Royal Cache

Theban tomb TT320
Burial site of Pinedjem II and a Royal Cache
Plan of TT320
Plan of TT320
TT320 is located in Egypt
TT320
TT320
Coordinates25°44′12.48″N 32°36′18.13″E / 25.7368000°N 32.6050361°E / 25.7368000; 32.6050361
LocationDeir el-Bahari, Theban Necropolis
Discovered1881 (Officially)
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The Royal Cache, technically known as TT320 (previously referred to as DB320), is an Ancient Egyptian tomb located next to Deir el-Bahari, in the Theban Necropolis, opposite the modern city of Luxor.

It contains an extraordinary collection of mummified remains and funeral equipment of more than 50 kings, queens, and other royal family members of the New Kingdom, as it was used as a cache for royal mummies during the Twenty-first Dynasty.[1] The eleven pharaohs found there include 1 of the 9 pharaohs from the 17th dynasty, 5 of the 15 pharaohs from the 18th dynasty, 3 of the 8 pharaohs from the 19th dynasty, and 2 of the 10 pharaohs from the 20th dynasty. The tomb was originally used as last resting place of High Priest of Amun Pinedjem II, his wife Neskhons, and other close family members.

Its discovery by locals between 1860 and 1871, and by Egyptologists in 1881, caused a sensation. The mummies quickly became a highlight of the new Egyptian Museum (then in Giza). In 1969, the discovery was dramatized in The Night of Counting the Years, which became one of Egypt's most widely respected films. In 2021 the mummies were moved to a modern display area in the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, following the high-profile Pharaohs' Golden Parade.

  1. ^ Bickerstaffe, Dylan (2006). "The Royal Cache Revisited" (PDF). JACF. 10: 9–25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-06-19.