After the tomb of Thutmosis II around a month ago, archaeologists have now discovered an Egyptian royal grave. When excavations in Abydos’s necropolis, they came across a large but empty underground burial chamber from the period 3600 to 3700 years ago. Inscriptions at the entrance and the construction of the chamber suggest that a pharaoh was once buried there. Which, however, is unknown, since the hieroglyphs are damaged with his name and grave robbers have looted the contents of the burial chamber.
The dead town of Abydos, around 160 kilometers north of Luxor, was once one of the most important necropolises in ancient Egypt. The huge area on the western banks of the Nilen were an important place of worship with large temple complexes consecrated to the god Osiri and a coveted burial place for high -ranking Egyptians. Therefore, in addition to temples, pyramids and some royal graves, there are also many cemeteries with smaller graves and steles in the necropolis of Abydos.
Grave chamber from the second meantime
In the southern part of the necropolis of Abydos, archaeologists have now discovered another pharaoh grave. The team under the direction of Josef Wegner from the University of Pennsylvania had carried out explorations in this area because the grave of Pharaoh Senebkay was found nearby in 2014. This lived during the second in the meantime 3650 to 3550 years ago, a era of Egypt characterized by political crises and foreign rule. At that time there were members of the Hyksos, a people from the east of the Levante, for a good 100 years. Wegner and his team suspected that there may be other graves from this era in the vicinity of the grave that has already been discovered.
In fact, the archaeologists found what they were looking for: at a depth of around seven meters, they came across the access to a large burial chamber carved into the limestone. Your inside is lined with brick arches made of clay bricks and around five meters high. “Remains of inscriptions can be recognized on both sides of the entrance to the burial chamber,” reports Wegner. They bear the names of the goddesses Isis and Nephty – the latter was the twin sister of ISIS, according to Egyptian mythology, and was considered a goddess of dead. The style of the inscriptions are similar to those in the Senebkay grave, according to the archaeologists. According to dates, the newly discovered also dates from the second in the meantime 3600 to 3700 years ago.
Identity of the pharaoh still unknown
The decisive reference to the rank of the person once buried in this grave delivered yellow hieroglyphic ligaments at the grave chamber entrance, who normally bear the name of the king buried in the grave. “However, these hieroglyphic texts were damaged by ancient grave robbers,” says Wegner. “It is therefore not enough of you to reveal the name of the Pharaoh.” The originally existing grave goods, the sarcophagus and other grave content also fell victim to the looting. Which Egyptian king was buried in this grave remains unknown for the time being.
However, the archaeologists assume that it could have been a significant pharaoh of the second in the meantime. Because the burial chamber is significantly larger than that of the so far known in Abydos royal graves of the time, as Mohamed Abdel Bade explains from the Egyptian ancient authority. According to him, the age and size of the royal grave could indicate that it must have heard one of the predecessors of Pharaoh Senebkay. The unknown Pharaoh could therefore also have belonged to the so-called Abydos dynasty-a royal dynasty that is said to have prevailed at the same time as Hyksos about the southern part of Egypt, but whose reign is controversial.
Source: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities