The tomb of Rameses IV Heqamaatre, is situated in a large modern
courtyard near the entrance to the King's Valley and has been open
since antiquity. Coptic graffiti suggests that it was re-used as a
Christian church or dwelling during the 5th century AD. An ancient
plan of the tomb drawn on papyrus is now in the Turin Egyptian Museum
and it is apparent from this that the original plan was for a larger
tomb which was probably amended at the death of the king. The results
of this abbreviation were that there is no traditional pillared hall
before the burial chamber.
The architecture of the tomb is fairly typical of royal Ramesside
style with a staircase and ramp descending to the main entrance
portal. On the outer lintel to the first corridor is the familiar disc
containing a scarab and ram-headed god Amun, flanked by Isis and
Nephthys, with a similar depiction on the southern wall of the first
gently sloping corridor. On the opposite wall are texts from the
'Litany of Re'. The king's names appear between the first and second
corridors, as well as on the ceiling which is painted with winged
scarabs and vultures.
The second corridor brightly illustrates many scenes with demons or
underworld spirits from the 'Litany of Re' on it's cream-coloured
walls. The ceiling also shows the same text.
The king's names and a winged disc appear in the entrance to the third
corridor and the walls show, for the fist time, scenes (of the 1st and
2nd division) from the 'Book of Caverns'. There are two niches at the
far end of the walls. The star-painted ceiling of the third corridor
is vaulted and also displays the king's cartouches.
A more steeply sloping ramp leads to an antechamber (well-room?)
before the burial chamber. The outer lintel of the antechamber is
decorated with winged uraei and a winged disc and the walls of the
chamber depict passages from the 'Book of the Dead' (on the left) and
the 'Negative Confession' (on the right).
The sarcophagus chamber was probably originally intended to be a
pillared hall which would have preceded the actual burial chamber.
Because the plan was abbreviated, no pillars were cut and a
sarcophagus 'pit' was sunk into the floor. The massive red granite
outer sarcophagus which was found in the tomb, was broken in
antiquity, but has been restored and can be seen in the burial
chamber. The walls of the burial chamber illustrate the first four
divisions of the 'Book of Gates' and selections of texts from the 'Amduat'.
The vaulted ceiling displays astronomical scenes from the 'Books of
the Heavens' which replaces the more traditional texts of earlier
tombs. On the southern half, the sky-goddess Nut is supported by Shu,
god of the air and light, with a list of the decans at the side. Nut
also stretches over the northern side of the ceiling with other
astronomical figures.
A further corridor beyond the burial chamber has the initial texts
from the 'Book of Caverns' on its walls, but this is crudely painted.
This chamber opens into three annexes. The walls in the rooms to the
south and north have mummiform depictions of the king, perhaps
illustrating his ushabtis, while the room at the end of the corridor
show other funerary objects (couch, chests and canopic jars).
The body of Rameses IV was found among those royal mummies in KV35. |
