Tomb of Seti II (KV15)

Seti II Userkheperure Setepenre, the son of Merenptah, lived in unsettled times, perhaps reflected in the unfinished state of his Theban tomb. It is located in a separate branch at the south-west end of the Valley.

The tomb is a simple construction which has three sloping corridors leading to the well-room. On the outer lintel is the familiar disc with a scarab and ram-headed god, flanked by Isis and Nephthys. The first corridor is decorated in relief and depicts on its left-hand side, the king receiving life from Re, offering vases to Nefertem and texts from the ‘Litany of Re’. On the right-hand side the king offers incense and libations to Re, an image of Ma’at to Sokar and texts from the ‘Litany of Re’. The carving was never completed however, with only painted scenes at the end of the corridor and by the second corridor only preliminary sketches in red paint. The second corridor contains scenes of the king making offerings to Re and a hawk-headed god and texts from the ‘Litany of Re’ and the Amduat.

The walls of the well-room are more completely decorated with painted scenes representing divine statues and various standards. There was no shaft cut in the floor of this chamber.

The well-room leads straight into a pillared hall sloping down towards another chamber which was presumably converted into the burial chamber at the king’s death. Each side of the hall contains two pairs of pillars nicely decorated with Seti II before various deities. The walls behind the pillars, although not complete, depict the barque of Re being dragged through the Underworld (‘Book of Gates’). On the lintel on the rear wall, there is a double scene of the king offering an image of Ma’at and two vases to Osiris.

The walls of the burial chamber are roughly painted with Underworld divinities – mummiform figures on couches from the 5th division of the ‘Book of Gates’ on the left and mummiform divinities, including Anubis, in shrines on the right. The ceiling depicts a winged figure of the goddess Nut.

The mummy of Seti II was removed in antiquity and was among those found in the cache in KV35. Restored fragments of the mummiform lid of the king’s red granite sarcophagus remains in the centre of the burial chamber.

Entrance

The tomb of Seti II is currently open to visitors. Tickets for the King’s Valley cost EGP 80 for three tombs and can be bought at the gate. Photography inside the tombs is strictly forbidden and can incur heavy fines. There is a little train – the taftaf – that runs from the coach park to the entrance to the monument area and costs EGP 2.

~ by Su on February 5, 2009.