CAIRO — On Wednesday, Egypt announced significant archaeological finds close to the well-known city of Luxor, featuring age-old rock-cut tombs and burial shafts that trace back approximately 3,600 years.
These discoveries were made along the causeway leading to Queen Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple at Deir al-Bahri situated on the western bank of the Nile. According to a press release from the Zahi Hawass Foundation for Antiquities & Heritage, a collaborative effort with the Supreme Council of Antiquities has taken place at this site since September 2022.
The excavations yielded various artifacts from the tombs, such as bronze coins depicting Alexander the Great, which date from the Ptolemaic era (367-283 B.C.). In addition, archaeologists uncovered clay toys, cartonnage, funerary masks originally covering mummies, winged scarabs, beads, and protective amulets.
Zahi Hawass, a prominent archaeologist, mentioned that these findings have the potential to “reconstruct history,” providing insights into the programs the ancient Egyptians developed within temples.
Additionally, researchers discovered remnants of Queen Hatshepsut’s Valley Temple, various rock-cut tombs from the Middle Kingdom (1938 B.C. – 1630 B.C.), burial shafts linked to the 17th dynasty, the tomb of Djehuti-Mes, and portions of the Assassif Ptolemaic Necropolis.
Though many of the rock-cut tombs had been previously looted during the Ptolemaic period and onwards, the Egyptian archaeological teams managed to find items such as pottery tables utilized for offering bread, wine, and meat during funerary rites.
Within the burial shafts, dating from 1580 B.C. to 1550 B.C., anthropoid wooden coffins were discovered, including one that belonged to a young child, miraculously preserved since its interment 3,600 years ago. Additionally, war archery bows were found in the burial chamber, hinting that the tomb’s occupants likely had military backgrounds and were involved in efforts to regain control of Egypt from the Hyksos.
While not many artifacts were retrieved from Djehuti Mes’s tomb, the structure itself sheds light on Djehuti Mes, who managed Queen Teti Sheri’s palace. An engraving on his funerary stela indicates that his tomb dates back to the ninth year of King Ahmose I’s rule (1550 B.C. – 1525 B.C.).
Researchers also uncovered sections of the larger Ptolemaic necropolis that once occupied the area of the causeway and Valley Temple. The tombs found within this cemetery were constructed from mud bricks positioned over the remnants of Queen Hatshepsut’s temple. Although much of the necropolis was previously excavated in the early 20th century, extensive documentation was lacking.
In the previous November, joint efforts from Egyptian and American archaeologists led to the unearthing of an ancient tomb with 11 sealed burials adjacent to Luxor. This tomb, dating back to the Middle Kingdom, was located within the South Asasif necropolis, situated near the Temple of Hatshepsut.
