On the banks of the Nile opposite the city of Luxor lies one of the largest necropolises in ancient Egypt. During excavations in one of the already known tombs near Qrna, archaeologists have now discovered a rock chamber in which 22 painted wooden sarcophagi including mummies from the Third Intermediate Period, around 3,000 to 2,600 years ago, were stacked. The identity of the dead is still unclear. However, some of the sarcophagi bear the job title “Singer of Amun”.
The Third Intermediate Period was a period of gradual decline for Egypt. With the end of the reign of Ramses XI. Around 1070 BC the New Kingdom and the reign of the Ramessides ended. The country had broken up into several kingdoms, and rulers of Libyan origin came to power in the Nile Delta and Lower Egypt. In Thebes, the seat of government of the Upper Egyptian kingdom, Amun’s high priests also gained more and more power. The Third Intermediate Period ended when the Assyrians under their ruler Ashurbanipal advanced across Nubia to Thebes and devastated the royal city. Until then, however, the large necropolis of Thebes on the western bank of the Nile continued to be used for the burial of high-ranking dead.
Rock chamber with 22 sarcophagi
Archaeologists from the Egyptian Antiquities Authority and the Zahi Hawass Foundation have now discovered the hiding place of 22 sarcophagi from the Third Intermediate Period in this necropolis. The team led by Zahi Hawass made the discovery during excavations in the area of the already known tomb of Djeserkaraseneb from the 14th century BC, a court official under Thutmose IV. In the southwest corner of the courtyard of this tomb, the archaeologists came across a rectangular chamber dug into the rock.
In this chamber, 22 richly painted wooden sarcophagi stood in neat rows next to each other and stacked on top of each other: “The ancient Egyptians made optimal use of the space in the chamber by placing the sarcophagi in ten horizontal rows and stacking the lids separately from the coffins,” reports the antiquities authority. The wood of the coffins is already badly damaged, so immediate conservation measures were necessary. Nevertheless, the painting on the plaster covering of the sarcophagi is still clearly visible. According to dating, these sarcophagi date from the 21st to 25th dynasties and thus from the Third Intermediate Period.
Mummies of Amun singers?
The special thing, however, is that the sarcophagi are not empty, but still contain mummies. Apparently these dead and their coffins were removed from their original graves and kept in this hiding place – possibly to protect them from grave robbers. Archaeologists are currently trying to identify the exact origins of the sarcophagi and their original resting places. According to Zahi Hawass, the discovery of these sarcophagi and mummies is extraordinary. “It reveals new secrets from the Third Intermediate Period and gives us more information about this period,” said the archaeologist.
However, it is still unclear who the dead were because the sarcophagi do not bear any personal names. However, there are job titles on the coffins: “The most common title is that of ‘Singer of Amun’,” reports Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Accordingly, these dead people could belong to a group of singers who were used in ceremonies in the Amun temple. The team is still in the process of evaluating the paintings and inscriptions on the sarcophagi. They hope to get more clues about the identity of the dead.
Clay vessels and eight papyrus scrolls
In addition to the sarcophagi and mummies, the rock chamber also contained several clay vessels that were probably used to store mummification ingredients. In a particularly large clay vessel, the archaeologists also discovered eight papyrus scrolls, some of which still bear the original clay seal with which they were sealed. However, the closer analysis of these scrolls and their contents will take some time: “These papyri are a treasure trove of information, the contents of which can only be revealed after the preparation and restoration has been completed,” said the Egyptian Antiquities Authority.
Source: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities