Die Gräber KV 40 und KV 64 in der 18. Dynastie

The findings in KV 40 and KV 64 attest to two distinct periods of use of these structures for burials: the mid-Eighteenth Dynasty (around third decade of Amenhotep III in KV 40; slightly earlier in KV 64), and the Third Intermediate Period (Twenty-second toearly Twenty-fifth Dynasties in KV 40; Twenty-second Dynasty in KV 64). KV 64 was used for one female burial in each period; in KV 40 a minimum number of 84 individuals could be identified for both periods together. Severe looting and fires between the two periods of use and also in more recent times leave the remains in KV 40 in a highly fragmented and incomplete state. The inscribed objects attest to at least 32 individuals by name: 14 royal daughters, six royal sons, one «royal ornament», two «noble ladies», and ten women without title, some with foreign names. The names, titles, and the individuals' socio-historical environment in the entourage of Amenhotep III are explored. The analysis of the inscriptions on the large storage jars yieldssome insight into the specific conditions of these burials of people presumably living a partly mobile life mainly outside Thebes. The large jars were probably used to store remains of different rituals performed before the actual burial, such as purification rituals, meals, and intentional breaking of pottery.