QV 73

Princess Henuttauy

QV 73 is located on the northern side of the main Wadi at the lower end. The tomb is heavily jointed, with the presence of faults. The architectural plan of QV 73 is relatively simple, consisting of one main chamber (B) and two small side chambers (Ba and Bb). Unlike other contemporary tombs excavated during the reign of Rameses II, the first chamber (B) is the burial chamber with a small subsidiary chamber (Bb) and rear annex (Ba) for funerary goods, particularly Canopic jars. This tomb is accessed through a steep Ramp (A) without Steps leading to main chamber (B), which originally had two constructed pillars that are no longer extant. Elizabeth Thomas suggested the plan was cut short, given that the general layout is similar to many of the preceding tombs. The rock substrate throughout the tomb is roughly carved and irregular (because of its poor quality), requiring a thick plaster application and use of rock fragments to pack out the walls to create a flat surface for the painting. Door jambs appear to be built up with masonry rather than cut from the rock, and the pillars were also constructed, built up after the ceiling was already plastered and painted.

QV 73 is attributed to Henuttauy, a daughter of Rameses Il and Nefertari. At the grand temple of Rameses Il at Abu Simbel, she is the 7th daughter in the procession of daughters. At the small temple of Abu Simbel dedicated to Nefertari, her figure is represented alongside that of her siblings. She can also be found in similar processions at temples of Ramses Il at Derr and Wadi as Sebou'a. The attribution of this tomb to princess Henuttauy was initially difficult, as a number of cartouches in the tomb were left blank. However, the Franco-Egyptian Mission examined and clarified traces of black ink on a Cartouche with a yellow background found in Chamber B to make a positive identification. It is likely that the tomb was initially carved for a generic princess and then personalized at the time of Henuttauy's death. The ceiling of Chamber B was originally supported by two columns which have since collapsed, though fragments of those supports and the painted plaster which likely covered them were discovered during the Franco-Egyptian Mission. Extant paintings in the tomb are refined and from the same period and palette as Nefertari; however, large areas of painting have suffered substantial loss from pillaging at the end of the 20th Dynasty and later reuse in the Third Intermediate, Roman, and Coptic periods, including defacing and over-plastering of faces of figures during Coptic reuse.

The tomb has been accessible since the time of Robert Hay of Linplum (1826) and was most recently cleared by the Franco-Egyptian Mission in 1984. Hay thought the overplastering or "mud" that coated the paintings took some of the paint layer with it as it fell. Elizabeth Thomas also noted that far more decoration may be protected beneath the overplastering. Thomas further noted localized smoke evidence in a hole on the right of the doorway leading into side chamber Ba, which she suggests might be from candle-burning related to Coptic ceremonies. Christian Leblanc states that the extent of finds related to different periods further corroborates extensive reuse of the tomb throughout the Third Intermediate, Roman, and Coptic periods. Currently the tomb is not open to visitation. Entry is prevented by a metal grill door with no mesh.