2023 Author: Bryan Walter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 22:24
During excavations in the Egyptian necropolis of Saqqara, archaeologists have discovered a well-preserved tomb during the reign of Pharaoh Neferkar Kakai, according to the Ministry of Antiquities on Facebook. In the tomb of the ancient Egyptian priest Wahtye, a rich painting on the walls and more than fifty statues were found.
Excavations in the area of the Sakkara settlement, which is located south of Cairo, have been under way since the beginning of the 20th century. Here is the oldest necropolis of Memphis - an ancient city that for several millennia before the emergence of Alexandria was an important cultural, administrative and commercial center of Egypt. Noble people were buried in the necropolis until the beginning of the Roman era, but sometimes more remarkable burials come across - for example, archaeologists also found here about eight million mummies of dogs. The research team led by Dr. Mustafa Waziri, prior to the discovery of the priest's tomb, was researching other burials in the area.
The priest's tomb was discovered back in November, during excavations at the animal cemetery, but the tomb was sealed and it took another month to get inside. Above the entrance, archaeologists found a lintel with three rows of hieroglyphs - the name of the deceased and his titles are indicated here. The deceased held high posts, was a royal priest and caretaker of the sacred boat.
Inside the tomb, scientists found 18 niches carved into the rock and painted statues that depict the deceased himself and his family members, there are 24 such statues in total. In addition, in the lower part of the tomb there are 26 smaller niches, inside which archaeologists have found 31 statues of unknown people who are sitting in a scribe's pose or standing.
The murals found on the walls of the tomb, according to Dr. Vaziri, contain the names of the wife and mother of the deceased. Archaeologists have found numerous images of the deceased with his family, scenes of wine and pottery making, musical performances, hunting and the production of funerary furniture.
In general, the tomb consists of a rectangular hall with an area of about 30 square meters and a basement at the end. The burial includes five burial mines. Archaeologists do not yet know their contents, scientists plan to continue excavations. In addition, two false doors were found in the tomb for the deceased and his mother - such "tricks" symbolically connected the world of the dead with the world of the living.
In November of this year, we already wrote about the discovery of an animal necropolis in Saqqara. Archaeologists have found seven tombs from the Old Kingdom and the late period, six of which turned out to be mummified animals.
