Tuthmosis I & Hatshepsut (Kings Valley - KV20)
Tomb KV20 is believed to have been built by Ineni, the famous architect of Thutmosis I. But, findings depict that the daughter of the king- Hatshepsut was also buried in the same tomb. The tomb's unfinished state at the time of the king’s death has helped in leading to the conclusion that it belonged to both father and daughter.
The Discovery
KV20 has been known for over a century, and Belzoni first noted it. Later, Howard Carter cleared the tomb and declared that the foundation deposits inscribed with the name of Hatshepsut showed that the tomb belonged to her. From these objects and the two coffins inside the tomb, it was summarized that the queen built this tomb for herself and her father. The king was transferred here from KV38, intended to be his original tomb. Later findings by Carter were proved wrong by John Romer, who said that the design of KV38 was much newer than that of KV20, so the former would have been the king's second burial place. Howard Carter is world famous for his discovery of the fabulous tomb of Tutankhamun.
Tomb Design
The tomb is about 213 meters long from its entrance to the two burial chambers. The corridor looks like a comprehensive U-shaped structure after these are two stairwell chambers, unlike those found in KV38.
The tomb is undecorated primarily and lies at a point that is just behind the impressive temple of Hatshepsut located in Deir el Bahri. The long tomb length is believed to have been so because it enabled the queen's body to lie underneath her temple. The sarcophagi chamber revealed Two coffins, one belonging to Hatshepsut and the second to his father, Tuthmosis I, but both were empty.
The only decoration in KV 20 was that seen in the burial chamber. It had fifteen limestone blocks that had the text from the Amdywat.
Other Objects Found In The Tomb
A foundation deposit of Hatshepsut was found at the entrance to KV20, which included fragments of funerary furniture, potsherds, fragments of faience, and burnt pieces of a statue -possibly a guardian statue. Also, a shabti figure belonging to Hatshepsut in The Hague was found. The findings also included funerary equipment from Hatshepsut in the Royal Cache of TT320.
In 2007, a tooth found in the temple in a box bearing the name of Queen Hatshepsut, conforming to the belongings, identified the queen's mummy. The tooth was the exact match for a gap in the upper jaw of a previously unidentified mummy. Since then, the mummy has been identified as the remains of Hatshepsut, and it is now displayed in the Cairo Museum.
