Tomb of Ramesses III (KV11)
Tomb of Ramesses III (KV11)
The tomb located in the heart of the valley is one of the most magnificent, Tombs in the valley known from antiquity (restoration work has recently been completed). He examined it in 1768 r. James Bruce and called the Tomb of the Harpers. Ramesses III (XII w. p.n.e.) he was the son of Setnakht and queen Teje-Mereniset. This last great king of Egypt fought against the Libyans in the fifth and eleventh years of his rule. Some of the captives were settled in Central Egypt and the Delta. In the eighth year of his reign, the ruler resisted the invasion of the Sea Peoples. He made two winning campaigns to Asia, and in the battle of land and sea in the Eastern Delta he fought back and defended his country. The prisoners were conscripted into the Egyptian army, and some settled in Asia, creating the later state of the Philistines.
Ramesses III erected, among others. a mortuary temple with a palace in Medinet Habu, he also built in Karnak, Edfu, Buhen, Kom Ombo, Copts, el-Kab.
The ruler's burial place was to be the tomb KV3, but work on it had to be discontinued due to the impending construction disaster. So he was buried in Setnacht's tomb, and KV3 served one of the sons. The mummy was found in a DB320 cache in Ad-Dajr al-Bahri. The iconographic repertoire differs slightly from royal iconography. On the sides of the first and second main corridors is located 10 small annexes for grave equipment.
In the first one you can see scenes of killing animals, cooking and baking, on the other side – ships on the river (Egyptian names). In the second corridor, the annexes are decorated with scenes with Hapi blessing the grain gods and the serpent goddess Nepret, cattle living in the Underworld (a bull from Meri and a cow from Hesi), as well as battle scenes. The deities continue to offer gifts and the Pharaoh's treasury.
Ramses is the owner of the cattle herds, and from the ship he oversees the work of the workers in the fields of the Underworld (Pola Iaru).
In the annex (on the left) there is a famous scene with two blind harpers.
On the other side you can see 12 incarnations of Osiris (relationship with dcanal stars). The fourth corridor rises slightly, and then the rooms fall into the shaft chamber and the column room with an additional chamber. Here are the scenes from the fourth and fifth hours of the Book of Amduat. The corridor leads to the vestibules and the burial chamber.
In the hall with pillars, the walls are decorated with scenes from the Book of Gates. There are four races of people on the eastern side: Egyptians, Asians, Negroes and Libyans. On the west – the room opens onto an annexe with representations of Ramses with the quote Maat before Thoth and Horus.
There are scenes from the Book of Gates on the walls, and the doorposts show Selkis and Neit. This is where the visitors' section usually ends, because part of the ceiling further collapsed.
Steep corridor (the scenes will lead to two vestibules (representations of deities) and to the burial chamber with the sarcophagus of Ramses III.
There are scenes from the Book of Gates and the Book of Earth on the walls. On pillars, the king stands before the gods. There are four additional chambers in the chamber with scenes from the Book of the Divine Cow. Behind it are two back rooms, and then two rear chambers for canopic urns decorated with scenes from the Book of Gates. The wooden inner coffin of Ramesses III was found in the royal vault KV35 at Ad-Dajr al-Bahri.