tomb consists of a Ramp with divided stairs.

The tomb was left unfinished. Only the first corridors and chamber were plastered and decorated with scenes from the Litany of Ra (corridors B and C), Book of the Dead (corridor C), Imydwat (corridor D), representations of the deceased with Ra-Horakhty (corridor B), the sun disk on the horizon (gate B) and winged figures of Ma'at (gate B, gate D).

Noteworthy features:

Pillared chamber F is succeeded by two corridors G and H instead of the usual corridor and stairway. A cutting for the side of a burial chamber was begun in corridor J1, but had to be abandoned when workers broke into KV 32. The burial chamber J2 has no side chambers.

The tomb was the burial place of Siptah, and judging by the objects in the tomb, of his mother, Queen Tia'a. The cartouches of the king were erased, then restored with paint. Hartwig Altenmüller and Anthony Spalinger believed the erasures took place at the end of Dynasty 19, either for religious or political reasons. KV 47 was reused during the Third Intermediate Period and robbed in antiquity.

Edward Russell Ayrton was the first to excavate KV 47 in 1905. Because of the safety risk posed by the bad condition of the rock, he dug no further than chamber I. In 1912, Harry Burton resumed the excavation and started to work in chamber F, clearing from this point to burial chamber J. The tomb is currently under study by the MISR Project. The mummy of Siptah was found in the tomb of Amenhetep II (KV 35) by Victor Loret in 1898.

Dating

This site was used during the following period(s):

Third Intermediate Period

1905: Discovery

Ayrton, Edward Russell

1905-1907: Excavation

Ayrton, Edward Russell

1912-1913: Excavation

Burton, Harry

1922: Excavation

Carter, Howard

1907: Epigraphy

Jones, Ernest Harold

1994: Conservation

Supreme Council of Antiquities

1994: Excavation

Supreme Council of Antiquities

1999-: Excavation

MISR Project: Mission Siptah-Ramses X

1999-: Epigraphy

MISR Project: Mission Siptah-Ramses X

1999-: Conservation

MISR Project: Mission Siptah-Ramses X

Conservation History

During the summer of 1994, the Supreme Council of Antiquities undertook a program to clear the remainder of the tomb, repair damage, and open it for tourists. In addition to cleaning the painted relief and filling in gaps with plaster, damaged gates D and E and their respective lintels were repaired. The pillars in pillared chamber F had been damaged by past flooding and were largely replaced by limestone blocks. Wood walkways were laid over the floors (and on unexcavated debris in corridors G and H). Glass panels were erected over the painted decoration and new lighting was installed.

Site Condition

The first part of the tomb is well preserved. Beyond corridor D, the walls have suffered structural damage.