The mummy was unwrapped on March 22, 1901. The first person to see his face centuries later was Georges Daressy. Daressy was overwhelmed with the state of the mummy’s preservation. After taking off the mummy mask, he saw the beautiful face of a young man which looked more Nubian than most of the people whose burials had already been discovered in the Valley of the Kings. Although the mummification process and natural skin complexion weren’t clear, with time the researchers concluded that Maiherpri must have been a Nubian. Victor Loret believed that the remains were from a burial of a royal prince who lived during the 18th dynasty.

A Tomb Full of Treasures

The tomb was located by Victor Loret in 1899. It was unearthed between the tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35) and Bay (KV13). It was discovered in modern times and contained many precious artifacts, however, it never attracted much attention by researchers. The tomb is a small shaft with an undecorated burial chamber and similar to other tombs of non-royal people in the Valley.

Isometric plan and elevation images of KV36 taken from a 3D model. (CC BY-SA 3.0)

When Loret opened the tomb, the mummy was still located inside two coffins. The body was robbed in antiquity. Most of the precious jewelry and amulets had disappeared and many parts of the equipment were broken. However, the number of discovered items was impressive. The team of archaeologists discovered artifacts which were extremely similar to the ones discovered in the tomb of Yuya and Tuya, parents of legendary Queen Tiya, wife of Amenhotep III.