Egypt discovered two new tombs with their sarcophagi in a recent excavation

Egypt on Thursday unveiled dozens of new archaeological discoveries, including two ancient tombs, in a pharaonic necropolis on the outskirts of the capital, Cairo.

The artifacts, unearthed during a year-long excavation, were found beneath an ancient stone enclosure near the Saqqara pyramids and They date from the fifth and sixth dynasties of the Old Kingdom, spanning from about 2500 B.C. C. until 2100 a. c.the excavation team said.

One of the discovered tombs belonged to a 5th dynasty priest known as Khnumdjedefwhile the another tomb belonged to an official named Meri, a palace official who held the title of “keeper of secrets,” the team said. Other important finds from the excavation include statues, amulets, and a well-preserved sarcophagus.

Egypt’s most renowned archaeologist and director of the excavation, Zahi Hawass, personally revealed the new discoveries from the stone enclosure, known as Gisr al-Mudir.

“I stuck my head inside to see what was inside the sarcophagus: a beautiful mummy of a man completely covered in layers of gold,” Hawass said.

The Saqqara site is part of a sprawling necropolis in Egypt’s ancient capital, Memphis, that includes the famous pyramids at Giza, as well as smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur and Abu Ruwaysh. The ruins of Memphis were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the 1970s.

Thursday’s presentation comes amid a series of new discoveries announced by Egyptian authorities over the past week. Near the southern city of luxor, authorities said they found dozens of New Kingdom-era burial sites, dating to 1800 B.C. C. to 1600 B.C. C. Nearby the ruins of an ancient Roman city were discovered, he said.

In a separate announcement on Tuesday, a group of scientists from Cairo University revealed previously unknown details about a mummified teenager dating to around 300 B.C. Using CT scans, the team of scientists was able to shed new light on the boy’s high social status by affirming the intricate details of the amulets inserted inside his mummified body and the type of burial he received.

Egypt often publicly touts its ancient discoveries to attract more tourists, a major source of hard currency for the cash-strapped North African country. The sector suffered a long recession after political turmoil and violence that followed a 2011 uprising.

Egypt’s tourism industry was also hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and is currently suffering from the war in Ukraine. Both Russia and the Ukraine were previously a large source of tourists visiting Egypt.

(With information from AP)

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