Period 1878–1943 (H 1 – H 1166) and two addenda from 1982 (H 1170(R) and H 1171(R))
The H inventory primarily recorded objects from Ancient Egypt, but also a small (single-digit) percentage of finds from Mesopotamia, mostly cylinder seals and modern unrollings and a few writing tablets. The collection was initially made up of Egyptian artefacts that came to Karlsruhe through the acquisitions of the Maler (1853), Creuzer (1855), Schüler (1859) and Thiersch (1860) collections. The collection was significantly enhanced in 1897 with the purchase of the collection of the German consul in Cairo, Carl August Reinhard (1856–1903) – the largest single collection with around 450 items, including the reliefs from the tomb of Li-nefret (Old Kingdom, 4th Dynasty, around 2500 BC).
The sheets of the H inventory, which were later bound into a volume, were probably initially created in 1878 as part of a larger inventory volume covering several areas of the collection. This is indicated by the page numbering, which initially began at 121 and was later corrected, and the register-like incision on pages 1–22.