Tomb ANB
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tomb AN B | |
|---|---|
| Burial site of Possibly Amenhotep I and Ahmose-Nefertari | |
 Floor plan of the tomb. From the report by Howard Carter (1916) | |
  Tomb AN B | |
| Coordinates | 25°41′54.9″N 32°34′16.5″E / 25.698583°N 32.571250°E |
| Location | Dra' Abu el-Naga', |
| Discovered | 1914 |
| Excavated by | Howard Carter |
Tomb ANB is a sepulchre located in the west of the necropolis of Dra' Abu el-Naga', near Thebes, Egypt. It may well have been intended as the burial place of the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Amenhotep I and his mother Ahmose-Nefertari.
The tomb was initially attributed to Amenhotep I by Howard Carter.[1][2] In the article he does mention that in the scattered debris of the tomb there are as many inscriptions mentioning Ahmose-Nefertari as there are mentioning Amenhotep I so it may be that both had been buried in the tomb.[2] In Porter and Moss the tomb is attributed to Ahmose-Nefertari based on an argument by Černý.[1]
The tomb is located on a plateau in the foothills of Dra' Abu el-Naga'. The tomb opens up to a deep pit at the entrance. The possibility that the tomb entrance was once covered by a pyramid can not be ruled out.[2] Behind the pit is a gallery extending into the rock. Halfway down the gallery is a chamber on one side and a niche on the other. The gallery ends in a very deep protective well.[2] This feature later became common in royal tombs. The well may have served a double purpose. It would have protected the tomb from floods during the rainy seasons, and provided the royal occupant with an access to the underworld.[3] The protective well has two chambers at the bottom. These chambers may have served as a false tomb to throw off potential tomb robbers. Beyond the well is a second gallery which leads to the burial chamber. This final chamber is rectangular in shape and features two pillars.[2]
Finds
A basalt bust of a woman, who may be Ahmose-Nefertari, though stylistically dates to a later point in the New Kingdom, was discovered in the tomb. The statue is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (M.M.A. 21.7.9).[1] Fragments of stone vessels with inscriptions of Ahmose I, Ahmose-Nefertari and Amenhotep I (M.M.A.21.7.1-8.) where found in the tomb, as well as a fragment inscribed for King Apepi and a daughter named Herti. (M.M.A. 21.7.7)[1]
