KV13 (Tomb of Chancellor Bay)

By the Editors of the Madain Project

KV13 is located in the Valley of the Kings and was originally cut and decorated for the burial of the powerful official Bay during the Nineteenth Dynasty of acient Egypt. Bay began his career as a royal scribe under Seti II and later rose to the position of chancellor during the reign of Siptah. The privilege of receiving a tomb in the Valley of the Kings demonstrates the exceptional political influence and status he achieved at court.

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Overview

However, textual evidence indicates that Bay fell from favor. An ostracon published in the French Egyptological journal BIFAO in 2000 records that the chancellor was executed on the orders of Siptah. As a result, Bay was never buried in the tomb prepared for him, and no funerary equipment associated with him has been discovered within the monument.

During the subsequent Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt, the tomb was reopened and adapted for the burial of members of the Ramesside royal family. The monument was reused for the prince Mentuherkhepeshef, who has been variously described in historical sources as a son of Ramesses III, Ramesses IV, or Ramesses IX. The tomb was later shared with another royal prince, Amenherkhepshef, who is identified as a son of Ramesses VI.


Architecture

circa 1195 BCE

Entryway A
Entryway A measures approximately 2.58 meters in width and 6.11 meters in length. The entrance is cut into the base of a cliff beneath a seasonal waterfall at the head of a small branch wadi. The entrance passage was left undecorated and remains open to the sky. A ramp with divided steps descends from the entrance toward the first gate, which lies beneath a deep rock overhang. Following severe flooding in 1994, a protective covered passage was constructed over the entrance in order to reduce further damage caused by water runoff.

Corridor B
Corridor B measures approximately 2.65 meters in height, 2.33 meters in width, and 7.43 meters in length. The walls of this corridor have suffered extensive damage, and much of the ceiling has collapsed. The original decorative program depicted the deceased making offerings before various deities. Although most of this decoration has been destroyed, a ceiling recess at the beginning of the corridor indicates that a door once closed the entrance to the passage.

Corridor C
Corridor C measures approximately 2.69 meters in height and 2.21 meters in width. The corridor has been severely damaged by flooding, and the ceiling has largely collapsed. A ceiling recess at the beginning of the corridor indicates that a door once stood at this location. Near the lower end of the corridor a pair of beam holes appear in the opposing walls. A wooden crossbeam, slightly longer than the width of the corridor, would have been inserted into a circular hole on one side and secured within a slot on the opposite wall. This arrangement allowed the beam to span the corridor and serve as an anchor point for ropes used to lower heavy objects, such as funerary equipment or sarcophagi, into the deeper chambers of the tomb.

Corridor D
Corridor D measures approximately 2.69 meters in height, 2.24 meters in width, and 6.96 meters in length. The corridor slopes downward toward Chamber E. Both the walls and ceiling have suffered substantial damage, although a ceiling recess at the beginning of the corridor indicates that a door once sealed the passage. Only faint traces of the original relief decoration survive. Among these remains are fragmentary marks on the right (north) wall that may represent part of the head of Bay.


Chamber E
Chamber E measures approximately 2.64 meters in height, 3.13 meters in width, and 2.32 meters in length. The chamber was originally decorated on a plaster surface, but this decoration has been almost entirely destroyed. Fragments of the original plaster have been discovered scattered across the floor. Unlike many royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, no well shaft was cut into the floor of this chamber.

Chamber F
Chamber F measures approximately 2.58 meters in height, 4.9 meters in width, and 4.54 meters in length. The chamber has suffered significant structural damage, and the original decoration has been lost. The decorative scenes were executed on plaster rather than carved directly into the rock surface. As a result, the decoration was particularly vulnerable to flood damage and has largely disappeared, although fragments of plaster remain on the floor. Unlike the pillared chambers typical of many royal tombs, this chamber contains no pillars. The descent through the chamber takes the form of a ramp rather than a set of steps.

Corridor G
Corridor G measures approximately 2.76 meters in height, 2.24 meters in width, and 7.6 meters in length. The corridor originally had a flat floor and ceiling, although the ceiling has since collapsed in several areas. No visible traces of decoration survive on the walls. The decorative scenes were originally painted on plaster, which has largely fallen away as a result of repeated flooding. Fragments of this plaster have been found scattered across the floor.

Corridor H
Corridor H measures approximately 2.54 meters in height, 2.17 meters in irregular width, and 7.06 meters in length. The corridor displays an unusual floor profile. At the entrance, the floor forms a ramp that descends to a lower level before rising sharply toward the rear. A red granite mummiform sarcophagus belonging to Prince Mentuherkhepeshef occupies much of the corridor and nearly fills the available space. No surviving decoration remains on the walls, although fragments of the original painted plaster have been found on the floor. The entrances to the associated side chambers are located in the right (north) wall of the corridor opposite the sarcophagus.


Side Chambers Ha and Hb
Two small side chambers open from the north wall of Corridor H. Side Chamber Ha measures approximately 1.89 meters in width and 1.94 meters in length. The chamber is roughly square in plan and oriented along a south–north axis. Its walls were originally decorated on a plaster surface, but the plaster has largely fallen away. Several fragments of the decorated plaster have been recovered from the floor. Side Chamber Hb measures approximately 1 meter in irregular width and 2.11 meters in length. Excavation of this chamber was never completed, and the walls retain the rough cutting marks characteristic of unfinished work.

Burial Chamber J
Burial Chamber J measures approximately 2.53 meters in height, 5.1 meters in width, and 5 meters in length. The chamber was roughly quarried and shows no surviving evidence of decoration. At the rear (west) end of the chamber is a recess that may represent the beginning of an abandoned corridor or a planned enlargement of the burial chamber. At the center of the chamber, within a rectangular depression cut into the floor, lies a granite sarcophagus inscribed for Prince Amenherkhepshef. The sarcophagus was originally prepared for Tausret before being reused for the prince during the Twentieth Dynasty.

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