KV64

KV64 is a small, undecorated ancient Egyptian tomb located in the central area of the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, originally constructed during the Eighteenth Dynasty (c. 1550–1292 BCE) and later reused in the Twenty-Second Dynasty (c. 945–715 BCE).^[1]^[2] Discovered on January 25, 2011, by the University of Basel Kings' Valley Project led by Egyptologist Susanne Bickel, it represents the first entirely new tomb identified in the Valley since Howard Carter's uncovering of KV62 (Tutankhamun's tomb) in 1922.^[3]^[1] The tomb, initially designated as a feature of KV40 and later renumbered KV64, consists of a simple shaft leading to a single chamber, measuring approximately 3 meters by 2.5 meters, with evidence of ancient blocking and sealing that preserved its contents undisturbed.^[1]^[3] It held two distinct burials: the primary Eighteenth Dynasty interment included fragmentary remains and artifacts such as pieces of a canopic jar and a small wooden stela naming Princess Satjah, a royal daughter possibly linked to the moon god Jah.^[1]^[2] Over these, a layer of debris covered the Twenty-Second Dynasty reuse, featuring the well-preserved coffin and resin-soaked mummy of Nehemesbastet (also spelled Nehmes-Bastet), a high-ranking "Songstress" or chantress of the god Amun, along with minimal grave goods like a shabti box and additional stela fragments.^[1]^[3]^[2] This dual-phase use highlights common Third Intermediate Period practices of tomb reuse amid resource scarcity and looting pressures on earlier royal necropolises, offering rare insights into non-royal elite burials and the continuity of religious roles for women in ancient Egyptian society.^[1]^[2] Ongoing studies of KV64's artifacts, including CT scans of the mummy and epigraphic analysis, continue to reveal details about mummification techniques and textual inscriptions from both eras; a 2023 paleopathological analysis identified evidence of rheumatic disease in the mummies.^[3]^[4]

Discovery and Exploration

Initial Discovery

KV64 was identified on January 25, 2011, by the University of Basel Kings' Valley Project team led by Egyptologist Susanne Bickel, marking the first new tomb discovery in the Valley of the Kings since 2006.^[1]^[5] The project, initiated in 2009, focuses on surveying and documenting non-royal tombs in the side valley leading to the tomb of Thutmose III (KV34), emphasizing preservation of the UNESCO World Heritage site amid modern threats like tourism and groundwater.^[1]^[2] The site is situated in the East Valley of the Kings, approximately 150 meters southwest of KV62 (Tutankhamun's tomb) and adjacent to KV40, at coordinates 25°44′24.6″N 32°36′04.7″E.^[1]^[6] During routine surface surveys near KV40, the team observed a subtle depression in the terrain, which upon closer inspection revealed the upper edge of a previously undocumented shaft entrance.^[3] Initial observations indicated a vertical shaft blocked by stacked stones placed over an earlier layer of plaster, a configuration suggesting the tomb's reuse across different periods rather than a single original sealing.^[2]^[7] This two-stage blocking—evident from the larger modern stones overlying ancient plaster—hinted at post-burial activity, aligning with patterns seen in other Valley tombs but warranting further investigation without immediate excavation due to the onset of Egypt's 2011 revolution.^[8]^[5]

Excavation and Documentation

The excavation of KV64 was conducted during the 2012 field season of the University of Basel Kings' Valley Project, from January 7 to April 15, under the direction of Susanne Bickel and Elina Paulin-Grothe.^[9] Following its initial identification in 2011, the tomb—previously labeled KV 40b—was systematically cleared and officially designated KV64 during this period, with additional work in the 2013 season including photography to document architecture and preservation, after which excavation and documentation were completed.^[9]^[10] The process revealed a simple shaft tomb structure, approximately 3.5 meters deep and 1.20 by 0.95 meters wide at the entrance, leading to a chamber measuring 4.10 by 2.35 by 2.04 meters.^[9] Methods employed included the careful removal of debris layers, consisting of natural sandy fill interspersed with intentional limestone chips, from both the shaft and chamber to expose the burial contexts without disturbance.^[9] This was achieved through manual excavation techniques, prioritizing the integrity of in situ elements such as wooden coffins and associated remains.^[9] Documentation was extensive, involving high-resolution photography and detailed drawn plans by specialist Matjaž Kačičnik, capturing the spatial arrangement, artifacts, and stratigraphic layers before and during removal.^[9] Restorers assisted in the on-site handling and initial stabilization of fragile materials to facilitate safe transport for further study.^[9] Key challenges included the confined space of the chamber, which limited maneuverability during the extraction of intact burial elements, and the need to preserve delicate human remains amidst evidence of ancient looting and flooding that had scattered earlier deposits.^[9] The presence of two distinct burial phases required meticulous separation of materials to avoid cross-contamination, with restorers employing protective measures such as custom boxes for mummy transport.^[9] Initial findings from the excavation were reported by Bickel and Paulin-Grothe in Egyptian Archaeology, volume 41 (2012), providing the first detailed account of the tomb's contents and stratigraphy. Subsequent studies, including a 2022 analysis of the mummies, revealed evidence of rheumatic disease in the Twenty-Second Dynasty burial.^[11]^[12]

Tomb Description

Layout and Architecture

KV64 is a modest shaft tomb excavated directly into the limestone bedrock of the Valley of the Kings, exemplifying the simple architectural style employed for non-royal burials during the Eighteenth Dynasty. The structure features a vertical shaft approximately 3.5 meters deep that descends to a single, unadorned burial chamber measuring 4.1 by 2.35 meters and roughly 2 meters in height, with no connecting corridors, antechambers, or additional rooms. This straightforward design reflects the tomb's intended use for a single occupant and its relatively low status within the royal necropolis.^[1] The chamber's walls are roughly hewn and unfinished, lacking any smoothing, plastering beyond the entrance, or decorative elements, which points to a hasty construction process typical of such subsidiary tombs. Red paint marks visible on the walls guided the ancient excavators during cutting, but no further elaboration was applied. The overall architecture underscores efficiency over elaboration, prioritizing rapid burial over permanence.^[1] The entrance at the base of the shaft was originally sealed with plaster and an official necropolis stamp, ensuring security in line with Eighteenth Dynasty practices; it was later modified with stacked stones during reuse, though the core layout remained unchanged.^[1]

Blocking and Reuse Evidence

The original blocking of KV64 dates to the Eighteenth Dynasty and consisted of coarse rocks combined with clay mixed with straw at the lower end of the shaft, forming a barrier that was then sealed with a wooden stamp impression featuring the official necropolis seal of Upuaut (Wepwawet) standing over nine bound captives.^[1] This construction reflects standard sealing practices for royal or elite tombs of the period, intended to protect the initial burial from intrusion.^[1] In the Twenty-Second Dynasty, the tomb was re-entered, and the blocking was modified with a new layer of precisely stacked limestone stones placed over the chamber entrance, indicating deliberate reuse after removal or partial dismantling of the original barrier.^[3] This secondary blocking, combined with the flattening of accumulated rubble within the chamber, prepared the space for a new interment without major structural alterations to the tomb.^[3] Stratigraphic examination during excavation uncovered distinct layers of debris, including a thick deposit of rubble, stones, and flood sediment that overlaid the Eighteenth Dynasty remains, separating them from the later Twenty-Second Dynasty artifacts.^[1] These sequential layers, undisturbed except for the reuse event, illustrate phases of abandonment, natural infilling, and reoccupation, with the debris accumulation pointing to periods of exposure to environmental factors like flash floods between burials.^[3] The combined evidence from the blocking mechanisms and stratigraphic deposits confirms the tomb's initial construction and use in the Eighteenth Dynasty, followed by reuse in the Twenty-Second Dynasty circa 900 BCE, highlighting patterns of necropolis recycling during the Third Intermediate Period.^[1]

Contents and Artifacts

Sarcophagus and Coffin

The primary burial container discovered in KV64 is the wooden anthropoid coffin of Nehemes-Bastet, a chantress of Amun during the Twenty-Second Dynasty (c. 945–712 BCE). Constructed from solid sycamore wood and assembled using acacia pegs and nails, the coffin measures 1.92 meters in length and 53.5 centimeters in width at the shoulders. It features a classic anthropoid form with a painted black exterior, adorned in yellow hieroglyphic inscriptions, a broad collar necklace, and mythological scenes on the lid, reflecting the stylistic conventions of the period without additional inner coffins.^[9]^[13]^[5] The coffin's inscriptions, rendered in large yellow hieroglyphs on the sides and lid, explicitly identify the deceased as Nehemes-Bastet, daughter of Nakhtefmut, a priest at the Karnak Temple who served as "Opener of the Doors of Heaven." These texts emphasize her religious role and invoke protective funerary deities, aligning with Twenty-Second Dynasty burial practices that blended solar and chthonic elements for afterlife safeguarding. The overall design and epigraphy date the coffin to the mid-9th century BCE, underscoring Nehemes-Bastet's high social and spiritual status as a temple performer.^[13]^[9]^[5] Found intact within the tomb's chamber beneath a layer of debris and sand, the coffin was covered in dust but otherwise undisturbed since its interment, containing the well-preserved mummy of Nehemes-Bastet wrapped in a linen shroud with resin coating. This pristine condition highlights the tomb's effective sealing after reuse and contrasts with the disturbed Eighteenth Dynasty burial, which yielded no intact sarcophagus or coffin but only looted fragments such as canopic jar pieces from that earlier occupation.^[9]^[13]^[5]

Other Finds

Among the additional artifacts recovered from KV64 were fragments of three limestone canopic jars and two associated lids shaped as human heads, dating to the Eighteenth Dynasty and likely part of the original burial equipment for the unknown female occupant. These pieces were discovered at the bottom of the debris layer in the burial chamber, indicating they had been disturbed and scattered during ancient looting.^[9] A notable find from the Twenty-Second Dynasty reuse was a painted wooden stela dedicated to Nehemes Bastet, depicting her in a white linen dress adoring a seated falcon-headed deity combining attributes of Ra-Harakhte and Osiris. The stela features offering formulas and prayers addressing multiple deities, including invocations for offerings of bread, beer, oxen, fowl, and incense to ensure the deceased's eternal sustenance. Measuring approximately 50 cm in height, it was positioned leaning against the western wall of the burial chamber at the foot end of the coffin, placed atop a layer of limestone debris that filled the chamber to about half its height. This artifact exemplifies fine Third Intermediate Period craftsmanship, with detailed iconography and painting techniques comparable to contemporary stelae from Theban necropoleis.^[9]^[14] Additionally, a small stele-shaped wooden tablet inscribed with the name of Princess Satjah, "Daughter of the Moon," was found in the debris, along with scattered fragments from the Eighteenth Dynasty coffin consisting of wooden pieces bearing traces of original decoration and hieroglyphic inscriptions. These remnants, heavily damaged by ancient robbers, were distributed throughout the 1-meter-thick layer of rubble and fill in the burial chamber, providing evidence of the tomb's initial high-status use.^[9]^[3]^[1] The excavation yielded various debris indicative of ritual activities, including pottery sherds—such as a Nile silt flowerpot found near the entrance—and fragments of linen cloth interspersed with small glass pieces. These materials, primarily from the Eighteenth Dynasty context, were scattered across the burial chamber floor and within the debris, suggesting remnants of funerary rites, wrappings, or votive offerings associated with the original interment. A linen fragment from this context was radiocarbon dated to 1447–1289 BCE (95.4% probability), consistent with mid-to-late Eighteenth Dynasty usage.^[9]^[15] Analysis of the pottery points to everyday and ceremonial vessels used in burial preparations, while the linen fragments align with embalming and wrapping practices typical of the period.

Occupants and Burials

Eighteenth Dynasty Remains

The Eighteenth Dynasty remains in KV64 represent the original burial of an unidentified elite adult female from the New Kingdom period (ca. 1500–1100 BCE), disturbed and partially dismantled during the tomb's reuse approximately 500 years later. The mummy was discovered in a broken and unwrapped condition, with the body torn apart and left naked amid debris in the burial chamber, alongside fragments of canopic jars, an inlay eye from a coffin, a piece of glass vessel, and other scattered artifacts indicative of an elite interment.^[3] A partial wooden label inscribed with the name of Princess Satiah (or Sitiah; "Daughter of the Moon"), whose parentage and royal connections remain uncertain, was found among the Eighteenth Dynasty material, prompting hypotheses that she could be the tomb's original occupant, though it is uncertain if the label pertains directly to the mummy or was introduced later. Canopic jar fragments recovered from the debris exhibit stylistic features consistent with the late Eighteenth Dynasty, particularly the reign of Amenhotep III, supporting the potential royal connection but not confirming the identity.^[3] Anthropological and radiological investigations, including portable X-ray and photographic documentation, identified the mummy as that of an adult female with bilateral pathological changes at the temporomandibular joints (TMJs), most likely of inflammatory origin and possibly indicative of psoriatic arthritis—a rare diagnosis in ancient Egyptian paleopathology. These findings highlight evidence of a chronic rheumatic disease affecting the individual during her lifetime, with joint alterations suggesting significant morbidity. No other major pathological conditions were noted in the available analyses.^[4] The original burial appears to have been intact and properly equipped prior to the Twenty-Second Dynasty intrusion, when the chamber was filled with rubble to accommodate the new interment, respecting yet disrupting the earlier remains by repurposing elements like the coffin.^[3]

Twenty-Second Dynasty Burial

The Twenty-Second Dynasty burial in KV64 was that of Nehmes Bastet, a chantress of Amun who served in the temple at Karnak during the Third Intermediate Period, approximately 900 BCE. Inscriptions on her coffin identify her as the daughter of the high priest Nakhtef-Mut, situating her within the interconnected Theban priesthood families that wielded considerable influence over religious and administrative affairs in Upper Egypt during this era of political fragmentation and priestly prominence.^[1]^[3] Nehmes Bastet's mummy was discovered intact inside her coffin, demonstrating careful preparation consistent with elite Late Period practices. The body, that of a younger adult female, was wrapped in layers of linen bandages exhibiting at least ten distinct qualities, though some wrappings had been partially disturbed, likely by ancient robbers seeking valuables. A thick coating of black resin covered the mummy, hardening over time and causing it to adhere firmly to the coffin base, which preserved it but rendered extraction impossible without risk of damage. Mummification techniques evident in the remains include evisceration for organ removal and extensive resin application to inhibit decomposition, hallmarks of Twenty-Second Dynasty methods aimed at eternal preservation. The burial incorporated standard Late Period amulets, such as protective scarabs and deities, positioned among the wrappings to safeguard the deceased in the afterlife.^[10]^[4] Burial rites for Nehmes Bastet involved reusing the preexisting Eighteenth Dynasty tomb, with her coffin and accompanying wooden stela placed atop a layer of limestone debris that filled half the chamber, signaling deliberate concealment and respect for the earlier deposit. The entrance was then sealed with mud bricks and plaster, remaining undisturbed until modern excavation, underscoring the efficacy of these protective measures in a period when tomb reuse was common among non-royal elites. Coffin inscriptions briefly invoke divine protection, aligning with contemporary Theban funerary traditions emphasizing Amun's favor.^[9]

Historical Context and Significance

Previous KV64 Designation

The designation KV64 was initially applied in a non-official capacity to a geophysical anomaly detected during ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys in the Valley of the Kings. In 2000, as part of the Amarna Royal Tombs Project (ARTP) led by Nicholas Reeves, Japanese geophysicist Hirokatsu Watanabe conducted a preliminary GPR survey in the central area near KV62 (Tutankhamun's tomb) and KV63, identifying two subsurface voids exhibiting patterns of radiating arcs suggestive of man-made structures or empty chambers within the limestone bedrock.^[16] One of these anomalies, located at a depth greater than that of KV63, was tentatively labeled "KV64" by Reeves due to its potential as an undiscovered tomb entrance or shaft.^[17] This provisional use of the KV64 label gained public attention in July 2006 when Reeves announced the anomaly through an update on the Valley of the Kings, highlighting its proximity to major Eighteenth Dynasty tombs and speculating on possible royal connections, such as to Ramesses VIII or Nefertiti.^[16] However, Egyptian antiquities minister Zahi Hawass expressed skepticism, interpreting the feature as a natural bedrock cavity rather than an artificial tomb, amid concerns over the reliability of GPR in the fractured geology of the valley, where earlier surveys like the Theban Mapping Project's 1986 magnetometry had faced similar interpretive challenges.^[16] No immediate excavation was authorized by the Amarna Royal Tombs Project, as the Supreme Council of Antiquities reserved official tomb designations for verified archaeological sites.^[17] Further analysis of the 2000 data, including detailed mappings shared by Reeves in 2008, prompted fieldwork led by Zahi Hawass in 2008-2009 at the site (known as Feature 5). The excavation revealed ancient storage buildings and natural geological formations, confirming the anomaly was not a tomb but rather a combination of man-made non-funerary structures and bedrock features.^[18] This resolution of the anomaly's status as non-tomb freed the KV64 designation, which was officially applied in 2011 to a newly excavated burial in a separate location within the valley. This episode exemplified the evolution of the KV numbering system, originally established in the early 19th century by John Gardner Wilkinson for known tombs and later systematized by the Theban Mapping Project under Kent Weeks since the 1970s, which integrates geophysical data to catalog potential sites while prioritizing non-invasive methods to preserve the necropolis.^[16]

Importance in Egyptology

KV64 serves as a key example of tomb reuse practices prevalent during the Third Intermediate Period, when tombs from the New Kingdom were frequently recycled for subsequent burials, often by priestly families. The site's stratigraphic layers reveal how earlier Eighteenth Dynasty remains were covered with debris before the insertion of Twenty-Second Dynasty equipment, such as a decorated coffin and stela, illustrating the practical and cultural continuity in funerary adaptations despite ancient looting. This reuse pattern, documented through excavations, underscores the economic and ritual motivations behind repurposing sacred spaces in the Valley of the Kings, providing archaeologists with clear evidence of temporal overlaps in burial sequences.^[1] The tomb bridges the Eighteenth and Twenty-Second Dynasties, offering insights into the roles of elite women in religious contexts and advancing paleopathological knowledge of ancient Egyptian health. The Twenty-Second Dynasty burial of Nehemes-Bastet, a Songstress of Amun, highlights the prominence of female chantresses in temple cults during this era, reflecting shifts in social and religious hierarchies post-New Kingdom. Paleopathological analysis of the earlier Eighteenth Dynasty mummy has identified bilateral degenerative changes in the temporomandibular joints suggestive of an inflammatory rheumatic condition, possibly psoriatic arthritis, marking one of the earliest potential cases in Egyptian remains and unique to KV64 among Valley tombs. These findings, derived from portable X-ray examinations, illuminate chronic disease prevalence among non-royal elites without altering broader dynastic narratives.^[19]^[1]^[2] Post-2013 research, including radiographic studies of the mummies, has confirmed the non-royal status of KV64's occupants—likely high-ranking individuals such as princesses or court officials—contrasting with the pharaonic focus of many Valley tombs and emphasizing the site's role in elite but non-sovereign interments. Ongoing analyses, such as potential DNA testing on the remains, hold promise for clarifying familial ties and genetic continuity between dynasties, though results remain pending as of 2025. KV64 thus enriches the Valley of the Kings' inventory, highlighting the diversity of burial practices and the need for further interdisciplinary work to address gaps in understanding non-royal contributions to Egyptian history.^[1]^[19]