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QV38: Queen Sitre

Queen's Valley - The Valleys - The Places

Titles: “Hereditary Princess”; “Great Royal Wife”, “Great King’s Wife”, “His Beloved” and “Queen” of Pharaoh Ramses I; “Lady of the Two Lands”; “Mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt”; “King’s Mother” and “Great Royal Mother” of Pharaoh Seti I; “God’s Mother”

Period: 19th Dynasty

Story: Tia and Paramessu were married before they took power and changed their names to Sitre and Ramses respectfully.
Before coming to the Throne of Egypt at the end of his lifespan, Ramses I, was Vizier for Pharaoh Horemheb and so he was poised to take over power as Vizier’s are second only in terms of power to the Pharaoh. For more information about Viziers, click here.  

Unfortunately, Pharaoh Ramses I only reigned for approx. 2 years before peacefully handing the Crowns of Egypt down to his son Pharaoh Seti I. This would have been seen as a relief to those who remembered the upheaval of the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten and then the removal of his policies under the reigns of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, Pharaoh Ay and Pharaoh Horemheb.

Queen Sitre at this juncture would have ceased to use the Title “Great Royal Wife” and now moved to the Title of “King’s Mother” and “Great Royal Mother”

Photograph to right is of the unfinished decoration in Tomb QV38.

 

Tomb Overview: Her Valley of the Queens Tomb was probably commissioned for her by her son, Pharaoh Seti I. It is very similar in its design and finish as that of her Husband’s Tomb, in the Valley of the Kings, KV16. Both Tombs are incomplete and do not have any carved reliefs, only painting straight on to the Walls. It appears that her death was not foreseen and so her Tomb was unfinished just when it was needed.

Tomb Layout: A stepped Entrance Corridor leads into 2 rooms; one is the Burial Chamber and the other appears to have been used for storage and Funerary items.

Tomb Decoration: In the Burial Chamber are 4 Wall Niches which once held 4 Magical Bricks. The Bricks would have been etched with Spells from Chapter 151 of the Book of the Dead. In the Burial Chamber the Gods and Goddesses face the entrance of the Tomb and appear with their own Text which features in the Book of the Dead. The rear Wall depicts the Queen and above her is painted Nut, Goddess of the Sky. Her body reaches from East and West across the width of the Burial Chamber. It is thought that this is the first time Nut is depicted rather than the stars in the night’s sky. Featured in the Tomb are the Gods: Anubis, Hapi, Thoth, Horus and Qebehsenuef; joined with the Goddesses Isis, Nephthys, Ma’at, Neith, Serket and Mut.

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