KV49
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| KV49 | |
|---|---|
| Burial site of unknown | |
 Schematic of the unfinished KV49 | |
  KV49 | |
| Coordinates | 25°44′23.4″N 32°36′02.3″E / 25.739833°N 32.600639°E |
| Location | East Valley of the Kings |
| Discovered | January 1906 |
| Excavated by | Edward R. Ayrton |
| Layout | Unfinished; straight axis |
Tomb KV49, located in the Valley of the Kings, in Egypt is a typical Eighteenth Dynasty corridor tomb. It was the first of a series of tombs discovered in 1906 by Edward R. Ayrton in the course of his excavations on behalf of Theodore M. Davis. The tomb was abandoned before it was completed, and the work was halted as the stairwell in the single chamber was being cut. It was probably used as a store for royal linen,[1] or was used as a mummy-restoration area in the later New Kingdom.[2]
The tomb is located in a side valley that runs towards the tomb of Amenhotep II, KV35. The valley is formed by two rocky promontories. On the northern side are the tombs KV12 and KV9; the southern side had not been investigated and "presented to the eye a surface level of loose rubbish, unbroken by depressions."[3] Ayrton began clearing to the bedrock as part of Davis' "system of exhaustion" strategy,[3] working methodically from east to west.
KV49 was the first tomb uncovered and is located on the northern side of the promontory, running south into the rock. The entrance was filled with limestone chips, amongst which were several ostraca. One depicts an official worshipping, while the other, drawn in red and black ink depicts a man presenting an offering to the deified Queen Ahmose-Nefertari.[3]
The tomb is a typical mid-Eighteenth Dynasty corridor tomb, although unfinished. It consists of a flight of stairs that lead down to the first doorway. Beyond this is a long sloping corridor, the doorway at the far end of which was once sealed with stones and plaster. This opens onto a square chamber, in the floor of which the cutting of a staircase was begun but never finished.[3]
