Royal Canon of Turin

The most comprehensive ancient list of Egyptian pharaohs can be found in the so-called Royal Canon of Turin, a poorly preserved hieratic papyrus roll from the reign of Ramesses II. It is also known as the Turin King List, and is without a doubt the most significant king list of Ancient Egypt and was uncovered in 1824 by Jean-Francois Champollion in the Egyptian Museum in Turin, Italy. Two-thirds of the papyrus is lost, having been broken into hundreds of tiny pieces during handling and transport to Italy after its discovery around 1820.

The papyrus underwent a modern reconstruction in the summer of 2022, with only minor adjustmentsa and additions made as most of the fragments are already in the correct positions. As of February 2024, no publication of the reconstruction has yet been announced. We have waited for decades, so a few months or years more is nothing...

A detailed history of the papyrus.

The history

A detailed history of the papyrus.

Examination of the content of the king list

The content

Examination of the content of the king list

Row-by-row examination

Column 1

Row-by-row examination

Row-by-row examination

Column 2

Row-by-row examination

Row-by-row examination

Column 3

Row-by-row examination

Row-by-row examination

Column 4

Row-by-row examination

Row-by-row examination

Column 5

Row-by-row examination

Row-by-row examination

Column 6

Row-by-row examination

Row-by-row examination

Column 7

Row-by-row examination

Row-by-row examination

Column 8

Row-by-row examination

Row-by-row examination

Column 9

Row-by-row examination

Row-by-row examination

Column 10

Row-by-row examination

Row-by-row examination

Column 11

Row-by-row examination

The fragments that make up this papyrus.

The fragments

The fragments that make up this papyrus.

Recreating the template for the king list

The vorlage

Recreating the template for the king list

The other side of the papyrus

The recto

The other side of the papyrus

Illustrations, photos and facsimiles.

The Gallery

Illustrations, photos and facsimiles.

Relevant books and articles

The Library

Relevant books and articles