Tomb of Ramases IX

Welcome to KV6, the tomb of Ramesses IX, situated prominently in the central branch of the Valley of the Kings. As a scholar of the Twentieth Dynasty, I find this tomb a fascinating study in the transition of royal funerary…

As we enter the first corridor, please look closely at the reliefs that line both sides. These walls are inscribed with scenes and texts from the Litany of Re, a series of hymns and invocations to the sun god. …

Continuing into the second corridor, the theological narrative shifts toward the more cryptic texts of the afterlife. Here, you will see scenes from the Book of the Dead and the Book of Caverns. …

In the third corridor, we encounter the Book of Gates. This text describes the twelve hours of the night, each marked by a gate guarded by a fierce serpent. …

We now enter a small, square room traditionally called the 'Well Room,' although in this tomb, no actual shaft was dug. In earlier dynasties, a deep pit here served both to catch flash-flood water and to deter tomb robbers. …

We have reached the heart of KV6—the burial chamber. This is where the king's sarcophagus once rested. …

As we begin our walk back toward the entrance, let us reflect on what KV6 tells us about the end of the New Kingdom. Ramesses IX was the third-to-last king of the 20th Dynasty. …

Our exploration of KV6, the tomb of Ramesses IX, concludes where it began—at the threshold between the valley and the mountain. This tomb has offered us a window into the complex religious and political landscape of the late 20th…