DB320

DB320
Name	Tomb DB320
Alternative names	Royal Cache, Deir el-Bahari cache
Caption	Entrance to Deir el-Bahari archaeological area
Map type	Egypt
Location	Deir el-Bahari, West Bank of the Nile, near Luxor
Region	Thebes
Type	Tomb/cache
Built	Third Intermediate Period (reused)
Discovered	1881
Archaeologists	Gustave Maspero (supervision), burial discovered by local peasants and later investigated by Émile Brugsch
Ownership	Egyptian Museum, Cairo

DB320

DB320, commonly known as the Royal Cache at Deir el-Bahari, is an ancient Egyptian tomb complex on the West Bank near Luxor that contained a large assemblage of royal and non-royal mummies and funerary equipment. Discovered in 1881, the cache yielded material spanning the New Kingdom through the Third Intermediate Period, attracting immediate attention from figures such as Emile Brugsch and Gaston Maspero. The find reshaped understanding of 21st Dynasty burial practices, ancient Egyptian mortuary rites, and the movement of royal remains during periods of tomb robbery.

Discovery and Excavation

The cache was uncovered in 1881 by local workmen near the mortuary complex of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, prompting involvement from Gaston Maspero of the Egyptian Antiquities Service and the German conservator Emile Brugsch. Initial discovery narratives involve peasants and tomb-robbers interacting with agents linked to local antiquities trade before official excavation; the site was rapidly cleared and transported to the Cairo Museum under Maspero's oversight. Archaeological practice at the time contrasted with later methods developed by Flinders Petrie and influenced policies codified under the Egyptian Antiquities Law of 1858 and subsequent administrations of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Documentation from the period reflects 19th-century priorities, with Brugsch removing coffins and mummies directly to Cairo without systematic in situ recording.

Contents and Notable Mummies

The cache contained over fifty royal and private burials, including the mummies of pharaohs and queens such as Amenhotep I, Thutmose II, Thutmose III, Ramesses I, Seti I, Ramesses II, Merenptah, Ramesses III, and queens like Tuya and Sitamun. Also present were princely burials and high officials connected to the courts of Amenhotep III and Akhenaten, along with coffins, canopic equipment, Book of the Dead papyri, and funerary masks linked stylistically to workshops active in Thebes. The assemblage included objects associated with Tutankhamun's period and other New Kingdom elites; some items paralleled finds from the Valley of the Kings and the contemporaneous tomb of Yuya and Thuya at KV46. Many mummies bore royal prenomens and throne names inscribed in hieroglyphs matching reigns from the Eighteenth Dynasty through the Twentieth Dynasty.

Historical and Archaeological Significance

The discovery illuminated practices of reburial during the 21st Dynasty under priests such as those in Thebes, revealing organized efforts to protect royal remains from systematic tomb robbery that plagued the New Kingdom necropoleis. Interpretation of the cache has informed debates about the role of the High Priests of Amun and state administration in safeguarding royal mortuary cults, and has impacted chronology studies involving kings of the Nineteenth Dynasty and Twentieth Dynasty. The assemblage provided comparative material for understanding coffin typologies, mortuary texts like the Book of Caverns, and workshop production networks linking artisans who also worked on monuments such as Karnak Temple Complex and funerary temples of Ramesses II.

Conservation and Preservation Efforts

Following removal to Cairo Museum, mummies and artifacts from the cache underwent conservation under curatorial regimes including Gaston Maspero's administration and later restorers in the 20th century. Conservation techniques evolved from rudimentary handling to modern embalming and stabilization methods used by specialists affiliated with the Egyptian Museum, Cairo and international teams from institutions such as the British Museum, Musée du Louvre, and Metropolitan Museum of Art. Display strategies and storage protocols now reflect standards promulgated by organizations like the International Council of Museums and collaborations with the Ministry of Antiquities (Egypt), emphasizing climate control, integrated pest management, and non-invasive imaging. Restoration projects have addressed fragile cartonnage, painted coffins, and linen wrappings, balancing public access with preservation.

Scientific Analyses and Dating

Scientific study of the cache has employed radiocarbon dating, stable isotope analysis, and digital imaging, conducted by teams associated with University of Oxford, University of Manchester, National Research Centre (Egypt), and other research centers. Radiocarbon results have contributed to fine-tuning chronology for the Eighteenth Dynasty and subsequent periods, while DNA studies have explored familial relationships among mummies connected to dynasties that include Ramesses II and Seti I. Bioarchaeological assessments using CT scanning and paleopathological analysis have revealed health, trauma, and embalming practices in line with findings from KV62 (the tomb of Tutankhamun) and comparative studies of New Kingdom royal remains.

Controversies and Repatriation Issues

The removal and handling of the cache generated controversy regarding antiquities law, provenance, and the role of 19th-century intermediaries, implicating figures such as Emile Brugsch and the policies of the Egyptian Antiquities Service. Debates continue over ownership, the ethics of excavation methods employed in the 1880s, and the display of human remains, paralleling international repatriation discussions involving institutions like the British Museum and Louvre Abu Dhabi. Egyptian authorities have maintained stewardship, and issues of access, exhibition, and potential loans engage bilateral agreements with museums in Europe and North America, within frameworks set by UNESCO conventions and bilateral cultural heritage dialogues.

Category:Archaeological sites in Egypt Category:Ancient Egyptian tombs Category:Royal caches