Egypt archaeology: Gold-covered mummy among latest discoveries

Archaeologists say they have found a gold leaf-covered mummy sealed inside a sarcophagus that had not been opened for 4,300 years. The mummy, the remains of a man named Hekashepes, is thought to be one of the oldest and most complete non-royal corpses ever found in Egypt. It was discovered down a 15m (50ft) shaft at a burial site south of Cairo, Saqqara, where three other tombs were found.

One tomb belonged to a “secret keeper”. The largest of the mummies that were unearthed at the ancient necropolis is said to belong to a man called Khnumdjedef - a priest, inspector and supervisor of nobles. Another belonged to a man called Meri, who was a senior palace official given the title of “secret keeper”, which allowed him to perform special religious rituals. A judge and writer named Fetek is thought to have been laid to rest in the other tomb, where a collection of what are thought to be the largest statues ever found in the area had been discovered.

Archaeologist Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s former antiquities minister, has said all the discoveries date from around the 25th to the 22nd centuries BC.

Saqqara was an active burial ground for more than 3,000 years and is a designated Unesco World Heritage Site. It sits at what was the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis and is home to more than a dozen pyramids - including the Step Pyramid, near where the shaft containing the mummy was found.

Thursday’s discovery comes just a day after experts in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor said they had discovered a complete residential city from the Roman era, dating back to the second and third centuries AD.

The government hopes its Grand Egyptian Museum, which is due to open this year following delays, will draw in 30 million tourists a year by 2028. But, critics have accused Egypt’s government of prioritising media-grabbing finds over hard academic research in order to attract more tourism.

Well, you can’t blame the government:

https://www.statista.com/topics/5767/tourism-industry-of-the-egypt/#:~:text=About%2090%20percent%20of%20the,of%202.16%20million%20in%202021.

The travel and tourism industry in Egypt is one of the country’s leading economic sectors, generating about 389 billion Egyptian pounds for the GDP in 2018. About 90 percent of the direct travel and tourism contribution to Egypt derives from leisure spending compared to 12 percent of business spending. The travel and tourism sector is also a major employer in the country with a workforce of 2.16 million in 2021.

The number of discoveries is increasing exponentially as new technology is increasingly utilised in the search under the sand … :palm_tree:

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Absolutely,
I was fortunate enough to visit Saqqara quite some time ago.
A desolate place now perhaps but it’s almost impossible to comprehend how it must have appeared when it was essentially a cemetery and no doubt visited by the families of the deceased.

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The Step Pyramid may have looked something like this:

image

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It really does defy imagination, regardless how it looks now the sight must have been truly awesome when it was faced with limestone gleaming in the sun, not to mention the surrounding complex.

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Quite … the buildings of Ancient Egypt were awe-inspiring … and colourful … Karnak:

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It’s a shame they have been disturbed.

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Howard Carter would be in his oil tot.
I actually knew some of his descendants many years ago.

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I love archaeology, this is a wonderful find .

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Had to google “oil tot”, thank you @brokenvows for introducing me to that great expression.

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How exciting is this discovery though!

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Yes Omah, I do believe that new technology is making it easier to pinpoint these gems. It’s truly amazing.

I’ve never been to Egypt but it’s on my list of places to visit. I love anything to do with ancient Egypt as I studied their art at school and fell in love with the hieroglyphics and architecture.

I just finished a documentary on Netflix that was quite interesting about the Secrets of the Saqqara tomb related to your article.Thrilling stuff.

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I watched that recently and it was, IIRC, a fascinating documentary about the discovery of the intact tomb of Wahtye from the 5th Dynasty … :+1:

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It is a Brummie expression Effluvia.
And you are very welcome.

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