QV68


QV68 is the tomb of Meritamen, the daughter and Great Wife of Ramesses II, in Egypt's Valley of the Queens. It was mentioned by Champollion and Lepsius, and later excavated by Ernesto Schiaparelli (the director of the Egyptian Museum in Turin).

QV68
Burial site of Meritamen
Painting of Meritamen, based on line drawing by Lepsius of scene in QV 68
LocationValley of the Queens
LayoutA hall, a side chamber and a burial chamber
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Lepsius gives a short description of this tomb. In his list this is tomb number 12. [1]

The tomb

The main hall contains several scenes with deities. Meritamen appears before Neith, Thoth, Ra-Harakhti and Hathor. Meritamen is shown consecrating Mehet boxes before Osiris and Hathor, who are seated in a kiosk. [2] The inscriptions identify the Queen as The Osiris, King's Daughter, Great Royal Wife, Lady of Both Lands, Merytamen, may she live. She is said to be "Bringing a box of clothing, eternally; consecrating the box of clothing three times" (sic). [3]

Further scenes show the deceased offering to Khnum, and offering two vases to Ptah. [2]

Meritamen was buried in a red granite sarcophagus which is now in the Berlin Museum (15274).[2] The inscriptions identify her as The [King's Daughter], Great [Royal Wife], Lady of Both Lands, Merytamen, justified, and as The Osiris, King's Daughter beloved of him, Great Royal Wife, Lady of Both Lands, Merytamen, justified.[3]

References
  1. Denkmaeler aus Aegypten und Aethiopien nach den Zeichnungen der von Seiner Majestät dem Koenige von Preussen, Friedrich Wilhelm IV., nach diesen Ländern gesendeten, und in den Jahren 1842–1845 ausgeführten wissenschaftlichen Expedition auf Befehl Seiner Majestät. 13 vols. Berlin: Nicolaische Buchhandlung. (Reprinted Genève: Éditions de Belles-Lettres, 1972)
  2. Porter, Bertha and Moss, Rosalind, Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Reliefs and Paintings Volume I: The Theban Necropolis, Part 2. Royal Tombs and Smaller Cemeteries, Griffith Institute. 1964, pg 766-7
  3. Kitchen, K.A., Ramesside Inscriptions, Translated & Annotated, Translations, Volume II, Blackwell Publishers, 1996
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