Tomb KV37 is an ancient Egyptian tomb located in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. The bone fragments and white-washed storage jars indicate that the tomb was used for burial, probably in the Eighteenth Dynasty. However, its original occupants are unknown.
Location, discovery and excavation
KV37 is located in a side branch of the southern side valley, just below the tomb of Thutmose III (KV34). Cut into the base of the cliff near the stairs to KV34; it is now well below ground level. Victor Loret discovered the tomb in 1899; his excavation mentioned finds of ostraca and artefacts bearing the names of Thutmose IV and Seti I. The tomb also evidently contained pottery vessels that Elizabeth Thomas noted.
Re-excavation of Tomb KV37
The University of Basel Kings’ Valley Project re-cleared the tomb during their 2016–2017 field season. Part of the fill on the north side had to be excavated to access the tomb, as it lies several metres below the modern ground level; no artefacts were encountered in this fill. The stairs were covered with current debris, rubbish, and sherds of Eighteenth Dynasty pottery. The tomb’s interior also contained flood-washed debris to several centimetres; the single room was covered with a layer of fine sand. The pieces of pottery observed by Thomas were gathered in the centre of the chamber. The pottery was recovered, cleaned, and reassembled, with an initial estimate of twenty jars.
Further study revised this estimate to twenty-nine jars, some pieces of which were severely eroded. The tomb was planned and extensively photographed; several mason marks in red paint were noted on the walls of the entrance passageway. After the investigation, an iron door was fitted at the base of the stairs to prevent the tomb from filling up with debris.
