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.