Most tombs in the Valley of the Kings were built for one ruler and used for one burial. KV14 was built for a queen who ruled as pharaoh, taken over by the king who succeeded her, possibly used as temporary storage for a third ruler’s mummy, and then excavated and documented over a century of modern investigation. It’s over 112 meters long, has two large burial halls (an unusual architectural feature explained by its double ownership), and its walls carry visible evidence of one ruler’s images being overwritten by another’s — history literally inscribed over itself.
Queen Tausert: Female Pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty
Tausert began as the Great Royal Wife of Seti II. When Seti II died and was succeeded by the young king Siptah — possibly not her son — she served as regent. When Siptah died after a short reign, Tausert declared herself pharaoh outright.
This was a significant assertion. Female rulers were rare in Egyptian history, and the decision to commission a tomb in the Valley of the Kings rather than the Valley of the Queens — where royal wives were typically buried — was a deliberate statement about the nature of her authority. KV14 was her claim to pharaonic legitimacy in permanent form. For a wider view of female power in Egypt, see Women in Ancient Egypt.
Her decorative program reflects this: the wall scenes depict her with the full iconographic vocabulary of a pharaoh — solar imagery, scenes of offering to the gods, Osiris and Anubis flanking protective texts — rather than the imagery conventional to queenly burials.
Tausert ruled for approximately two years as pharaoh, possibly three. The 19th Dynasty ended with her death.
Setnakht: The Founder Who Claimed Her Tomb
Egypt experienced a period of instability after Tausert’s reign. Setnakht emerged from this chaos, founded the 20th Dynasty, and moved almost immediately to establish legitimacy — in part through the appropriation of Tausert’s tomb.
The decision to take over KV14 rather than build his own was practical (the tomb was already substantially complete) but also deeply political. Covering a female pharaoh’s images with your own cartouches and expanding her burial space with your own additions was a statement about the 19th Dynasty’s legitimacy and the 20th Dynasty’s replacement of it.
Setnakht’s additions to KV14 included expanded chambers and the second large burial hall (J2) — which is the physical reason the tomb has an unusual double-hall structure at its heart. The original J1 chamber was Tausert’s primary burial space; J2 was added for Setnakht’s own interment.
What visitors see on the walls: in sections of the tomb, the outlines of Tausert’s original figures are visible beneath Setnakht’s replacements — where the plastering wasn’t fully completed or has degraded. Looking for these ghost images is one of the more specific things to do in KV14 that most visitors miss.
The Third Ruler Question
Hartwig Altenmüller of the University of Hamburg conducted the primary modern excavation and documentation of KV14 between 1983 and 1987. His work identified evidence suggesting that KV14 may have served as a temporary resting place for Seti II’s mummy during the political turmoil of the succession period, before his remains were moved to KV15. If this interpretation is correct, KV14 would have housed the bodies of three rulers at different points — an almost unique situation in the Valley.
This hypothesis is debated and should be understood as one scholarly position rather than established fact. For the wider funerary context behind these reburials, see Funerals in Ancient Egypt.
Architecture: Reading the Two Building Phases
At 112+ meters, KV14 is one of the Valley’s longer tombs. Its design shows two distinct construction phases legible in the architecture:
Tausert’s original design: straight corridors with a single burial chamber (J1), following the standard late 19th Dynasty plan.
Setnakht’s additions: the corridor system was extended and a second burial hall (J2) was added, creating the unusual double-chamber configuration that makes KV14 architecturally distinctive.
Walking through the tomb, this history is physically present: the transition between Tausert’s original sections and Setnakht’s extensions is visible in slight differences in corridor dimensions, ceiling treatment, and decoration density.
Visiting KV14
| Entry | Standard Valley of the Kings ticket (EGP 750 adult / EGP 375 student — covers three tombs) |
|---|---|
| Hours | 6:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
| Time needed | 30–40 minutes |
| Accessibility | Long corridors, some narrow passages in the extension sections; not suitable for very limited mobility visitors |
Combining visits: KV15 (Seti II) is the essential companion — the two tombs are directly connected by the political events of the same decade, and seeing both on the same visit makes each more legible. KV8 (Merneptah — Seti II’s father) completes the late 19th Dynasty picture. For current ticket categories and site hours, see Luxor Entrance Fees.
For travelers interested in female pharaohs: the Women in Ancient Egypt article in this series covers Tausert alongside Hatshepsut and Sobekneferu with additional context.