TOMB ROBBERY PAPYRI

(Redford D.B., The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, 2001, Vol.3, pag.
417-8)
The Tomb Robbery Papyri are a group of documents (Papyrus Amherst/Leopold,
Papyrus Abbott, Papyrus Mayer A & B, Papyrus British Museum 10052, and a few
others) concerned with the plunder of royal tombs and mortuary temples in Thebes at
the end of the twentieth dynasty. The papyri date mostly to Years 19 and 20 of
Ramesses XI (Years 1 and 2 of the "Renaissance Era"), although a few of them date to
approximately thirty-five years earlier, in Years 16-18 of Ramesses IX. The designation
"tomb robbery papyri" these documents have received is something of a misnomer,
since much of the material actually deals with despoliation of temple property. As
arbitrary as the resulting "trials" may seem by modern standards, it is important to
note that not every person charged was found guilty, and that the degree of
punishment varied widely. Furthermore, it is easy to forget amid the drama of the
thefts themselves that the papyri provide evidence of an extensive cover-up of
negligence, corruption, and even the complicity of high officials at Thebes. In the end,
the authorities decided that the integrity of the royal tombs could no longer be
maintained, and so they began removing the royal mummies from their tombs in both
the Valley of Kings and the Valley of Queens for reburials in two large caches. A
systematic removal of all valuables from the royal tombs probably followed soon
thereafter.
Judging from the extant papyri, the three main targets of the thieves apparently had
been the royal tombs of the seventeenth dynasty, chiefly along the cliff side at Dra
Abul Naga, several mortuary temples, and the Valley of the Queens. It is not known
whether any of the great royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings had been recently
plundered as well, but in all likelihood they too had suffered. According to the papyri,
most of the individuals involved in the robberies appear to have been members of the
community of royal necropolis workers at Deir el-Medina, along with their associates
scattered throughout other Western Thebes communities.
A papyrus recently discovered in Rochester, New York, describes the crimes of a certain
Djehutihotep, the chief guard of the Karnak temple, arguably the most sacred place in
Egypt. Access to the temple may have been restricted, but it was a far more public
space than the royal tombs, so that this incident in particular provided unavoidable
evidence of the extent of negligence and corruption at the highest levels of the Theban
administration. It is not surprising that most of the investigation and subsequent
measures had to be taken out of the hands of the now discredited former officials.
That there were several instances of major robberies underscores the extent of both
corruption and economic distress in late Ramessid Egypt, eventually leading to the
discredit and collapse of the royal house. The papyri reveal that the Theban populace
suffered starvation, incursions of Libyan tribesmen, and a general breakdown in public
order and safety. Although concerned mainly with the Theban region, the robbery
papyri most likely reflect, a nationwide state of turmoil, which was to result in the

imposition of military rule under Herihor during the so-called Renaissance Era during
the reign of Ramesses XI.