They find a necropolis in Egypt with tombs of priests and high officials of the New Kingdom

2023-10-17 14:21:55

Tombs dug into the rock filled with anthropoid stone sarcophagi and decorated wooden coffins, mummy masks, more than 25,000 ‘ushebtis’ figurines, canopic jars, amulets and even an extraordinarily well-preserved papyrus with text from the Book of the Dead… An Egyptian archaeological mission has discovered a large necropolis in the Egyptian province of Menia (or Minia) with tombs of priests and high officials of the New Kingdom (c. 1550 a. C. -1070 a. C.).

Among the hundreds of finds unearthed at the Al-Ghoreifa site, in Tuna Al-Gabal (Minya) and presented on Sunday by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, its secretary Mustafa Waziri highlighted the tomb of the overseer of the temple of AmunDjehutymes, of ‘Miss Jahuti’, supervisor of the bulls of the temple of Amun or of Lady ‘Nani’, singer of Djehuty.

It is the first time that a New Kingdom cemetery has been found in the fifteenth nome (region) of Upper Egypt, where necropolises from the Old Kingdom, the First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdom were known.

The Egyptian mission had been excavating the site since 2007, but the discovery of the cemetery took place in the latest season that began last August.

Archaeologists believe that part of the necropolis was reused in later times because they have unearthed a multitude of objects from the late period, such as ‘ushabtis’ figurines of various sizes and materials, alabaster, limestone and ceramic canopic vessels, thousands of amulets and numerous stone sarcophagi, with wooden coffins in the shape of a human, some engravings and colored ones, inside which they have found mummies in good condition.

Mustafa Waziri, during the press conference that revealed the discovery of the necropolis. Below, ushabtis and canopic jars discovered Ministry of Antiquities of Egypt

Also found in one of the burials was an engraved and painted wooden coffin of a woman called Ta-de-Isa or Tadiiset, daughter of ‘Eret Haru’, high priest of Djehuti in Hermopolis Magna. Next to it were two wooden boxes containing her canopic jars, as well as a complete set of ‘ushabti’ statues and one of Ptah Sokar, according to the statement from the Ministry of Antiquities.

Waziri also revealed the discovery of first complete papyrus found in the Al-Ghoraifa area, which is also in good condition. Between 13 and 15 meters long, it refers to the Book of the Dead and will be exhibited in the Grand Egyptian Museum.