| Padiamenopea in hieroglyphs |
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Padiamenopea, also: Petamenophis, Padiamenope, Padiamenipet or Petamenofi, was the original resident of Tomb 33 (TT33) in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. His tomb is the largest non-royal site in the valley.[1]
Padiamenopea was a librarian and archivist; in some inscriptions he is referred to by the title Chief Lector Priest. He served one or more pharaohs during the 25th to 26th dynasty time period, and amassed enough wealth and power to build a labyrinthine tomb covered with hundreds of meters of frescoes and hieroglyphics.[2]
Padiamenopea’s burial site, designated as Tomb 33, was deemed to be of interest since Egyptologists uncovered it in the 19th century. It is located near the Nile river on the site of Deir el-Bahari (Theban Necropolis), and is larger in size than those of the famous Pharaohs of the Necropolis.
Tomb 33 has 22 rooms connected by long corridors and deep shafts. It is spread over 3 levels descending to 20 meters below ground level, and includes numerous hieroglyphic scripts.
During 2004–2005, University of Strasbourg professor Dr. Claude Traunecker explored the chambers of the huge tomb. The official reopening was attended by notable officials from Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and by other archaeologists working in the area, among them Francesco Tiradritti. Further planned work will concentrate on the cleaning, restoration and conservation of the Tomb 33 which has been engraved with many important writings, such as the Book of the Dead.[3]