KV9 is one of the most remarkable tombs in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Located on the west bank of the Nile at ancient Thebes, near modern Luxor, the tomb was begun for Pharaoh Ramses V and later usurped, enlarged, and completed by his successor, Ramses VI.
Both kings belonged to Egypt’s Twentieth Dynasty, a period during which the country was experiencing significant political and economic difficulties.
Ramses V and Ramses VI
Ramses V was the fourth king of Egypt’s Twentieth Dynasty. He is relatively poorly documented, and his reign appears to have lasted only a few years, probably around 1147–1143 BC, although the dates remain uncertain.
His reign took place during a difficult period in Egyptian history. Egypt was facing economic problems, administrative difficulties, and declining central authority. Documents from the period provide evidence of serious economic disruption, including a workers’ strike at Deir el-Medina during the reign of Ramses III and continued difficulties in the later Twentieth Dynasty.
Ramses V was succeeded by his uncle, Ramses VI, one of the sons of the powerful king Ramses III. Ramses VI ruled for roughly eight years and is better documented than his predecessor, particularly through his building activities and his extensive work on KV9.
Ramses VI took over the tomb originally begun for Ramses V and greatly expanded its decoration. His reuse of the tomb is one of the most interesting features of KV9.
KV9: The Tomb of Ramses V and Ramses VI
KV9 occupies a prominent position in the central area of the Valley of the Kings. It is close to several important royal tombs, including KV62, the tomb of Tutankhamun. The Theban Mapping Project’s plans show KV9 positioned above and in relation to several earlier tombs, illustrating the complex development of the Valley over many generations.
The tomb follows a relatively straight axis, a characteristic feature of many royal tombs of the later New Kingdom. Its architecture consists of a sequence of corridors and chambers leading toward the burial chamber.
Although KV9 was begun under Ramses V, Ramses VI substantially modified the tomb. The result is an impressive monument whose walls are covered with some of the most extensive funerary decoration surviving in the Valley of the Kings.
The decoration of KV9
KV9 is particularly famous for the quality and extent of its decoration.
Its walls contain scenes and texts from several important Egyptian funerary compositions, including the Book of Gates, Book of Caverns, Book of the Earth, Book of the Heavens, and Book of the Night.
The decoration reflects the ancient Egyptian conception of the sun god’s journey through the underworld and the deceased king’s transformation and regeneration.
The Book of the Earth, in particular, is an important part of the tomb’s decorative program. Rather than simply serving as decoration, these compositions were intended to help the deceased king successfully navigate the afterlife and achieve eternal existence.
The tomb also contains extensive representations of solar and Osirian imagery, reflecting the close relationship between the king’s rebirth and the daily cycle of the sun.
The exploration of KV9
KV9 was known and visited in antiquity and became one of the Valley of the Kings’ best-known tombs among later travelers.
Its impressive decoration attracted considerable attention from early explorers and Egyptologists. Unlike some royal tombs that were heavily damaged or stripped of their decoration, KV9 has retained a remarkable amount of its original painted material.
The tomb was investigated by several early Egyptologists, including Georges Daressy in the late nineteenth century. However, it was not an untouched royal burial when modern explorers began studying it.
What happened to the royal burials?
One of the most intriguing questions surrounding KV9 is whether Ramses V was ever buried there.
The tomb was clearly begun for Ramses V, but Ramses VI subsequently took possession of it and completed the monument for himself. The surviving evidence does not allow us to reconstruct every detail of what happened to Ramses V’s original burial.
Neither king’s mummy remains in KV9 today.
During the Twenty-first Dynasty, royal mummies were moved from their original tombs and placed in caches for protection. The mummies of Ramses V and Ramses VI were eventually found in the royal cache in KV35, the tomb of Amenhotep II, along with the remains of other New Kingdom rulers.
The discovery of these royal mummies provides important evidence about the later history of the burials, even though it does not completely resolve the question of Ramses V’s original burial in KV9.
The mummy of Ramses V
The mummy attributed to Ramses V is notable for its relatively good state of preservation. Examination of the mummy has revealed lesions on the skin, and the body has traditionally been associated with a possible case of smallpox.
However, the diagnosis should be treated cautiously. Although smallpox has often been cited in descriptions of Ramses V’s mummy, identifying a specific ancient disease from preserved skin lesions is not always certain.
The mummy also shows evidence of other physical conditions and damage, but these findings do not provide a definitive explanation for the circumstances of the king’s death.
Claims that Ramses V was murdered because of injuries found on the mummy should therefore be treated as speculation rather than established fact.
The mummy of Ramses VI
The mummy attributed to Ramses VI is considerably more damaged. Parts of the body and wrappings were disturbed, probably during the ancient handling and transfer of royal mummies.
The mummy’s condition makes it difficult to determine the exact cause of death. Like many royal mummies that were removed from their original burials and rewrapped, it also carries evidence of the complicated history of the royal cache.
The transfer of the royal mummies during the Twenty-first Dynasty was an important act of preservation. Priests moved the bodies from their original tombs to hidden caches to protect them from ancient tomb robbers.
A remarkable royal tomb
KV9 tells the story of two pharaohs whose reigns were separated by only a few years but whose funerary monument became a single, extraordinary tomb.
Begun for Ramses V and transformed by Ramses VI, KV9 preserves an extensive collection of New Kingdom funerary texts and images. Its decorated corridors and chambers provide a remarkable glimpse into ancient Egyptian beliefs about the sun, death, resurrection, and the king’s journey into the afterlife.
Today, KV9 remains one of the most impressive tombs in the Valley of the Kings—and one of the best places to appreciate the sophisticated religious ideas that shaped royal burial in ancient Egypt.
