Two
tombs of unidentified officials dated to Egypt’s New Kingdom era have been
opened at Luxor’s Draa Abul-Naglaa necropolis years after they were initially
discovered by German archaeologist Frederica Kampp in the 1990s. Written By / Nevine
El-Aref.
The
opening of the tombs was announced at an international conference attended by
the governor of Luxor, the minister of social solidarity, the director-general
of the International Monetary Fund, members of the international media, foreign
ambassadors, members of parliament, and Minister of Antiquities Khaled
El-Enany.
“It
is a very important discovery because both tombs contain very rich funerary
collections, and one of them has a very distinguished painted statue of a lady
in the Osirian shape,” El-Enany said, adding that 2017 has been a “year of
discoveries,” with this most recent discovery being the third Draa Abul-Naga
alone.
“It
seems that our ancient Egyptian ancestors are bestowing their blessing on
Egypt’s economy as these discoveries are good promotion for the country and its
tourism industry,” El-Enany told Ahram Online. Mostafa Waziri, the
secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and head of the
Egyptian excavation mission, explains that both tombs were given special
numbers by German archaeologist Frederica Kampp in the 1990s.
The
first tomb, named “Kampp 161,” was never excavated, while excavation work on
the second, “Kampp 150,” was undertaken by archaeologist Kampp short of
entering the tomb itself.
The
tombs had been left untouched until excavation started during the recent archaeological
season. Most of the items discovered in Kampala 161 are fragments of wooden
coffins. The most notable discoveries are a large wooden mask that was
originally a part of a coffin, a small painted wooden mask, a fragment of a
gilded wooden mask in poor condition, four legs of wooden chairs that were
among the deceased’s funerary equipment, as well as the lower part of a wooden
Osirian shaped coffin decorated with a scene of goddess Isis lifting up her
hands.
“The
owner of Kampp 150 is not yet known, but there are two possible candidates,”
Waziri told Ahram Online. He said that the first possibility is that the tomb
belongs to a person named Djehuty Mes, as this name is engraved on one of the
walls. The second possibility is that the owner could be the scribe “Maati,” as
his name and the name of his wife “Mehi” are inscribed on 50 funerary cones
found in the tomb’s rectangular chamber.
The
tomb has only one inscription on one of its northern pillars. It shows a scene
with a seated man offering food to four oxen, with the first kneeling in front
of the man, who is giving it herbs. The scene also depicts five people making
funerary furniture. The entrance of the long hall is inscribed with hieroglyphic
text with the name of “Djehuty Mes.” The ceiling of the chamber is inscribed
with hieroglyphic inscriptions and the cartouche of King Thutmose I.
The
objects uncovered inside include 100 funerary cones, painted wooden masks, a
collection of 450 statues carved in different materials such as clay, wood and
faience, and a small box in the shape of a wooden coffin with a lid. The box
was probably used for storing an Ushabti figurine 17 cm tall and 6 cm large.
Also
found was a collection of clay vessels of different shapes and sizes as well as
a mummy wrapped in linen with its hands on its chest in the Osirian form. Studies
suggest that the mummy, which was found inside the long chamber, could be of a
top official or another powerful person.
- More about tombs of Dra Abu El-Naga CLICK HERE
- All related posts about the city of Luxor CLICK HERE
