Exploring the Mysteries of Royal Embalming: The KV63 Deposit

Professor Salima Ikram, from the American University in Cairo, presents this Liverpool Egyptology Seminar.

Thursday 5 December 5pm (UK) | Rendall, seminar room 3 or Online | Open to the public, and University of Liverpool staff and students

This is a hybrid event, and we encourage in-person attendance which facilitates discussion and fosters a sense of community among the ‘Liverpool’ Egyptologists. As always there will be drinks and nibbles!

Abstract

King Tutankhamun’s spectacular tomb, KV62, was found in the Valley of the Kings in 1922, after which the Valley was deemed to be ‘dry’. But in 2006 we found KV63, a stone’s throw away from that of Tutankhamun. The tomb had not been robbed, and contained, at first glance, several wooden coffins and large pottery jars.

To our surprise, none of the coffins contained a body—instead they, together with the pots, held remains of an elaborate mummification process. This paper will present a preliminary overview of these materials and will try to reconstruct the role of each in the embalming ritual of a king.