The Egyptian antiquities authority has published a discovery of at least 100 ancient coffins, some with mummies still inside, and about 40 intricate statues in a huge Pharaonic necropolis south of Cairo.
Sealed sarcophagi and statues that were laid to rest more than 2,500 years ago were presented in a makeshift display at the feet of the famed Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara. Archaeologists opened one coffin, with a well-preserved mummy encased and bound in cloth.
What Is The Mystery Woman's Name?
Coffins typically had similar features to the owner but were idealized because they would look like for eternity. The mystery woman was wearing the Hathor wig that was common throughout the Middle Kingdom and was worn only by women. What’s significant about this case is that we know it belonged to a princess because it reads ‘daughter of the king,’ with her name following.
But her name has the most damage to it, which is very frustrating for the experts. Ancient Egyptians held firmly to the notion that the worst thing you could do to someone was to erase their name.
A Special Crown
This specific kind of design is particular to a king; it’s not what we would expect a lower royal family member to be in. Usually, a princess would only have a shaft tomb with a chamber at its base, making this entire discovery such a cryptic puzzle.
They also found other relics from the same era, including the crown of a Princess from Dahshur, made out of gold and decorated with semiprecious stones. The newly uncovered tomb believably contained materials very similar to this, many precious metals like gold, which was probably stolen a long time ago.
The Latest Findings
Khaled el-Anany, the tourism and antiquities minister, said in a news interview that the objects date back to the Ptolemaic dynasty that ruled Egypt for 300 years from about 320 BC to about 30 BC.
He clarified that they would move the artifacts to at least three museums in Cairo, including the Grand Egyptian Museum, which Egypt is building near the famed Giza Pyramids. This acquisition at the renowned site is the latest in a range of archaeological findings in Egypt.
Still More to Discover
With all these spectacular discoveries, there is still more to unearth, but urban development and sprawl threaten this cultural heritage. By no means has everything been explored and excavated around the Pyramids and its surroundings. The same is true of the great catacombs and tombs like the one in Saqqara.
For over 3,000 years, it was the main cemetery of the Egyptian capital, Memphis. If we were to look at old maps from the early 19th century, we could see that there are many sites to be excavated; archaeologists just haven’t gotten around to it until now.