Tomb KV5 is the tomb of the sons of Ramesses II, and the recent discovery of the large size of its extent, has been referred to as the most amazing discovery in the Valley of the Kings since the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Standing near the entrance to the Valley, over the centuries it had suffered the fate of other low-lying tombs, which was to be filled with rubble washed down in the flash floods that accompany thunderstorms over the Valley. In addition, it had been robbed in antiquity.
The tomb was examined several times once exploration of the Valley in relatively modern times started, first in 1825 (by James Burton), and later in 1902 (by Howard Carter, discoverer of the tomb of Tutankhamun, who used KV5 only as a dumping ground). However, they were not able to penetrate past the first few rooms, and thus saw nothing unusual about the tomb.
