Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a Pharaonic tomb near Cairo that may contain the oldest and “most complete” mummy ever discovered in the country.
The 4,300-year-old mummy was discovered at the bottom of a 15-metre (49-foot) shaft in a recently discovered group of tombs dating back to the fifth and sixth dynasties of the Old Kingdom near the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, according to Zahi Hawass, the team’s director.
The mummy of a man named Hekashepes had a “gold-leaf covering” and was in a mortar-sealed limestone sarcophagus.
“I put my head inside to see what was inside the sarcophagus: a beautiful mummy of a man completely covered in layers of gold,” Hawass said.
“This mummy may be the oldest and most complete mummy found in Egypt to date.”
Among the tombs discovered was that of Khnumdjedef, an inspector of officials, supervisor of nobles, and priest during the reign of Unas, the fifth dynasty’s final pharaoh. It was adorned with scenes from everyday life.
Another tomb belonged to Meri – “keeper of the secrets and assistant to the great leader of the palace”.
The priestly title of “secret keepe” was held by a senior palace official bestowing the power and authority to perform special religious rituals.
In the pyramid complex of Pharaoh Pepi I, a priest had a third tomb, and a judge and writer named Fetek had a fourth, according to Hawass.
According to Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities head Mostafa Waziri, Fetek’s tomb contained a collection of “the largest statues” ever discovered in the region.
There were many statues discovered among the tombs, one of which was a statue of a man, his wife, and several servants.
Source: Aljazeera News