History Embalmed

Tomb of Queen Tiye / Akhenaten

Full details of Ancient Egyptian Religion, Death Rituals, Embalmers and Mummification can be found via the sitemap, in the Section called Egyptian Mummies. The following table lists details of the Tomb of Queen Tiye / Akhenaten including its reference number, the date the burial place was discovered and the name and details of the Egyptologist who discovered or excavated the Tomb of Queen Tiye / Akhenaten.

Ancient Egyptian Tombs - Tomb of Queen Tiye / Akhenaten excavated by Edward Ayrton
The Valley of the Kings is a necropolis. A necropolis is defined as a large cemetery or burial place near the site of a center of an ancient civilization.

The Valley of the Kings, where the Tomb of Queen Tiye / Akhenaten was found, is located near the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes (now modern-day Luxor). There are 63 tombs which have been discovered in the Valley of the Kings belonging to the Pharaohs and leading dignitaries. Many of the tombs were discovered by the Egyptian tomb robbers of antiquity but during the 19th and 20th centuries renewed interest in Egyptology led European Egyptologists, such as Edward Ayrton, to make further excavations in the Valley of the Kings, hoping to find undiscovered tombs, complete with fabulous treasures.

Tomb of Queen Tiye / Akhenaten
Location of the Burial Site
 Valley of the Kings
Number
 KV55
Name of Occupant
 Tomb of Queen Tiye (1398 BC – 1338 BC) the chief wife of Amenhotep III and mother of the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten
Name of Occupant
 Tomb of Akhenaten (1351BC -1337BC) the father of Tutankhamun
Period / Kingdom
 New Kingdom
Date of Period / Kingdom
 1570 BC - 1070 BC
Dynasty
 18th - Eighteenth Egyptian Dynasty
Date of Discovery
 Antiquity
Name of Egyptologist
 Re-excavated by Edward Ayrton in 1906/7
Nationality of Edward Ayrton
 British
Lifespan of Edward Ayrton
 1882 - 1914

Additional facts and information about the Tomb of Queen Tiye / Akhenaten & Edward Ayrton

The identification of the Tomb of Queen Tiye was originally based on a broken wooden shrine which was dedicated to her and was found in the tomb. Queen Tiye was the chief wife of Amenhotep III and mother of the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten. It is now believed to be a cache of burial equipment and human remains which were transferred following the abandonment of Amarna, the city built by Akhenaten and dedicated to the Aten. The mummy found in the tomb is now believed to be that of Akhenaten. The tomb is accessed via stairs and consists of corridors and chambers and is undecorated.  Theodore M. Davis sponsored Ayrton in this excavation and published an account of it in 1910.

Edward Ayrton was the son of a wealthy civil servant William Scrope Ayrton & his wife Ellen Louisa McClatchie. He was educated at St Paul's School in London. During his career Edward Russell Ayrton worked with other eminent Egyptologists including Flinders Petrie and Henri Edouard Naville.

Ancient Egyptian Tomb numbering system
All tombs are and numbered and the legends KV, QV, WV & TT  indicate their location as follows:

  • KV (e.g. KV no.35) refers to the King Valley
  • QV (e.g. QV no.66) refers to the burial of Nerfertari in the Queen Valley
  • WV (e.g. WV no.23) refers to the burial of the Pharaoh Ay in the Western Valley
  • TT (e.g. TT no.55) refers to the burial of Ramose designated to the category of Theban Tomb
    • There are at least 415 catalogued tombs, designated TT for Theban Tomb which are burial places of nobles and important court officials

Tomb of Queen Tiye / Akhenaten
Each section on the subject of Egyptian Tombs addresses all topics and provides interesting facts and information about the Golden Age of Pharaohs and of Egypt. The Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject of the Tomb of Queen Tiye / Akhenaten discovered by Edward Ayrton.

Egyptian Tombs

Privacy Statement

Cookie Policy

© 2017 Siteseen Ltd