Most Known Tomb Thefts during Pharanoic Era

The Ancient Egyptians had deep belief in resurrection after death and eternity which require keeping the body sound along with daily life items in the burial place. They think that the dead will use those items in the life after.

Dr Zahi Hawass, Icon of Egyptology, said that encroachment on the tomb and pillaging their contents was a major crime deserves harsh punishment. Throughout the last years of King Ramesses IX theft of tomb swas commoner.

Those thefts were registered on many papyrus documents such as Abbot’s Papyrus which was kept in the British Museum and Amherst Papyrus. Both of the documents were inscribed in the 16th year of that king and they tied together. The first one touches with inspection of the royal tombs. The authorities received reports about pillaging of some tombs.

Meanwhile, Amherst Papyrus showed a trail of some thieves of the royal and common tombs. Two senior officials ordered to inscribe those documents; the first was Passer, governor of the eastern part of Thebes and the second was Bor’aa, governor of the western part of the city.

They were conflicting and every one sought to entangle his rival in trouble.

Abbot’s Papyrus narrates that news of tombs’ thefts reached Passer in the West Bank of the Nile. He hurried to investigate those thefts and spoke about theft of two royal tombs of the IVX Dynasty and seven ones of the XVII Dynasty along one of the XVIII Dynasty.

The last tomb was of King Amenhotep I.

A committee comprised officials was dispatched to inspect the tombs. The committee carried out its task following a report authored by Bor’aa and head of the cemetery police then. The police head revealed that some thieves broke into the pillaged tombs.

Following that report, Minister Kha’aa Im Wast went to Valley of Queens in west Bank to investigate the case himself. Bor’aa arrested the criminals at once so some people think that he may profit of thefts. The minister accompanied one thief and asked him to reveal the pillaged tomb. He did not confess until the police put him under pressure.

On the 21th day of his journey, the court convened and the minister argued that he inspected the tombs and found they were sound. He added that what mentioned by Passer is false. Passer lost the case despite he was a member in the court. It seemed that the minister was involved in the crime so he acquitted all 45 the thieves accused by Passer.

Many papyrus documents recorded events of that trail. Some acquitted people encroached on the tomb of Queen Isis, wife of King Ramesses III and tombs of Seti I.

Papyrus of the British Museum talked about spoils picked by an 8-member gang. The spoils were carried to Ma’at temple in Thebes where they were put under guardianship of the minister, major priest of Amun.

The text mentioned that on the 21th day of the second month of wintertime, the minister and major priest of Amun, handed over eight thieves, gold, silver, clothes, oil and other items to officials of the cemetery.

Contributed by Ahmed Moamar