The mummy of the royal architect Kha, who was the overseer of works from Deir el-Medina in the mid-18th Dynasty, represents one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of ancient Egypt. It is one of the few tombs of nobility to have survived intact.
After the tomb of Kha was discovered by Italian archaeologists, the Egyptian authorities insisted on retaining only a small portion of Kha’s finds. As a result, a bronze lamp and its tall wooden support, breads, blocks of salt, and 19 terracotta vases were kept by Egypt. All the rest, totaling more than 500 items, was granted to Italy and is now housed in the Egyptian Museum of Turin.
The Theban Tomb (TT8) is considered the best surviving furnished, non-royal tomb from ancient Egypt. Kha was the architect for King Amenhotep II of the 18th Dynasty and was responsible for building projects not only during the reign of Amenhotep II but also under three or four other kings: Thutmose III, Amenhotep II, Thutmose IV, and Amenhotep III. The intact tomb was discovered by Egyptologist Ernesto Schiaparelli in 1906.
