The
tomb was discovered along with a number of others by an Egyptian archaeological
mission led by Mostafa Waziri. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.
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A handout picture released by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on
September 9, 2017 AFP
|
In
a gala ceremony held in Draa Abul-Naga necropolis on Luxor's West Bank on
Saturday, Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany announced the discovery of an
18th Dynasty tomb of god Amun-Re’s goldsmith, Amenemhat (Kampp 390), and a
Middle Kingdom burial shaft for a family. Luxor Governor Mohamed Badr attended
the ceremony as well as members of parliament, the Greek and Cypriot
ambassadors to Egypt, as well as China's cultural attaché and the Swiss head of
mission.
The
discovery was made by an Egyptian archaeological mission led by Mostafa Waziri.
The newly discovered tomb includes an entrance located in the courtyard of
another Middle Kingdom tomb, Kampp 150.
The entrance leads to a squared chamber
where a niche with a duo statue depicting the tomb owner and his wife is found
on one end. The statue shows Amenemhat sitting on a high backed chair beside
his wife who wears a long dress and wig.
Between
their legs stands, on a smaller scale, a small figure of one of their sons.
Waziri told Ahram Online that the tomb has two burial shafts: the main one for
the tomb’s owner and his wife. It is seven metres deep and has a collection of
mummies, sarcophagi and funerary masks carved in wood along with a collection
of ushabti figurines.
The second shaft was uncovered to the left of the tomb’s
main chamber and bears a collection of 21st and 22nd dynasty sarcophagi subject
to deterioration during the Late Period.
In
the open courtyard, the mission stumbled upon a collection of Middle Kingdom
burial shafts, where a family burial of a woman and her two children was
unearthed. It includes of two wooden coffins with mummies and a collection of
head-rests.
Osteologist
Sherine Ahmed Shawqi, who studied the mummies’ bones, explains that early studies
on these mummies show that the woman died at the age of 50 and that during her
life she was suffering from cavities that led to abscesses in her jaw and a
bacterial disease in her bones. "This woman probably cried extensively as
the size of her carbuncular are abnormally enlarged," Shawqi said, adding
that inside the coffin the head-rest of the deceased woman was found as well as
a group of pottery vessels.
Studies
on the mummies of her two children show that they were two adult males of age
ranging between 20 to 30 years old. Both mummies are in a very good state of
conservation with the bones still having mummification liquids.
Waziri
asserted that one of the male mummies shows that he was suffering from cavities
during his life while the second shows that it was probably put later in the
same coffin because the bones were bare.
Archaeologist Mohamed Baabash, who is
a member of the excavation team, said that during excavations the mission
stumbled upon several funerary objects, some of which belong to the tomb owner.
Among
the discovered artifacts are limestone remains of an offering table; four
wooden sarcophagi partly damaged and decorated with hieroglyphic text and
scenes of different ancient Egyptian deities; and a sandstone duo statue of a
trader in King Tuthmose III’s temple named “Mah.”
A collection of 150 ushabti
figurines carved in faience, wood, burned clay, limestone and mud brick was
also unearthed. The mission also unearthed a collection of 50 funerary cones,
40 of which are evidence of the presence of other tombs belonging to four
officials.
The
exact location of the latter has not been yet found. These officials are Maati,
Bengy, Rourou and vizier Ptahmes. The other stamps belong to Neb-Amun, the
grain harvester and supervisor of Amun's grain storehouses, whose tomb is
probably TT145, and Nebsenu, the high priest of Amun whose tomb is probably
Kampp 143.
- More about tombs of Dra Abu El-Naga CLICK HERE
- All related posts about the city of Luxor CLICK HERE
