KV36

The tomb of Maiherpri, known by its number KV36, is the burial place of the noble Maiherpri of the Eighteenth Dynasty in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. It lies between the tombs of Amenhotep II (KV35) and Bay (KV13), cut into the valley floor opposite the entrance of the wadi that contains the tomb of Thutmose III (KV34). It is a small shaft tomb with a chamber at the bottom on its west side, 3.90 m (12.8 ft) long and 4.10 m (13.5 ft) wide, and the burial chamber was undecorated, as with all burial chambers of non-royals in the valley.

Little is known about Maiherpri, who does not appear in sources outside the tomb. Two titles appear on his objects: child of the nursery and fan-bearer on the Right Side of the King. His Book of the Dead also calls him companion of the King. His mummy showed that he was a young man, aged 25-30 years, when he died. He is generally thought to have been buried in the mid-Eighteenth Dynasty, between the reigns of Hatshepsut and Amenhotep III.

Victor Loret rediscovered the tomb on 30 March 1899, in approximately the 16th test pit, and entered the burial chamber the next day. It had been robbed at least once in antiquity, with thieves taking clothing, jewellery, metal vessels and cosmetics, but it still held much of its furnishings. A black-painted and gilded sarcophagus sat close to the north wall with a canopic chest at its foot, and food offerings, bouquets and large jars were scattered about. Everything was packed into 16 crates by 7 April 1899 and sent to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Very little was known about the excavation until the early 2000s, because Loret never published on it. In 2004 a collection of his notes and photographs preserved in the University of Milan and the Institut de France was published, providing a detailed list of the objects and their arrangement.

KV36 was the first reasonably intact tomb discovered in the Valley of the Kings, and despite the ancient robbery it still contained over 100 items. Maiherpri was buried with archery equipment, including two leather quivers with Near Eastern decoration, over 50 arrows and two leather wrist guards. Two ornate leather dog collars were also found, one with a design of horses separated by lotuses and another with gazelles hunted by lions or dogs.

Burial and robbery

Little is known about Maiherpri as he does not appear in sources outside the tomb. Only two titles appear on the objects within the burial: "child of the kap (nursery)" and "fan-bearer on the Right Side of the King". His Book of the Dead also calls him "companion of the King" and "one who follows the King on his marches to the Northern and Southern foreign countries." Examination of his mummy showed that he was a young man when he died, aged 25-30 years.

He is generally thought to have been buried during the mid-Eighteenth Dynasty, between the reigns of Hatshepsut and Amenhotep III. More specific arguments by the Egyptologists Catharine Roehrig and Christian Orsenigo place his interment in the reigns of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III, while writer Dennis C. Forbes considers him a contemporary of Thutmose IV or Amenhotep III.

Maiherpri's tomb was robbed at least once in antiquity. Thieves targeted easily recyclable objects such as clothing and fabric, jewellery, metal vessels, and cosmetics. Vases of oils were investigated but had gone rancid by the time of the robbery and were left in the tomb. His coffins were opened and his mummy was looted of the valuables included in the wrappings. Robbers may have also stolen furniture such as boxes, chests and beds as these were absent from the KV36 but found in more intact contemporary tombs; they seem to have stashed a small box inscribed for Maiherpri and containing two leather loincloths in a cleft above KV36, which was discovered on 26 February 1903 by Howard Carter during his clearance of the area around the tomb.

Discovery and clearance

KV36 was discovered in 1899 during the second season of excavations by the French Egyptologist Victor Loret. The then-director of the Antiquities Service focused his work in the southern Valley of the Kings, opening test pits or trenches to the bedrock (sondage) in likely-looking locations. A map of the valley annotated by him indicates approximately 15 test excavations were sunk in the general vicinity of KV36 prior to its discovery.

The tomb was discovered on 30 March 1899 in approximately the 16th test pit, cut into the gravel near the base of the cliffs to the south of the tomb of Amenhotep II. At the base of the shaft was a partial blocking closing the door of the chamber. Loret entered the burial chamber on 31 March 1899; it was immediately apparent the tomb had been robbed but still contained much of its furnishings and burial equipment. The large black-painted and gilded sarcophagus sat close to the north wall with a canopic chest at its foot; Loret read the name "Maiherpri" on the sarcophagus' gold inscription. Food offerings and bouquets were piled in the corner and large jars were clustered against the far wall. A large coffin lay overturned in the middle of the room. The rest of the space was strewn with various objects and personal belongings including ceramic and alabaster vessels, archery equipment, and two dog collars.

The tomb was recorded and cleared quickly for fear of robbery, with everything packed into 16 crates by 7 April 1899. At least five photographs were taken of individual objects but none are known that show the chamber as it was discovered. The contents of KV36 were transported from the Valley of the Kings to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo which was housed in the former palace of Khedive Isma'il Pasha; when the new museum building opened in 1902 in Tahrir Square, they were displayed in their own large gallery on the second floor.

Very little was known about KV36's excavation until the early 2000s. Loret never published on the discovery and resigned as director of the Antiquities Service at the end of 1899. In 2004, a collection of his notes and photographs preserved in the University of Milan, Italy and the Institut de France, Paris were published. Prior to this, the only records available of the tomb's discovery and arrangement of its contents was an account written in 1900 by Georg Schweinfurth who visited the tomb during its clearance, and a list of contents published in 1902 by Georges Daressy in a volume of Catalogue général des antiquités égyptiennes du Musée du Caire.