The mummy of Ramesses II was discovered within the Royal Cache (TT320), near Deir el-Bahari in the Theban Necropolis. This cache was utilised by ancient priests to safeguard the royal and elite mummies from the threat of tomb robbers. Unearthed by Egyptian locals in 1871, the cache contained the remains of numerous pharaohs, including Ramesses...
The mummy of Thutmose II was presumably violated by tomb robbers. Therefore it was moved to the Deir el-Bahari Cachette (DB320), where it was rewrapped and restored. The king, like the other kings, has his hands crossed over his chest, in an Osirian pose that continued to be followed in mummies of kings for many...
The mummy of Hatshepsut, one of Egypt’s most famous female pharaohs, has been the subject of significant archaeological and forensic research. Hatshepsut reigned during the 18th Dynasty (around 1479-1458 BC), and while her tomb and her many monuments were discovered, her mummy was not immediately identifiable. For years, the location of her final resting place...
Seti I is believed to have died at around 40–50 years old, based on studies of his mummy and historical records. His reign lasted approximately 11–15 years, c. 1290–1279 B.C. Seti I’s achievements spanned military, architectural, and administrative domains, setting the stage for the prosperity of his son and successor, Ramesses II (Ramesses the Great)....
The mummy known as “The Younger Lady”, formally identified as the mother of king Tutankhamun and full biological sister of the mummy known as KV55 (believed by some scholars to be that of Akhenaten but not officially certified). The mummy is most notable for what appears to be a wound upon her jawline, as of...
The Egyptian priest Ankhhor lived around 650 BC. He worked in the temple dedicated to Montu, a war god who was venerated in Thebes, the religious center of Ancient Egypt. The priests of Montu were interred in mass graves, most of which were discovered in the 19th century. Ankhhor was mummified according to the ‘fashion’...
King Merneptah was originally buried within tomb (KV8) in the Valley of the Kings, but his mummy was not found there. In 1898 it was located along with eighteen other mummies in the mummy cache found in the tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35) by Victor Loret. In their search for gold, the tomb-robbers split the...
Mummification is the process of preserving the body after death by deliberately drying or embalming flesh. This typically involved removing moisture from a deceased body and using chemicals or natural preservatives, such as resin, to desiccate the flesh and organs. Older mummies are believed to have been naturally preserved by burying them in dry desert sand and were not chemically treated.
Djed-djehuty-iuef-ankh (whose name means ‘The god Thoth says “May he live”’) was a member of a family of priests from the city of Thebes, where he served the warlike god Montu. This spectacular nest of three coffins containing his mummy was found in 1895, together with that of his mother, buried within the grounds of...
Amenhotep II, who reigned c. 1427–1401 B.C., strides through history as the son of an almost impossible act to follow. His father was Thutmose III, conqueror, empire-builder, and the very definition of the warrior-pharaoh. Amenhotep inherited not only a vast dominion, but a reputation already carved in stone. He was born into the Thutmosid line,...
