Sept. 9 (UPI) — A previously undiscovered ancient tomb containing mummies and other artifacts was unveiled in southern Egypt on Friday.
The 3,500-year-old tomb at the Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis near Luxor contains “mummies, sarcophagi, statuettes, pots and other artifacts,” CNN reported.
Mostafa Al-Waziri, who led the team that discovered the tomb, said it belonged to 18th dynasty goldsmith Amenemhat and his wife Amenhotep.
The tomb includes an entrance, uncovered in another tomb, leading to a courtyard where a statue depicts Amenemhat sitting on a high backed chair beside his wife who wears a long dress and wig, Al-Ahram reported.
A small figure of one of the couple’s sons rests between their legs.
“The daughter, or as they used to refer (to daughters) ‘the precious,’ is usually the one pictured in this place. If the family have no daughters, they would take their daughter-in-law. It is unusual to see the son,” Waziri said.
The tomb contained two burial shafts. The main shaft belonged to the tomb’s owner and his wife and contained a collection of mummies, sarcophagi and funerary masks carved in wood along with a collection of ushabti figurines.
Minister of Antiquities Khaled el-Enany believed the tomb had been reused, as sarcophagi from the 22nd and 21st dynasties were found in the second burial shaft.
Archaeologists discovered the family burial of a woman and her two children, including two wooden coffins with mummies and a collection of head-rests. They were able to determine the woman died at the age of 50 and had cavities that led to abscesses in her jaw and a bacterial disease in her bones.
“This is not the end. This will lead to more discoveries in the future,” Waziri said.
