The royal tomb of a mystery pharoah has been unearthed in Egypt, around 3,600 years after he is thought to have ruled one of the country’s oldest cities. The mystery leader’s tomb was discovered by archaeologists seven metres below ground level at the ancient Mount Anubis necropolis in Abydos, one of Egypt’s oldest cities which dates back over five millennia. It was found by an Egyptian-American team from the University of Pennsylvania – and could contribute to the scientific understanding of the Abydos Dynasty, a series of kings thought to have ruled Upper Egypt between 1700 and 1600BC.
Professor Mohamed Abdel Badie, head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities said studies of the new tomb concluded that it belonged to an unknown ruler preceding King Senebkay, whose burial site was discovered in the same area in 2014. The mystery around who the new tomb belonged to was only made more compelling by its size, he added – which, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, is « much larger » than others associated with the dynasty.
The limestone burial chamber, covered with mudbrick vaults, spans around five metres with walls adorned by the remnants of hieroglyphic inscriptions including for the goddesses Isis and Nephthys and the faded, indecipherable vestigates of yellow bands that once bore the pharoah’s name.
While the identity of the tomb’s primary occupant remains tantilisingly out of reach, the discovery could still help to inform modern understandings of the Abydos Dynasty – the existence of which is still debated among historians. The dynasty is thought to have ruled Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, between the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom periods.
They are supposed to have governed Upper Egypt during a period of political instability and foreign invasions, though minimal historical records have cast doubt over whether they actually existed at all. The discovery of two pharoah tombs dating back to the period are sure to strengthen the argument in the dynasty’s favour, however – perhaps even beyond reasonable doubt.
The recent excavation came just weeks after archaeologists also uncovered the royal burial site of King Thutmose II – who ruled during the 18th dynasty – marking the first time a pharoah’s tomb had been uncovered on a British-led dig since Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered over 100 years ago.
It was found at the Theban Necropolis near the southern Egyptian city of Luxor, although the king’s mummy was recovered at a nearby site back in the 19th century after likely being snatched by tomb raiders.
Sherif Fathy, Egypt’s minister of tourism and antiquities, described the find as an « extraordinary moment for Egytopology and the broader understanding of our shared human story. »
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