Only two staircases and a descending corridor lead directly to the
burial chamber, with no well-room or antechambers. There are two
uncompleted niches at the sides of the second staircase.
Much of the burial chamber is taken up with the king's huge red
quartzite sarcophagus, still in situ, and is the only area of the tomb
which was decorated. An annex was built on either side of the chamber
plus another smaller annex at the rear which was probably the canopic
chamber. Above the doorway to this annex Rameses is depicted in an
unusual scene of a 'ritual of jubilation' between the souls of the
falcon-headed Pe and jackal-headed Nekhen which represent Upper and
Lower Egypt. Inside the niche on the rear wall a ram-headed god holds
Osiris before the serpent-goddess Nesert with other scenes relating to
the 'Book of Gates'.
The quality of decoration in Rameses' tomb makes up for its
abbreviated size. Its style is similar to that of Horemheb's tomb with
brightly coloured figures painted on a blue-grey background.
The goddess Ma'at flanks each side of the staircase doorway and beyond
this the king is depicted before Ptah and a djed-pillar. Continuing on
the south wall Rameses is welcomed into the Underworld by Anubis and
Harsiesi, and scenes from the third division of the 'Book of Gates'.
The west wall behind the sarcophagus shows the king led by an
Iun-mutef priest to Osiris where he consecrates four boxes of coloured
cloth (representing the funerary wrappings of Osiris) before Atum-Re-Khepri
(the beetle-headed god who represents the transformation of the reborn
sun).
There are more passages from the 'Book of Gates' on the north wall
showing the solar-barques journey through the hours of the night and
the god Atum fighting the evil serpent Apothis. On the right-hand side
of the entry wall Rameses offers wine to Nefertem with an emblem.
The king's mummy was removed in antiquity although portions of his
coffin were found in the Deir el-Bahri cache. |
