Tomb KV2, found in the Valley of the Kings, is the tomb of Ramesses IV, and is located low down in the main branch of the Valley of the Kings, between KV7 and KV1. It has been open since antiquity and contains a large amount of graffiti.
The tomb was one of about eleven tombs open to early travelers. KV2 contains the second-highest number of ancient graffiti within it (after KV9), with 656 individual graffitos left by both Ancient Greek and Roman visitors. This tomb also contains around 50 or so examples of Coptic graffiti, mostly sketched onto the right wall by the entranceway, The tomb was likely used as a dwelling by Coptic monks, and there are also depictions of Coptic saints and crosses on the tomb's walls.
Originally intended to be much larger, tomb KV2 was cut short at 89 meters on the early death of the pharaoh (circa 1147 BCE) and a pillared hall was converted to be the burial chamber. The sarcophagus is in place with a magnificent goddess Nut filling the ceiling above it.
circa 1140 BCE
Like other tombs of the 20th Dynasty, KV2 is laid out along a straight axis. The successors of Ramesses III from this dynasty constructed tombs that follow this pattern and most were decorated in a similar manner to one other. The tomb has a maximum length of 88.66 meter and consists of three slowly descending corridors. This is followed by an enlarged chamber, and then the burial chamber. Past the burial chamber lies a narrow corridor, flanked by three side chambers.
circa 1140 BCE
The decorative program of Tomb KV2, belonging to Ramesses IV, presents a sophisticated synthesis of solar and underworld iconography rendered in finely executed painted sunk relief. The decorative sequence begins at the entrance and in the initial corridors with scenes from the Litany of Ra, depicting the king venerating Ra-Horakhty and various manifestations of the sun god, thereby establishing the solar framework of regeneration. Subsequent corridors and the antechamber contain passages from the Book of Caverns and Book of the Dead (notably Chapter 125), emphasizing the king’s passage through the netherworld and his justification before divine judges.
The burial chamber displays the most extensive and cohesive decorative cycle, featuring the first four hours of the Book of Gates on the walls, while the ceiling bears representations of the sky goddess Nut arching across the vault, accompanied by deities such as Shu and celestial constellations from the Book of Nut and Book of the Night. Ancillary chambers include excerpts from the Book of the Earth and additional ritual scenes portraying the king in mummiform aspect. Stylistically, the tomb is notable for its bright polychrome palette, golden-yellow backgrounds, and orderly hieroglyphic registers that maintain a high degree of visual clarity.
Thematically, the program integrates solar rebirth, Osirian resurrection, and cosmic renewal into a single theological statement, positioning Ramesses IV as both the sun god rejuvenated in the sky and the Osiris reawakened in the depths, thereby affirming his eternal unity with the divine cosmos.
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The Madain Project is an online archive of Abrahamic History and Archaeology.
Abrahamic History & Archaeology is the study of history and archaeology with respect to the three Abrahamic Faiths without considering the religious and theological aspects. The goal of Abrahamic History is to understand how and why the religious doctrines and behaviours have evlovled and changed over time. Searching for patterns in the evolution of significant cultural events such as the development of farming, the emergence of cities, or the collapse of major civilizations for clues of why and how these have influenced the three major Abrahamic religions.
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