- Kathryn Armstrong
- BBC News
image source, Getty Images
Four tombs were discovered at the Saqqara archaeological site, south of Cairo.
The find made by archaeologists in Egypt was surprising: a mummified body covered in gold, inside a sealed sarcophagus that had not been opened in 4,300 years.
The remains, belonging to a man named Hekashepes, are believed to be one of the mummies non-royal oldest and most complete ever found in Egypt.
It was discovered in a 15 meter deep tomb located in saqqarasouth of Cairo, where three other tombs were also found.
The largest of the mummies that were unearthed in that ancient necropolis belong, according to investigations, to a man named Khnumdjedef, who was a priest and assistant to the nobles.
Another belonged to a man named Meri, who was a high official who had been given the title of “secret keeper”which allowed him to perform special religious rituals.
It is believed that a judge and writer named Fetek was buried in the other tomb, where a collection of what are believed to be the largest statues ever found in the area was discovered.
Various items, such as ceramic pieces, were also found among the tombs.
image source, Getty Images
Various statues and pieces of pottery were found in the tombs.
Archaeologist Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s former minister of antiquities, says all discoveries belong to one point between the 25th and 22nd centuries BC.
“This discovery is very important because it connects the kings with the people who live around them,” said Ali Abu Deshish, another archaeologist involved in the excavation.
Saqqara was an active cemetery for more than 3,000 years and was designated as a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
It is located in what was the ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis, and is home to more than a dozen pyramids, including the Step Pyramid, near where a pit containing the mummy was found.
Notable Findings
Thursday’s discovery comes a day following experts in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor announced the discovery of a complete residential city of Roman timeswhich dates from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD
Archaeologists found residential buildings, towers, and what they called “metal workshops,” containing Roman pots, tools, and coins.
Egypt has announced many important archaeological discoveries in recent years, as part of the efforts to revive its tourism industry.
The government expects its Grand Egyptian Museum, due to open this year, to attract 30 million tourists a year by 2028.
However, critics have accused the government of prioritizing media findings to attract more tourism, rather than academic research.
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