WV25

WV25 ( KV25 ) Tomb of Unknown

The ancient Egyptian tomb WV25, also known as KV25, located in the valley of the kings and was discovered in 1817 by Giovanni Battista Belzoni. His name WV (West Valley) refers to the location of the tomb, as it is not like the other royal tombs located in the East Valley, but how WV22, WV23, WV24, and WCL located in the western valley.

Research and publication

WV25 was discovered in 1817 by Giovanni Battista Belzoni, who conducted excavations in the grave and in the same year and his work in 1820 in Narrative of the Operations and Recent Discoveries in Egypt and Nubia published.

James Burton and John Gardner Wilkinson visited the grave in the period 1825-1828. Was only in the years 1972 to 1973 were carried out further excavations by Otto Schaden of the University of Minnesota. Damage published his findings in 1979 in the Annales du Service of Antiquities ( ASAE ).

Location and architecture

WV25 located in the southwestern part of the Westtals in the Valley of the Kings and about 90 m below the tomb WV23, the grave of the Eje. The unfinished and undecorated grave consists of an entrance way, the first seven steps are made of stone blocks that had been laid on the ground in the mother rock. The following 18 steps have been carved out of the rock. The input ends with a doorway at the foot of the stairs, the lowest level ends in a form of investment and merges into a single corridor. This type of processing is not found either before the time of Amenhotep III. even after the time of Ay.

Due to the dimensions and the processing of the unfinished plant, it is assumed that there is a king begun grave, which corresponds in its execution time of the New Kingdom and the 18th Dynasty is assigned.

The Egyptologist Elizabeth Thomas noted this:

" [ ... ] From planning her royal determination and certainly [ ... ] contemporary to the identified graves in the wadi. "

The walls are carefully trimmed and coated with a thin layer of stucco. At the time of its discovery by Belzoni the entrance was closed off from the corridor by a stone wall.

Finds

In the grave were found various objects: sculptures, grave features, written documents, vessels and mummy bandages. Furthermore included WV25 four mummies in coffins that were in two rows and were covered with mud. According Belzoni this Nachbegräbnisse the Third Intermediate Period are attributable. Until the entry of Belzoni 's tomb had remained untouched since that time.

Otto Schaden found in the excavation of 1972/1973 a few objects, which he believes that they originate from the nearby grave WV23 and were swept in in WV25.

Interpretation

From the respected as King WV25 grave is believed that it was started by Amenhotep IV ( Akhenaten ), the work was at the grave but canceled because he moved his residence from Thebes to Akhetaten. There is also the possibility that the later used by Eje grave had been WV23 of Amenhotep IV created.

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