Luxor, Egypt
Coordinates: 25.740300, 32.601400
Ramesses VI was the fifth pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt. He reigned for about eight years in the mid-to-late 12th century BC and was a son of Ramesses III and queen Iset Ta-Hemdjert.
Ramesses VI was buried in the Valley of the Kings, in a tomb now known as KV9.
Egypt lost control of its last strongholds in Canaan around the time of Ramesses VI’s reign. Though Egyptian occupation in Nubia continued, the loss of the Asiatic territories strained Egypt’s weakening economy and increased prices.
With construction projects increasingly hard to fund, Ramesses VI usurped the monuments of his forefathers by engraving his cartouches over theirs.
He was fond of cult statues of himself; more are known to portray him than any Twentieth-Dynasty king after Ramesses III. The Egyptologist Amin Amer characterises Ramesses VI as “a king who wished to pose as a great pharaoh in an age of unrest and decline”.
Within 20 years of Ramesses VI’s burial, the tomb was most probably desecrated and ransacked by grave robbers, who hacked away at the hands and feet of Ramesses’ mummy to gain access to his jewelry.
Ramesses VI may have planned and made six more tombs in the Valley of the Queens, none which are known today.
Know This
Pay the extra few dollars to include this tomb when you visit the Valley of the KIngs–it’s got the most beautiful hieroglyphics and is totally worth the extra charge… and a side benefit, because there’s an extra charge it’s not as crowded as the other tombs!
