Papyri Museo Egizio

Document
Writing Recto
Writing Verso

General description

Ground plan of the tomb of Ramesses IV (KV2), 1st version

Cat. 2038 is a hieratic papyrus which dates to the reign of Ramesses IV. It depicts traces of ground plans of royal tombs both on the front (recto) and on the back side (verso).

The texts on the recto contains technical details about the tomb construction. On the verso, in addition to the technical details concerning the drawings, are various administrative and accounting notes, however, with no apparent relation to the two plans. The ground-plan on the recto of the papyrus seems to be the drawing of an unknown tomb, which development stopped at the initial project. Since it is undoubtedly a royal tomb, it may be the initial project of Ramesses IV’s tomb, of which we have the final version on papyrus Cat. 1885.

However, the final project of his tomb seems to be the one drawn on the verso (back) of the papyrus. According to the documents found in Deir el-Medina, the construction of Ramesses IV’s tomb, began late, only from the second year of the pharaoh’s reign (c. 1188 BCE). This probably happened due to unforeseen problems, such as the appointment of a new vizier, the need to calm the riots that began at the end of Ramesses III’s reign or the difficulty in the delivery of raw materials for the construction of the tomb. Either way, certain technical problems made it necessary to abandon the first design, on the recto of the papyrus, in favour of the second, on the verso.

The construction of the tomb of Ramesses IV was a revolutionary project, in comparison to those of his predecessors. It might have been the idea of an innovative elaboration of the tomb and its interiors that led to a change of the initial, much more traditional plan, as depicted in the papyrus.

As for the chief designer of the tomb, who was probably the scribe of both recto and verso of Cat. 2038, it could have been Amenhotep, Amennakht’s son, who was himself chief designer from the second year of Ramesses IV's reign onwards.

Epoch

New Kingdom (1539-1077 BC)

Dynasty

Dynasty 20 (1190-1077 BC)

Pharaoh

Ramesses IV (Usermaatre Setepenamun)

Provenance

Thebes/Deir el-Medina (?)

Acquisition: Drovetti, Bernardino

Acquisition Date: 1824

Joining object(s) (log into TPOP)

Cat.2038

Image(s)

Image

Text 1

Script

hieratic

Text type

Tomb plan

Keywords

measuring, tomb (royal)

Epoch

New Kingdom (1539-1077 BC)

Dynasty

Dynasty 20 (1190-1077 BC)

Pharaoh

---

Drawing

Yes

Drawing description

plan of a never realised royal tomb in the Valley of the Kings; Demichelis suggests it was the original project for the tomb of Ramesses IV

Bibliographical reference

Demichelis, in ZÄS 131 (2004), pp. 114-133, pls. XIII-XVII (OEB 179841).

Deir el-Medina Database

Image

Text 1
Text 2
Text 3
Text 4
Text 5

Script

hieratic

Text type

Note

Keywords

bread, cattle

Epoch

New Kingdom (1539-1077 BC)

Dynasty

Dynasty 20 (1190-1077 BC)

Pharaoh

---

Drawing

Drawing description

---

Bibliographical reference

see Recto 1

Script

hieratic

Text type

Delivery

Keywords

delivery, gang

Epoch

New Kingdom (1539-1077 BC)

Dynasty

Dynasty 20 (1190-1077 BC)

Pharaoh

Ramesses IX (Neferkare Setepenre)

Drawing

Drawing description

---

Bibliographical reference

see Recto 1

Script

hieratic

Text type

Note

Keywords

tomb (royal), work

Epoch

New Kingdom (1539-1077 BC)

Dynasty

Dynasty 20 (1190-1077 BC)

Pharaoh

---

Drawing

Drawing description

---

Bibliographical reference

see Recto 1

Script

hieratic

Text type

Note

Keywords

tomb (royal), work

Epoch

New Kingdom (1539-1077 BC)

Dynasty

Dynasty 20 (1190-1077 BC)

Pharaoh

Ramesses IV (Heqamaatre Setepenamun)

Drawing

Drawing description

---

Bibliographical reference

see Recto 1

Script

hieratic

Text type

Tomb plan

Keywords

measuring, tomb (royal)

Epoch

New Kingdom (1539-1077 BC)

Dynasty

Dynasty 20 (1190-1077 BC)

Pharaoh

---

Drawing

Yes

Drawing description

plan of the tomb of Ramesses IV

Bibliographical reference

see Recto 1