Victor Loret (1859–1946) discovered a second royal cache in 1898 (KV35 Fletcher, 2004). The structure of DB 320 was documented imprecisely (by modern standards) and thus the original locations of some mummies remain unclear (Graefe, 1999 Graefe and Belova, 2010). It is debated whether the mummy from the Carlos Museum USA, now in the Luxor Museum, is Ramses I because of this uncertainty this mummy was not included as part of this study (Bickerstaffe, 2006). Some mummies seemed to be missing (for instance, a coffin with the name of Ramses I was found, but apparently not his body). Emil Brugsch (1842–1930) cleared DB 320 recovering 45 mummies, most of them kings of the 17th–20th Dynasty and family members of the high priest of Amun (Brugsch and Maspero, 1881 Virchow, 1888 Forbes, 1998 Reeves and Wilkinson, 2002). The authorities officially discovered this cache in late summer 1881. Another major find was made by the Abd el-Rassul family, who secretly discovered the Deir el-Bahari Cache (DB 320) in the mid-1870s. The two mummies found there appear to have been robbed and damaged by vandals after the initial opening in 1817 (Weeks, 2014). The first royal mummies (which are covered here in this article) were found in an undecorated tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor (KV 21), in 1817 by Giovanni Battista Belzoni (1778–1823). The identity of some mummies has remained controversial since their discovery. Royal mummies are of particular interest to historians and the reconstruction of the lives of the famous kings and queens of Ancient Egypt.
© 2016 American Association of Physical Anthropologistsįor centuries, ancient Egyptian mummies have been an important subject for scientific studies (Camerarius and Maier, 1625 Pettigrew, 1834 Virchow, 1888 Maspero, 1889) and many other research fields (e.g., Egyptology, Anthropology, Paleopathology). The meta-analysis confirms the suggested identity of some mummies (e.g., Amenhotep III, Thutmosis IV, and Queen Tjye). While the ancestors of Tutankhamun have been identified, some identities are still highly controversial (e.g., the mystery of the KV-55 skeleton, recently most likely identified as the genetic father of Tutankhamun). Various methods and pitfalls in the identification of the Pharaohs are reassessed since new scientific methods can be used, such as ancient DNA-profiling and CT-scanning. This study presents a meta-analysis to demonstrate the difficulties in identifying ancient Egyptian royal mummies. The discoveries of the bodies of these ancient rulers have always sparked much attention, yet not all identifications are clear even nowadays. Many royal mummies from the New Kingdom have survived. For centuries, ancient Egyptian Royal mummies have drawn the attention both of the general public and scientists.