the valley of the kings
In the mountains near the valley of the Nile close to modern day Luxor hundreds of pharaohs, queens and noblemen were buried in caves which were dug deep into the rocks. The emperors of the old kingdom in the north had built the famous pyramids for their afterlife, but later pharaohs thought it was wiser to be buried in a remote valley where the graves couldn’t be discovered and plundered easily. Archeologists are still searching for undiscovered tombs in the area. Over 80 tombs of pharaohs and noblemen have been excavated in the Valley of the Kings, and 110 tombs have been found in the nearby Valley of the Queens, many of them richly decorated. Some contained the mummified corpses of the pharaohs or their wives. They are being preserved in museums and carefully examined.
The central region of the Valley of the Kings
Inside the tombs on the walls and ceilings hundreds of images and hieroglyphs tell us about the mythological function of the deities and their interaction with the pharaohs. I’m presenting some remarkable examples. On some of the images I carefully repaired some of the damage.
Extensive descriptions of the tombs and the artwork is available at the site of the Theban Mapping Project.
tombs kv 2 – ramesses IV and kv 8 – merenptah
The walls and ceilings of KV 2 are decorated with several of the Books of the Netherworld. These were not books in the modern sense of bound paper, but rather sacred, illustrated funerary texts that were inscribed almost exclusively on the walls of royal tombs and on papyri buried with the deceased to guide them through the afterlife. The Litany of Ra, the Book of Gates, and the Book of Nut were essentially a high-stakes survival guide for the Pharaoh’s soul. By surrounding himself with these images and words, the King Ramesses IV ensured he had the spiritual guidance required to navigate the murky depths of the underworld and emerge transformed into the light of the morning.
Foto 1: The walls of the entry hall are decorated with the Litany of Ra—a hymn of praise to the sun god Ra, identifying him in 75 different forms. By reciting these names, the Pharaoh “becomes” Ra, gaining divine power to pass through the dangerous regions of the night.
Foto 2: Further down the entry hall (KV 2). The ceiling decoration is called the Book of Nut (also known as the “Fundamentals of the Course of the Stars”). It explains the celestial mechanics of the universe. It depicts the sky goddess, Nut, arching over the earth; she swallows the sun at evening and gives birth to it at dawn, symbolizing the Pharaoh’s own rebirth. Notice the deep blue backgrounds on the ceilings representing the night sky, populated with stars and yellow-ochre barques (boats) that carry the celestial bodies.
Foto 3: These hieroglyphic inscriptions on the walls of the entry hall of KV 2 are part of the Litany of Ra. The thousands of small, repetitive columns of hieroglyphs on the side walls are the invocations of the different aspects of the sun god.
Foto 4: Scene from the Book of Gates (KV 2). This text describes the sun god’s journey through the twelve hours of the night, each separated by a massive gate guarded by a serpent. The Pharaoh must know the secret names of these guardians to pass. The image depicts a division of the underworld where gods or blessed souls are shown in a ritual procession, moving toward the next gate.
Foto 5: In KV 8 (tomb of Pharaoh Merenptah) we see Ra, the sun god of the ancient Egyptians giving Ankh to Merenptah. Sometimes Ra was merged with Horus (god of kingship, healing, protection etc.) and became Ra-Horakhty, often depicted with a falcon head. One of his tasks was to empower the pharaohs and turn them into superhuman leaders of the Egyptian people.
Foto 6: Another picture of Ra-Horakhty and Merenptah in KV 8.
tomb kv 47 – siptah
Foto 1: Pharaoh Siptah (left) receiving life from Ra-Horakhty (Relief from the entrance to Siptah’s grave chamber in the Valley of Kings) Ra, often depicted with a falcon head, was the sun god of the ancient Egyptians. Sometimes he was merged with Horus (god of kingship, healing, protection etc.) and became Ra-Horakhty. One of his jobs was to empower the pharaohs and turn them into superhuman leaders of the Egyptian people.
Foto 2: Anubis in his zoomorphic form as a jackal.
Foto 3: Khnum, as usually depicted with the head of a ram, was one of the earliest-known Egyptian deities—the creator who fashions human bodies on his potter’s wheel.
Foto 4: The Winged Goddess Maat. In ancient Egyptian religion Maat was the personification of truth, justice, and the cosmic order. She was the daughter of the sun god Ra and associated with Thoth, god of wisdom. The ostrich feather worn on her head was the measure that determined whether the soul of the departed would reach the paradise of the afterlife successfully. The deceased would be only admitted to the afterlife when the heart of the person was lighter than Maat’s feather. Interesting to see that the very patriarchally organised Egyptians chose a woman as personification of the supreme principle.
tomb kv 17 – seti I.
A series of images in Pharaoh Seti’s tomb (KV 17) were created according to the Book of Amduat—designed to ensure that the Pharaoh successfully navigates the transition from death to eternal life through the underworld.
The procession of five boats in the 2nd Hour of the Amduat represents the precise moment the Pharaoh’s soul enters the Field of Wernes, a vast, watery marshland where he must prove his worth and begin his transformation.
The figures on the top and bottom levels are the inhabitants of the 2nd Hour who cheer the boats as they pass.
The Pharaoh does not travel alone on his difficult journey. He can rely on a balanced Team (From Right-to-Left):
(1) The Lunar Barque (Heading the procession on the right) carries the Moon Disk and Maat’s Feather. It represents the Sacred Time and the Truth that leads and clears the path, and stabilizes the soul. (Foto 2)
(2) The Barque of the Sistrum/Scarab: The boat carrying the Sistrum (Hathor’s symbol of vibration and joy) or the Scarab (Khepri’s symbol of rebirth). It provides the “rhythm” for the journey. (Foto 3)
(3) The Barque of the Crocodile-Lizard: The boat featuring the Crocodile with a human head. This represents the Human Intellect riding upon the primal forces of nature, guiding the King through the murky depths. (Foto 1)
(4) The Barque of Neper (Provisioner): The boat with the two plants growing from it. This is the boat of the Grain God, ensuring the Pharaoh has the spiritual nourishment (the “Bread of Life”) to survive the night. (Foto 1)
(5) The Solar Barque (The Flagship): The boat carrying Sun God (Ra), Sia (the god of perception) and the goddesses Isis and Nephthys in the form of two snakes. Ra appears with a ram’s head because he is in his nocturnal form, signifying the sun’s physical journey through the earth. This is the “engine” of the procession, the core essence of the Pharaoh merging with the Divine. (Foto 4)
Placing the Crocodile Barque—representing the “Human Intellect” or “Sovereignty”—in the physical center of the wall suggests that the Pharaoh’s conscious mind is the pivot point between the “Front Guard” (Time/Truth) and the “Flagship” (The Divine Rebirth).
tomb qv 66 – queen nefertari
The tomb is known for its exceptionally well-preserved colors and artistic depictions, which is why it is often referred to as the “Sistine Chapel of Ancient Egypt.” The tomb was discovered in 1904 by the Italian explorer Ernesto Schiaparelli.
Foto 1: Queen Nefertari, the favorite wife of Ramesses II, standing before the god Thoth receiving Ankh. The detailed wall paintings depict scenes from Nefertari’s journey to the underworld and the afterlife.
Foto 2: This image depicts a scene from Nefertari’s journey through the afterlife, specifically related to the spells found in the Book of the Dead. The three Figures are a divine guard stationed at one of the celestial gates.
The first figure is the ram-headed god Khnum. In this funerary context, he acts as a protective gatekeeper, often armed with a knife to repel chaotic forces.
The second figure is the goddess Qed-Her. She is depicted with the head of a lioness or a similar feline, often carrying a knife, which symbolizes her role as a fierce protector and a guardian of the underworld’s passages.
The third figure is fully anthropomorphic and often represents a minor protective deity or a personification of a specific hour or gate through which Nefertari must pass to reach the paradise of the afterlife successfully.
Foto 3: Nefertari is led by hand by Hathor through the entrance hall.
Foto 4: Nefertari in a kiosk playing senet (left), Nefertari as a ba—an aspect of the soul depicted as a bird with a human head (center), Nefertari kneeling in prayer (right).
