This hieratic text dates to Ramesses II times. It mentions the names of all Egyptian rulers preceded by the register of gods that, as it was believed, ruled over Egypt before Pharaohs era. The document, originally complete, fell into about 300 pieces. In this state it was discovered in one of the tombs in Thebes and then bought by an Italian collector Bernardino Drovetti in the 19th century. It continuously undergoes destruction and at present makes up only a fragment of papyrus examined by J.F. Champollion and Gustavus Seyffarth in 1825.

     The papyrus gives the names of monarchs in some cases grouping them together and giving lengths of regency for some of these groups, generally corresponding to Manetho’s Dynasties. Moreover it shows in years, months and days duration of ruling for individual kings. It also includes names of ephemeral rulers or those ruling over small territories and as such – barely known nowadays, usually unmentioned in other sources. The list included the Hyksos rulers (often left out of other King Lists), although they were not given cartouches, and a hieroglyphic sign was added to indicate that they were foreigners.
   The most important publications are: G.Farina, Il papiro dei re restaurato (Rome, 1938), A.H.Gardiner, The Royal Canon of Turin (Oxford, 1959) and J.Malek, The original version of the Royal Canon of Turin in Journal of Egyptian Archeology 68, 93-106, (1982)