446:. The second set of stairs proved to be relatively free of debris but were in such poor condition that they were partially rebuilt with cement for safety. Darkened layers of fill at the far end of the second corridor indicated periods of flooding, although some thin smudges may suggest the presence of decayed wood. The second corridor contained a wooden hand from a statuette, and five discs of gilded copper embossed with rosette and star patterns crumpled into a ball. The doorway between the second corridor and the well-chamber was sealed in antiquity, as parts of the blocking were found there. The well chamber contained fill 119 centimetres (47 in) deep by the doorway, and yielded another gilded copper rosette, half of a human
53:
372:, he moved further into the valley "to examine the various places where water descends from the desert into the valleys after rain" and upon finding an isolated pile of stones, probed the depth with his cane. Finding that there was a deep void under the rocks, he hired workmen and returned the following day. The tomb proved to be just below the surface, and within two hours the entrance had been cleared. Belzoni considered the tomb a modest find:
519:
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37:
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I cannot boast of having made a great discovery in this tomb, though it contains several curious and singular painted figures on the walls; and from its extent, and part of a sarcophagus remaining in the centre of a large chamber, have reason to suppose, that it was the burial-place of some person of
505:
than it is to any earlier royal tomb; it has a straight axis, a well chamber with no well, and a pillared hall which was used as the burial chamber. The burial chamber is also offset to one side of the axis. Beyond the burial chamber is a small undecorated canopic chamber. The tomb is constructed on
457:
No trace of blocking remained between the well chamber and the burial chamber. Inside the burial chamber the fill was uneven, with a gradual slope away from the door, and a depression in the centre from the removal of the sarcophagus; debris was piled against the walls. Hoping that the area close to
431:
that the tomb was begun for
Tutankhamun; despite an extensive search, none were discovered. It was found that the drystone wall on the northern side of the entrance, thought to be a later addition, proved to be contemporary with the tomb's construction as it served the very real purpose of retaining
394:
visited the tomb in 1845 and noted too the destroyed sarcophagus and commented that Ay's name was "everywhere studiously erased, with the exception of a few traces on the walls, as well as upon the sarcophagus." He also copied some of the wall paintings and made notes regarding the sarcophagus box.
469:
flanking a central column of text. The lid was found in the expected orientation, with the head end aligned to the north. However, the fragments of the sarcophagus found on the floor indicate that the box was oriented in the opposite direction, with the head to the south. The cartouches on the lid
481:-shaped, were found, indicating that Ay was interred with at least one funerary couch. Other finds included a piece of a coffin, part of a coffin-shaped lid, and the hand of a statuette, all of wood; more parts of a human skeleton were also encountered, along with an inscribed meat jar fragment.
308:
suggests that they may have been entirely removed or never placed in the tomb. The sarcophagus lid may never have been placed on the box. Instead, the sarcophagus may have been covered with a pall covered in gilded copper rosettes, as was found in the
693:
Narrative of the
Operations and Recent Discoveries Within the Pyramids, Temples, Tombs, and Excavations, in Egypt and Nubia; and of a Journey to the Coast of the Red Sea, in Search of the Ancient Berenice, and of Another to the Oasis of Jupiter
484:
The final chamber contained more fragments of the sarcophagus, further human bones, and the missing part of the meat jar inscription. The meat jar records that it contained "pressed meat for The Bull which was made as cargo for the
470:
are entirely intact and the lid has no significant damage, suggesting that it was not toppled from atop the box. Schaden suggests that the lid may never have been put in place, and was instead left resting against the wall.
872:
242:, which was smashed in antiquity. The tomb was anciently desecrated, with many instances of Ay's image or name erased from the wall paintings. Its decoration is similar in content and colour to that of the
328:
likely originated from WV23, as Ay's name occurs more frequently than that of
Tutankhamun. They were either deposited there by robbers, or purposefully during the dismantling of the royal burials.
538:; this is a unique occurrence for a New Kingdom royal tomb. All images of Ay were thoroughly defaced, along with the removal of the cartouches of both Ay and Tey. Only a figure of the king's
534:
appear for the first time in a royal tomb, above the doorway to the small canopic chamber. The west wall is decorated with a scene depicting Ay hunting in the marshes accompanied by his wife
246:(KV62), with a few differences. On the eastern wall there is a depiction of a fishing and fowling scene, which is not shown in other royal tombs, normally appearing in burials of nobility.
320:
or the early
Ramesside pharaohs, though Horemheb's treatment of Ay's monuments makes him the most likely culprit. At this time the sarcophagus was smashed, the names and images of Ay and
1509:
506:
a large scale, as corridors are wider than those of the earlier WV22. Slots for beams used to lower the sarcophagus in the corridor make a reappearance for the first time since
395:
The sarcophagus, which had been damaged in antiquity not long after the burial of Ay, was deliberately damaged in the late nineteenth century and was subsequently moved to
432:
quarried limestone chippings. Schaden stated that its removal prompted "a mass of limestone dust and chips literally flow down the stairs towards the door of the tomb."
461:
Many fragments of the sarcophagus box were encountered, but none of the lid; the lid was instead found intact, lying upside down against the east wall. Made of red
714:
390:, who noted in his 1835 publication that the tomb "contains a broken sarcophagus and some bad fresco painting of peculiarly short and graceless proportions."
497:
The tomb consists of an entrance stair, two sloping corridors separated by a set of stairs, and three chambers. The plan of the tomb is more similar to the
278:, and later succeeded him as king. Ay was likely an old man when he became king and only ruled for four years. He was buried in WV23, a tomb in the Western
238:, with a straight descending corridor leading to a "well chamber" that has no shaft. This leads to the burial chamber, which contains the reconstructed
540:
1529:
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340:, the tomb of Horemheb, at that time. Schaden considers that the body of Ay may be the rewrapped "yellow skeleton" interred with later mummies in
465:, it has a vaulted shape with flat sides; the decoration is incised and infilled with green pigment. The top of the lid features two pairs of
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Only the burial chamber is decorated, as was standard for the time. The decorative scheme is similar to that seen in KV62, the
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the walls remained undisturbed, the centre of the chamber was cleared before excavating along the walls.
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691:
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530:; several scenes are identical. Both tombs were possibly decorated by the same artists. Figures of the
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Finds in the first corridor proved to be a mix of ancient and modern; the ancient finds consisted of a
138:
423:
Egyptian
Expedition (UMEE). Excavation began immediately outside the tomb in an attempt to locate
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716:
Chronicle Of The
Pharaohs The Reign By Reign Record Of The Rulers And Dynasties Of Ancient Egypt
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from a small shrine or box, a small wooden beard, pieces of gold foil, and a fragmentary
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Ay's burial was likely vandalised in a sanctioned attack in the reigns of his successor
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297:; also absent was any sign of the gilded burial shrines that presumably surrounded the
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800:(2010 paperback reprint ed.). London: Thames & Hudson Ltd. pp. 128–129.
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833:
710:
687:
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223:
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The
Complete Valley of the Kings: Tombs and Treasures of Egypt's Greatest Pharaohs
776:. Translated by Horner, Joanna B.; Horner, Leonora. London: H.G. Bohn. p. 262
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escaped erasure, possibly due to the figure bearing a slightly different title.
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beard, a wooden leg from a statuette, and some pottery of Roman or Coptic date.
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Ay's burial was a relatively modest affair as no trace was found of the
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see this as support of the theory that the body of Ay was cached in
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removed, and all the valuables thoroughly looted. The contents of
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in the hope that they would shed light on the theory proposed by
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489:-boat" and once formed part of the provisions for Ay's burial.
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In 1816, WV23 was discovered by chance by the
Italian explorer
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thought to have been originally intended for
Tutankhamun.
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Buildings and structures completed in the 14th century BC
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Letters from Egypt, Ethiopia, and the peninsula of Sinai
745:(2010 paperback ed.). London: Thames & Hudson.
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In 1972 the tomb was fully excavated and cleared by the
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Restored sarcophagus with lid in the burial chamber
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826:Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt
16:Ancient Egyptian tomb in the Valley of the Kings
874:Topography of Thebes, and General View of Egypt
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386:The tomb was visited by the early Egyptologist
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741:The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt
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1491:List of burials in the Valley of the Kings
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821:"Clearance of the Tomb of King Ay (WV-23)"
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697:. London: J. Murray. pp. 123–124
477:teeth for a couch or bed, presumably
289:or its shrine, nor were any trace of
226:. Its architecture is similar to the
222:. The tomb was discovered in 1816 by
1434:Discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun
522:A section of wall decoration in WV23
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14:
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906:Virtual tour of KV23 on Osirisnet
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877:. London: J. Murray. p. 123
356:Approach to the entrance of WV23
58:
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1525:1816 archaeological discoveries
719:. London: Thames & Hudson.
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1037:(Ramesses V and Ramesses VI)
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688:Belzoni, Giovanni Battista
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202:, was the burial place of
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139:Giovanni Battista Belzoni
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1074:(Twosret and Sethnakhte)
737:; Hilton, Dylan (2004).
566:Dodson & Hilton 2004
274:. He was a vizier under
121:West Valley of the Kings
869:Wilkinson, John Gardner
421:University of Minnesota
407:Excavation and contents
388:John Gardiner Wilkinson
1444:Theban Mapping Project
901:Theban Mapping Project
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1005:(sons of Ramesses II)
989:(son of Ramesses III)
794:Wilkinson, Richard H.
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101:25.74139°N 32.59194°E
1470:Valley of the Queens
568:, pp. 151, 154.
392:Karl Richard Lepsius
1515:Valley of the Kings
1114:(Mentuherkhepeshef)
942:Valley of the Kings
649:, pp. 123–124.
630:, pp. 128–129.
580:, pp. 136–137.
528:tomb of Tutankhamun
425:foundation deposits
311:tomb of Tutankhamun
280:Valley of the Kings
244:tomb of Tutankhamun
216:Valley of the Kings
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429:Reginald Engelbach
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268:Eighteenth Dynasty
212:Eighteenth Dynasty
155:Four sons of Horus
106:25.74139; 32.59194
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499:tomb of Akhenaten
415:Schematic of WV23
364:. After visiting
334:Richard Wilkinson
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82:
80:
76:
54:
45:
38:
33:
30:
25:
20:
1393:
1275:(Amenemipet)
1207:(Thutmose I)
1122:(Hatshepsut)
1106:(Ramesses X)
1090:(Ramesses I)
879:. Retrieved
873:
857:. Retrieved
829:
825:
797:
778:. Retrieved
772:
756:. Retrieved
740:
715:
699:. Retrieved
692:
671:Lepsius 1853
666:
654:
647:Belzoni 1820
609:Schaden 1984
578:Clayton 1994
573:
561:
539:
525:
496:
493:Architecture
486:
483:
472:
460:
456:
434:
418:
385:
377:distinction.
375:
359:
315:
306:Otto Schaden
303:Egyptologist
284:
258:
199:
195:
194:
181:
172:
157:; Ay hunting
144:Otto Schaden
1465:Royal Cache
1426:Exploration
1379:West Valley
1194:(Maiherpri)
1045:(Amenmesse)
1029:(Merenptah)
964:East Valley
681:Works cited
467:wedjat-eyes
299:sarcophagus
276:Tutankhamun
272:New Kingdom
240:sarcophagus
104: /
79:Coordinates
1504:Categories
1323:(Horemheb)
1230:(Sennefer)
548:References
514:Decoration
450:, another
228:royal tomb
151:Decoration
127:Discovered
92:32°35′31″E
89:25°44′29″N
1251:(Userhet)
1082:(Seti II)
846:0065-9991
832:: 39–64.
553:Citations
475:alabaster
348:Discovery
293:or stone
262:ruled as
232:Akhenaten
196:Tomb WV23
1453:See also
1267:(Siptah)
1098:(Seti I)
897:KV23: Ay
871:(1835).
854:40000956
818:(1984).
796:(1996).
770:(1853).
758:15 April
713:(1994).
690:(1820).
444:ostracon
441:hieratic
318:Horemheb
173:Previous
165:Straight
117:Location
1474:burials
1165:(Tia'a)
899:at the
881:18 July
859:24 June
780:21 July
701:24 June
479:Taweret
463:granite
452:ushabti
437:cornice
295:ushabti
291:faience
270:of the
264:pharaoh
250:History
210:of the
208:pharaoh
184: →
171:←
852:
844:
804:
749:
723:
503:Amarna
448:pelvis
301:. The
255:Burial
236:Amarna
162:Layout
146:(1972)
141:(1816)
1394:WV23
1386:WV22
1362:KV64
1349:KV62
1321:KV57
1273:KV48
1265:KV47
1257:KV46
1249:KV45
1236:KV43
1228:KV42
1205:KV38
1192:KV36
1184:KV35
1176:KV34
1163:KV32
1120:KV20
1112:KV19
1104:KV18
1096:KV17
1088:KV16
1080:KV15
1072:KV14
1066:(Bay)
1064:KV13
1051:KV11
1043:KV10
955:minor
950:Tombs
850:JSTOR
694:Ammon
401:Cairo
220:Luxor
1407:WV25
1402:WV24
1396:(Ay)
1370:KV65
1357:KV63
1344:KV61
1339:KV60
1334:KV59
1329:KV58
1316:KV56
1311:KV55
1306:KV54
1301:KV53
1296:KV52
1291:KV51
1286:KV50
1281:KV49
1244:KV44
1223:KV41
1218:KV40
1213:KV39
1200:KV37
1171:KV33
1158:KV31
1153:KV30
1148:KV29
1143:KV28
1138:KV27
1133:KV26
1128:KV21
1059:KV12
1035:KV9
1027:KV8
1019:KV7
1011:KV6
1003:KV5
995:KV4
987:KV3
979:KV2
971:KV1
883:2021
861:2021
842:ISSN
802:ISBN
782:2021
760:2024
747:ISBN
721:ISBN
703:2021
508:KV20
487:nšmt
366:WV22
342:WV25
338:KV57
332:and
326:KV58
206:, a
200:KV23
187:WV24
182:Next
177:WV22
130:1816
66:WV23
22:WV23
1412:WVA
834:doi
536:Tey
501:at
399:in
322:Tey
234:at
230:of
1520:Ay
1506::
848:.
840:.
830:21
828:.
824:.
792:;
635:^
616:^
585:^
541:ka
510:.
403:.
344:.
313:.
260:Ay
204:Ay
29:Ay
1476:)
1472:(
957:)
953:(
934:e
927:t
920:v
885:.
863:.
836::
810:.
784:.
762:.
729:.
705:.
611:.
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