New Discoveries in Saqqara Rewrite Egypt's Ancient Past
New discoveries, including remarkable structures and artifacts, have been made in Egypt's iconic Saqqara archaeological site, a joint Egyptian-Japanese archaeological mission has announced.
The excavations, conducted on the eastern slope of Saqqara, south of Cairo, revealed ancient tombs, mastabas (a rectangular superstructure of ancient Egyptian tombs) and various precious artifacts dating back to the late Second and early Third Dynasties (around 2650 BC), alongside more than ten burials from the Eighteenth Dynasty of the New Kingdom (1550-1292 BC).
"This new evidence suggests that Saqqara was not only a major burial site during the Old Kingdom but also became significant during the New Kingdom, when Memphis was reinstated as Egypt's capital following the expulsion of Hypsos," said Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
He further stressed the significance of the findings, which he says, indicate the Saqqara necropolis extends further north than previously believed.
New finds shed more light in ancient Egypt's history
According to Mohamed Abdel-Badie, head of the Egyptian antiquities sector, archaeologists discovered two mud brick mastabas and two rock-cut tombs, one of which features a limestone-sealed shaft leading to a burial chamber.
Near the tombs, a number of artifacts were discovered, including an alabaster dish, a solid cylindrical vessel and a limestone sealing. All of them, according to archaeologists, provide further insight into burial practices and the material culture of the time.
Nozomu Kawai, the Japanese mission leader, said that during cleaning and excavation works in Greco-Roman catacombs that had been discovered in previous seasons, more precious findings were uncovered. They include mummified remains, terracotta models of funerary shrines, fragments of Isis and Aphrodite figurines and pottery shards.
"These findings reflect the rich and multi-layered history of Saqqara and underscore its importance as a burial site spanning multiple eras," Kawai said.
The team is expected to continue its work in the next excavation season, hoping to reveal even more valuable secrets of this iconic area.
Saqqara's necropolis keeps revealing new secrets
Archaeologists keep discovering new finds in the Saqqara necropolis. In one of the latest finds, in the spring of 2023, ancient mummification workshops and tombs had been discovered by archaeologists in the same area, according to the government.
Mostafa Waziri, the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, revealed that these workshops, where people and sacred animals were mummified, date back to the 30th Pharaonic dynasty, approximately 2,400 years ago, Al Jazeera reported.
The researchers came across stony beds used for the process of mummification. They also unearthed clay pots specifically designed to hold organs and other vessels utilized in sacred rituals, Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said.
The beds discovered in the ancient workshops had special gutters at the end to make the mummification process easier. Nearby, a group of clay pots was found to contain entrails and organs, along with various instruments and ritual vessels.
Preliminary investigations of one workshop indicate that it was primarily used for the mummification of sacred animals, according to Al Jazeera.
-- Sent from my Linux system.
No comments:
Post a Comment