- DB320
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Theban Tomb TT320 Burial site of Royal Cache Location Deir el-Bahari, Theban Necropolis Discovery Date 1881 (Officially) Excavated by Previous :
TT319Next :
TT321Coordinates: 25°44′12.48″N 32°36′18.13″E / 25.7368°N 32.6050361°ETomb DB320 (now usually referred to as TT320) is located next to Deir el-Bahri, in the Theban Necropolis, opposite modern Luxor contained an extraordinary cache of mummified remains and funeral equipment of more than 50 kings, queens, royals and various nobility.
Contents
Usage of tomb
The tomb is thought to have initially been the last resting place of High Priest of Amun Pinedjem II, his wife Nesikhons and other close family members. Pinudjem II died around 969 BC in a time of decline of the Egyptian kingdom. In this time the mummies from former dynasties were vulnerable to grave robbery and were moved here to protect the remains of these royal personages.
The list of mummies in the tomb is as follows;
Dynasty Name Title Comments 17th Tetisheri (?) Great Royal Wife 17th Seqenenre Tao II Pharaoh 17th Ahmose-Inhapi Queen 17th Ahmose-Henutemipet Princess 17th Ahmose-Henuttamehu Princess 17th Ahmose-Meritamon Princess 17th Ahmose-Sipair Prince 17th Ahmose-Sitkamose Princess 18th Ahmose I Pharaoh 18th Ahmose-Nefertari Great Royal Wife 18th Rai Royal nurse Nurse of Ahmose-Nefertari 18th Siamun Prince 18th Ahmose-Sitamun Princess 18th Amenhotep I Pharaoh 18th Thutmose I Pharaoh 18th Baket (?) Princess possibly Baketamun (?) 18th Thutmose II Pharaoh 18th Thutmose III Pharaoh 18th Unknown man C Possibly Senenmut[1][2] 19th Ramesses I Pharaoh 19th Seti I Pharaoh 19th Ramesses II Pharaoh 20th Ramesses III Pharaoh 20th Ramesses IX Pharaoh 21st Nodjmet Queen Wife of Herihor 21st Pinedjem I High Priest of Amun 21st Duathathor-Henuttawy Wife of Pinedjem 21st Maatkare God's Wife of Amun Daughter of Pinedjem 21st Masaharta High Priest of Amun Son of Pinedjem 21st Tayuheret Singer of Amun Possible wife of Masaharta 21st Pinedjem II High Priest of Amun 21st Isetemkheb D Chief of the Harem of Amun-Re Wife of Pinedjem II 21st Neskhons First Chantress of Amun; King's Son of Kush Wife of Pinedjem II 21st Djedptahiufankh Fourth Prophet of Amun 21st Nesitanebetashru Wife of Djedptahiufankh 21st Masaharta High Priest of Amun ? Unknown man E has been studied by Bob Brier, who thinks the mummy in question, might be Pentawer, one of the progeny of Ramses III ? 8 other unidentified mummies; funerary remains of Hatshepsut Discovery and clearance
TT320 Cache Tomb Shaft
Initially the discovery of the tomb was concealed and a local family, the Abd el-Rasuls, used the mummies as a store of precious articles that were then sold on the antiquities market. This caused the local authorities to investigate and locate the source of these items.
It was cleared in a hurry (within 48 hours of its official discovery in 1881) by Émile Brugsch, in order to ensure no more antiquities were sold.
The chamber is reached by a nearly vertical chimney, which was left open in 1881, and has since filled with rocks and other debris (in fact every object that was left in the tomb has now been damaged in some way). It was reinvestigated in 1938. Since 1998 a Russian-German team led by Erhart Graefe has been working on reinvestigating and preserving the tomb.[3]
See also
- KV35 – Mummy cache in tomb of Amenhotep II
- The Night of Counting the Years – A 1969 Egyptian film based on the story of the Abd el-Rasuls
References
External links
Categories:- 10th-century BC architecture
- Theban Tombs
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