Turin King List facts for kids

The Turin King List, also known as the Turin Royal Canon, is an ancient list of the kings of Egypt. It was written on papyrus using a special Egyptian writing called hieratic script. Experts believe it was made during the time of Pharaoh Ramesses II. Today, you can find this important papyrus in the Egyptian Museum in Turin, Italy.

This papyrus is the most complete list of Egyptian kings that was written by the Egyptians themselves. It helps historians figure out the order and dates of kings who ruled before Ramesses II.

Drawing of the Turin King list

Why Was the Turin King List Made?

Historians think this papyrus was written around the time of Ramesses II, during the middle of the New Kingdom (the 19th Dynasty). The very beginning and end of the list are missing. It doesn't have an introduction, and it stops after the 19th Dynasty.

The papyrus lists the names of rulers and how long they ruled, sometimes even down to months and days. Some kings are grouped together by their families, similar to how the ancient historian Manetho organized his book about Egyptian dynasties. This list is special because it includes kings who ruled for only a short time or over small areas. These kings might not be found in other historical records.

The list also includes kings from the 15th Dynasty, known as the Hyksos. These were foreign rulers who controlled Lower Egypt and the Nile River delta. The Hyksos rulers' names on the list do not have cartouches (the oval borders around a king's name). Instead, they have a special hieroglyphic sign to show they were foreigners.

The papyrus was originally used for keeping tax records. But on its back, someone wrote this list of Egyptian rulers. It even includes mythical kings, like gods, demi-gods, and spirits, along with human kings. Since the papyrus was reused for taxes, it suggests the list might have been a helpful tool for administrators, rather than a very formal document. Because of this, the list is thought to be fair and includes all kings of Egypt up to at least the 19th Dynasty.

How the Turin King List Was Found and Put Back Together

The papyrus was discovered in 1820 by an Italian traveler named Bernardino Drovetti in Luxor (ancient Thebes). In 1824, it was moved to the Egyptian Museum in Turin, Italy. It was given the number Papyrus 1874. Sadly, when the box holding the papyrus was opened in Italy, the list had broken into many small pieces. Jean-François Champollion, a famous French scholar, could only read some of the larger pieces that had royal names.

Later, a German researcher named Gustav Seyffarth carefully studied the pieces, some as tiny as one square centimeter. He managed to put together a more complete version of the papyrus. He did this by matching the papyrus fibers, even though he couldn't read all the hieratic writing. Another Egyptologist, Jens Peter Lauth, later agreed with much of Seyffarth's work.

In 1997, Egyptologist Kim Ryholt published a new and improved version of the list. Another expert, Donald Redford, has also studied the papyrus. He found that many names on the list match names found on ancient monuments and other documents. However, there are some differences, and not all names match perfectly. This means the list might not be completely accurate for the time before Ramesses II.

About half of the original papyrus is still missing. It was originally about 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) long and 0.41 meters (1.3 feet) wide. It broke into more than 160 pieces. In 2009, new pieces were found in good condition in the storage room of the Egyptian Museum in Turin. A new, updated version of the papyrus is expected soon.

The name Hudjefa appears twice in the papyrus. We now know that royal scribes of Ramesses II used this name when a king's name was unreadable or missing from their records.

What's Inside the Papyrus?

The Turin King List is divided into eleven columns. Because the papyrus is so damaged, the names and exact positions of several kings are still uncertain.

• Column 1 — Gods of Ancient Egypt
• Column 2 — Rows 1-10 Spirits and mythical kings
• Column 2 — Rows 11-25 (Dynasties 1-2)
• Column 3 — Rows 1-25 (Dynasties 2-5)
• Column 4 — Rows 1-26 (Dynasties 6-8/9/10)
• Column 5 — Rows 12-25 (Dynasties 11-12)
• Column 6 — Rows 1-2 (Dynasties 12-13)
• Column 7 — Rows 1-23 (Dynasty 13)
• Column 8 — Rows 1-27 (Dynasty 13-14)
• Column 9 — Rows 1-30 (Dynasties 14-15)
• Column 10 — Rows 1-30 (Dynasties 14-15)
• Column 11 — Rows 1-17 (Dynasties 16-17)

Turin King List with the latest corrections for some fragments. This table shows the rows from the original papyrus, translated into hieroglyphs.

Here are some of the kings listed in the papyrus:

Second Column Kings

Third Column Kings

Fourth Column Kings

Fifth Column Kings

Sixth Column Kings

Seventh Column Kings

Eighth Column Kings

Ninth Column Kings

Tenth Column Kings

Eleventh Column Kings

Related pages

• List of pharaohs
• Abydos King List
• Karnak king list
• Palermo Stone (An older, broken king list)

See also

In Spanish: Canon Real de Turín para niños