Tomb 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.

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;

• Ahhotep I
• Ahmose-Henutemipet
• Ahmose-Henuttamehu
• Ahmose-Inhapi
• Ahmose-Meritamon
• Ahmose-Nefertari
• Ahmose-Sipair
• Ahmose-Sitamun
• Ahmose-Sitkamose
• Amenhotep I
• Ahmose I
• Bakt
• Djedptahiufankh
• Duathathor-Henuttawy
• Funerary remains of Hatshepsut
• Isetemkheb

• Maatkare-Mutemhat
• Masaharta
• Merymose
• Nebseni
• Nesikhons
• Nesitanebetashru
• Nodjmet
• Paheripedjet
• Pediamun
• Pinedjem I
• Pinedjem II
• Rai
• Ramesses I
• Ramesses II
• Ramesses III
• Ramesses IX

• Seniu
• Seqenenre Tao II
• Seti I
• Siamun
• Siese
• Sutymose
• Tayuheret
• Tetisheri
• Thutmose I
• Thutmose II
• Thutmose III
• Wepmose
• Wepwawet-mose
• plus 8 other unidentified mummies (one of them known as "Unknown-Man E", which has been studied by Bob Brier, who thinks the mummy in question, might be Pentewere, one of the sons of Ramses III).

Discovery and clearance

TT320 Cache Tomb Shaft

It was cleared in a hurry (with 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 lead by Erhart Graefe has been working on reinvestigating and preserving the tomb.^[1]

References

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

External links

• CACHETTE of the Royal Mummies - TT320
• Plan of the tomb from recent re-exploration
• William Max Miller's Theban Royal Mummy Project

de:Cachette von Deir el-Bahari (DB/TT 320) es:DB320 fr:TT320 hu:Dejr el-Bahari-i rejtekhely nl:DB320 pl:Skrytka DB-320