Archaeologists find a 3,500-year-old “colourful” Egyptian cemetery
Researchers are excavating Meret-Neith's tomb in Abydos, Egypt, and suggest that her extravagance indicates she may have been ancient Egypt's first female pharaoh. Using Lidar, researchers found hidden warehouses in the Pyramid of Sahure. These rooms were hypothesized by an Egyptologist nearly 200 years ago, according to the U.S. Department… Researchers are excavating the tomb of Meret-Neith, an ancient Egyptian pharaoh known for her extravagant lifestyle, in a 3,500-year-old Egyptian cemetery found in Abydos, near Cairo. The site dates back to the New Kingdom, which lasted from 1550 to 1070 BC, and was used to bury elite members of Egyptian society, including high officials and priests. Researchers discovered hidden warehouses in the Pyramid of Sahure, which were discovered by an Egyptologist nearly 200 years ago. One of the coffins, covered in hieroglyphics and representations of Egyptian gods, belonged to the daughter of a priest and canopic jars containing human organs were found next to her sarcophagus. Thousands of amulets, objects believed to have certain magical powers, were also discovered in the cemetery. A scroll believed to refer to the Egyptian Book of the Dead was also discovered, used as a guide to the afterlife and spells that could be used during the journey.
Published : 2 years ago by Emma in Science
Researchers are excavating Meret-Neith’s tomb in Abydos, Egypt, and suggest that her extravagance indicates she may have been ancient Egypt’s first female pharaoh.
Using Lidar, researchers found hidden warehouses in the Pyramid of Sahure. These rooms were hypothesized by an Egyptologist nearly 200 years ago, according to the U.S. Department of Tourism and Antiquities.
The cemetery, found in Minya – a riverside town about 160 miles south of Cairo – dates to the New Kingdom, which lasted from 1550 to 1070 BC
It was used to bury elite members of Egyptian society, including high officials and priests. Several coffins adorned with stones and wood have been found, some of which were placed in rock-cut tombs.
One of the coffins, covered in hieroglyphics and representations of Egyptian gods, belonged to the daughter of a priest. Canopic jars, which contained human organs, were found next to her sarcophagus.
Numerous funerary figurines known as Ushabti statues have also been discovered. The figurines were left in the graves “to serve as [trabalhadores] in the afterlife to replace the deceased,” according to research from the University of Southern California. Thousands of amulets, objects believed to have certain magical powers, were also discovered in the cemetery.
Discovery of parchment and reference to the Book of the Dead
Additionally, archaeologists discovered a scroll; it is believed to refer to the Egyptian Book of the Dead. According to the British Museum, the book was used as a guide to the afterlife and included spells that could be used during the journey.
According to authorities, archaeologists from the Egyptian Archaeological Mission discovered the cemetery during an excavation in the region that began in August
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