Embalming cache
Encyclopedia
An embalming cache is a collection of material that was used by the Ancient Egyptians in the mummification process and then buried either with or separately from the body. It is believed that because the materials had come in contact with the body, they had possibly absorbed part of it, and needed to be buried in order for the body to be complete in the afterlife.
The best known embalming cache is KV54
, sometimes called the Embalming cache of Tutankhamun, discovered and excavated by Edward R. Ayrton
in 1907. Theodore M. Davis showed the find to Herbert E. Winlock who could not see much in it at that time, so Davis donated the whole lot to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1909. In 1940 Winlock took the matter up again and bones from food in a storage jar were examined in the American Museum of National History as well as analysis of the bandages made. The hieratic and hieroglyfic inscriptions from the cache have been discussed by scholars of that time. Winlock presented the results 1942 in his book "Material used at the embalming of king Tut-Ankh-Amun". Not so much a tomb as a pit, it contained about a dozen large sealed storage jars. Within them were contained pottery, dishes, bags of natron, animal bones, floral collars and linen containing text dated to the final years of the then little-known pharaoh Tutankhamun
. It was later determined that that material not only contained material used in the embalming process (such as bags of natron
and linen), but the remains of food used in the funerary banquet held at the conclusion of the pharaoh's interment. When Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered in 1922, many small items similar to those found in the KV54 cache were found in the initial entryway, leading to the suggestion that following the initial robbery of the tomb, the embalming materials and burial party refuse were moved to KV54.
The most recently excavated tomb in the Valley of the Kings
, KV63
, is also thought by many to be another embalming cache. Like the KV54 cache, it contained no mummies, but its many jars contained similar materials, including natron, wood, seeds, shells, carbon, assorted pottery, small animal bones, papyrus fragments, mud trays, mud seals, and pieces of twine or rope.
Not all embalming materials were necessarily kept separate from their owners, as at least two non-royal interments in the Valley of the Kings, KV36
(The Tomb of Maiherpri
), and KV46
(Tomb of Yuya
and Thuya
), contained dozens of jars within their tombs holding embalming refuse.
The best known embalming cache is KV54
KV54
Tomb KV54 is located in the Valley of the Kings, in Egypt. It was originally excavated by Edward R. Ayrton on behalf of the American lawyer Theodore M. Davis, who funded the work.-Site history:...
, sometimes called the Embalming cache of Tutankhamun, discovered and excavated by Edward R. Ayrton
Edward R. Ayrton
Edward Russell Ayrton was an English Egyptologist and archaeologist.He was the son of William Scrope Ayrton and his wife Ellen Louisa McClatchie, and was born in Wuhu, China, on 17 December 1882...
in 1907. Theodore M. Davis showed the find to Herbert E. Winlock who could not see much in it at that time, so Davis donated the whole lot to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1909. In 1940 Winlock took the matter up again and bones from food in a storage jar were examined in the American Museum of National History as well as analysis of the bandages made. The hieratic and hieroglyfic inscriptions from the cache have been discussed by scholars of that time. Winlock presented the results 1942 in his book "Material used at the embalming of king Tut-Ankh-Amun". Not so much a tomb as a pit, it contained about a dozen large sealed storage jars. Within them were contained pottery, dishes, bags of natron, animal bones, floral collars and linen containing text dated to the final years of the then little-known pharaoh Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun , Egyptian , ; approx. 1341 BC – 1323 BC) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty , during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom...
. It was later determined that that material not only contained material used in the embalming process (such as bags of natron
Natron
Natron is a naturally occurring mixture of sodium carbonate decahydrate and about 17% sodium bicarbonate along with small quantities of household salt and sodium sulfate. Natron is white to colourless when pure, varying to gray or yellow with impurities...
and linen), but the remains of food used in the funerary banquet held at the conclusion of the pharaoh's interment. When Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered in 1922, many small items similar to those found in the KV54 cache were found in the initial entryway, leading to the suggestion that following the initial robbery of the tomb, the embalming materials and burial party refuse were moved to KV54.
The most recently excavated tomb in the Valley of the Kings
Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings , less often called the Valley of the Gates of the Kings , is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom .The valley stands on the west bank of...
, KV63
KV63
KV63 is the most recently opened chamber in Egypt's Valley of the Kings pharaonic necropolis. Initially believed to be a royal tomb, it is now believed to have been a storage chamber for the mummification process....
, is also thought by many to be another embalming cache. Like the KV54 cache, it contained no mummies, but its many jars contained similar materials, including natron, wood, seeds, shells, carbon, assorted pottery, small animal bones, papyrus fragments, mud trays, mud seals, and pieces of twine or rope.
Not all embalming materials were necessarily kept separate from their owners, as at least two non-royal interments in the Valley of the Kings, KV36
KV36
Tomb KV36, located in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, was used for the burial of the noble Maiherpri from the Eighteenth Dynasty.Rediscovered by Victor Loret in March 1899, the tomb was found to be substantially undisturbed, but as it has for a long time not properly published, it is not as well...
(The Tomb of Maiherpri
Maiherpri
Maiherperi was an Ancient Egyptian noble of Nubian origin buried in the Valley of the Kings, in tomb KV36. He probably lived during the rule of Thutmose IV, and received the honour of a burial in the Valley of the Kings, the royal necropolis. His name can be translated as Lion of the Battlefield,...
), and KV46
KV46
Tomb KV46 in the Valley of the Kings is the tomb of Yuya and his wife Tjuyu, the parents of Queen Tiye, the wife of Amenhotep III, and King Ay, and grandparents of Nefertiti. It was discovered in February 1905 by James E. Quibell. Quibell was sponsored by Theodore M...
(Tomb of Yuya
Yuya
Yuya was a powerful Egyptian courtier during the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt...
and Thuya
Yuya
Yuya was a powerful Egyptian courtier during the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt...
), contained dozens of jars within their tombs holding embalming refuse.