This chapter explores the tomb of Tausret (KV-14), one of the largest and most interesting monuments in the Valley of the Kings, and one that is key to much of our understanding of the queen's reign. Careful study of the history and decoration of this tomb by its excavator—as well as the nearby tomb of Chancellor Bay, in whose tomb the queen's sarcophagus was found—has shown a complex development that occurred over time, beginning with Tausret as queen and regent, then as pharaoh, and then, finally, as a monarch deposed or succeeded by Sethnakht, first ruler of the 20th Dynasty. The massive...

This chapter explores the tomb of Tausret (KV-14), one of the largest and most interesting monuments in the Valley of the Kings, and one that is key to much of our understanding of the queen's reign. Careful study of the history and decoration of this tomb by its excavator—as well as the nearby tomb of Chancellor Bay, in whose tomb the queen's sarcophagus was found—has shown a complex development that occurred over time, beginning with Tausret as queen and regent, then as pharaoh, and then, finally, as a monarch deposed or succeeded by Sethnakht, first ruler of the 20th Dynasty. The massive and extensively decorated tomb not only allows us to trace the history of the queen's reign but also holds clues to the nature of the queen's legitimation and evidence of her final demise.