Egyptian archaeologists led by Dr. Zahi Hawass, chief of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, have unearthed the largest tomb yet discovered at the Ras El Mudir area at Saqqara, near the entrance point of the archaeological site.
Simply cut into limestone, the burial, which dates to the 26th Dynasty (664 -525 B.C.), extends from a large rock-hewn hall into a number of corridors and small rooms.
One of two tombs found, which were carved out of stone, consists of a vast chamber that branches off into many alcoves. One alcove contained skeletons, pottery, coffins and eagle mummies, and led to another chamber with a seven-metre-deep (23-foot) well.
"This is the largest tomb in Saqqara," Hawass told AFP. "It took me two hours to look round all of it."
At the northern end of the tomb, Hawass said archaeologists found another alcove that contained mummified falcons - symbols of the sky god Horus - and well-preserved pottery.
However, he said the tomb did appear to have been looted. Pottery was found in the other, much smaller, tomb.
The 2,500-year-old tomb had been opened several times during its history. Most likely, it was robbed at the end of the Roman period.
"This discovery... confirms that the Saqqara area still contains undiscovered secrets," Hawass said.
Via - AFP
Photos: courtesy of Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA)
Categories:
Archaeology
0 comments:
Post a Comment