Horemheb - the king who passed through the gates

Actually he was a nobody, a man without any sources. He was a man who came from no-where and accessed to the throne. Horemheb (ca. 1321 - 1293 BC), the late king of the 19th dynastie, he was somebody like a pharaonic superman. With his tomb "KV 57" (the academic concentration of "Kings Valley No 57") he bequeathed not only one of the biggest monuments in the Valley of the Kings but also one, which was for high interest to people, who like to learn more about pharaonic architecture. Unfortunately after years of renovation at present it is closedfor the public. But we had a special chance to visit it and take some photographs for you.

To visit the tomb would be nothing for people who can’t walk properly or have difficulty breathing. Because the shaft to lead you deep inside the rock is about 128 metres long. Some 100 steps on new wooden stairs you have to follow to reach the burial chamber. Down it seems to be easy, but coming up is sometimes a little bit tiring.

However, at least it is a worthwile effort. There are only a few places where you can follow up the working methods of the artists and master builders to build up a tomb. Especially because the tomb is unfinished. On a grey ground undercoat there are grids as guidelines for th rough outlines of reliefs. Then there are drawings which were undergoing some corrections (picture down left). And at least there are marvellous ready painted reliefs. "We can follow all the steps to build up a tomb," Mohamed El Bialy, Director for Upper Egypt of the Supreme Souncil of Antiquities, goes into raptur. "You have the feeling,the workers just have a break."

Actually when you understand the working methods of the ancient artists, you will look to the finished sceneries in a different way. They are really regal. Also El Bialy is everytime impressed again: "We have sceneries with colours that are really magnificant, and often the scenes nearly come to live by its strong contrasts." Magnificant is the right word. If we look for instance to the paintings of the gods Osiris, Anubis, Horus, Ptah, Hathor or Isis, they give you the impression as if they were painted just some hours ago. An impression you still get after more than 3300 years. All the colours are brillant, the outlines very clear. This are masterpieces protected in the heart of the rocks (pictures below: Horemheb in company with goddesses and gods).

One masterpiece - and it is also unique - that is the so called "Book of the Gates". It is a variation of the "Book of the Dead". El Bialy explains: "It describes the trip of the late king through the underworld. He has to pass through several guarded gates, at each he has to solve a problem. Each gate is described within its own chapter of the book." Twelve chapters can be seen in the tomb of Horemheb. El Bialy continues: "This is the first representation of the Book of the Gates anywhere." Maybe because Horemheb on he way to access on the throne had to solve many problems, to follow his special way.

 

Another unique subject of this tomb is the entire sarcophagus made by red granite from Aswan, decorated with perfect done reliefs showing winged godesses, the four sons of the god Horus and the god Anubis (picture below). It is said, that the king was buried here but his mummie was not found until today.

"KV 57" was discovered on the 25th of February 1908 by Edward Ayrton who was digging with Theodore Davis. Together the British men unearthed the tomb immediately within the same year. But unfortunately their notes were never published, their manuscripts never found. The first complete photo-documentation was done by British Harry Burton for the Metropolitan Museum in New York. In 1971 the Swiss Erik Hornung shot again photos of all the paintings inside the tomb, but this time in color.

In November 1994 after heavy rainfalls and a thunderstorm the tomb was partly overflooded. So it was closed. Over the following years again restauration work was done. New wooden stairways and a new air condition were installed.

Horemheb was born near the oasis Fayyoum, joined the army under the reign of king Amenhotep II. (ca. 1386 - 1349 BC). When Akhenaten was ruling the kingdom (ca. 1350 - 1334 BC) he became commander in chief. With Tutankhamen (ca. 1334 - 1325 BC) he was promoted as the adviser to the king together with his rival Ay (or Aja). However, when Tutankhamen died, he had to put his own interests for the throne last. Ay (ca. 1325 - 1321 BC) married the widow of Tutankhamen and took over the double crown. After the death of Ay Horemheb proclaimed himself the new king.

When he became commander in chief Hormheb started to built up his first tomb in Saqqara. After the accession to the throne he ordered the decoration with the royal cobra. But at the end, when he had fulfilled his lifetime dream to become the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, of course a new tomb had to be built up in the royal neighbourhood in the Valley of the Kings. Horemheb - also today his tombs reminds to the man from the no-where, a nobody who became the ruler of the world. (Text and Fotos Wolfgang Sliwka)