Whenever I hear news about a big ancient tomb being discovered, I imagine something akin to Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones.
The reality of the discovery is probably not quite as dangerous but when a discovery like this is made, it’s exciting nonetheless.
Cue a team of archaeologists discovering an ancient burial tomb of an ancient Egyptian goldsmith…
The incredible discovery was made at the Draa Abul Naga necropolis, near Luxor, Egypt.
Inside, the tomb contains a statue of the royal goldsmith and the remains of a woman and her two children, according to the BBC.
It’s thought the tomb dates back to the 16th-11th Centuries BC, which could make the tomb over 3,500 years old.
It’s thought the goldsmith is Amenemhat, but it’s unclear whether the three bodies are connected to Amenemhat.
The age of the woman at her death has been estimated at 50, according to tests, which would put her well above the average age for the time period.
The two children are thought to have died in their 20s and 30s.
Tests revealed the woman had a bacterial bone disease, despite her relative old age.
Minister for Antiquities, Khaled al-Anani said:
We found many objects of the funerary equipment inside and outside the tomb. We found mummies, coffins, funerary combs, funerary masks, some jewellery, and statue.
The work did not finish yet.
This discovery was made in an offshoot of the main chamber of the necropolis and will lead to further discoveries.
Al-Anani said the archaeologists have discovered four new names:
What about those four new names? How about their tombs? Their tombs are not discovered yet. But I believe they are owners of the tomb.
I believe, inshallah, for the coming season, we are going to do our evacuations. We are going to do our excavations in this area. So I firmly believe we can find one, or two or maybe four if we are going to be very lucky, four of them in this area.
It’s things like this which make you realise there are still things to discover in the world, and we’ll never be done learning about the past.
It’s absolutely fascinating.
