Tomb KV34 (Arabic: مقبرة تحتمس الثالث, romanized: Maqbarat Tahtamis al-Thaalithi) in the Valley of the Kings (near the modern-day Egyptian city of Luxor) was the tomb of 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Thutmose III.
Description of Tomb KV34
One of the first Ancient Egyptian Tombs dug in the Valley was cut high in the cliff face of the furthermost wadi. A steep corridor leads down, in a dog-leg shape, from the entrance past a deep well to a trapezoidal antechamber. Beyond the antechamber lies the cartouche-shaped burial chamber, which stands four smaller side chambers. The stone sarcophagus in which Thutmose’s body was placed is still in the burial chamber, albeit damaged by tomb robbers.
Decorations
Many of the wall decorations are in an unusual style not found elsewhere in the Valley of the Kings. On a yellow-tinged background (intended to resemble ancient papyrus), the Amduat. The earliest known version of the Amduat is traced, depicting the ancient Egyptian deities as simple (almost naive) stick figures in papyrus writing style. The Litany of Ra also appears in the burial chamber, with parallel execution. Also, on the way up the staircase to the tomb, you can see graffiti on the cliff wall by the workers building the burial.
Excavation
The burial was plundered in antiquity, and its location was lost. It was rediscovered and first excavated in 1898 under Victor Loret.
