A 4,400-year-old tomb that was lost 160 years ago has been rediscovered in Egypt.
Miscellaneous / / October 05, 2023
A mummified fish was found inside - this is the first known case in history.
Team of Czech archaeologists discovered a lost tomb in the area between the pyramids of Abusir and Saqqara in Egypt. It belonged to a high-ranking official named Ptahsheps, who lived about 4,400 years ago. His mummified remains remained inside.
It was a difficult search that lasted several years. It was possible to find the tomb again with the help of detailed satellite images of the area and the study of old maps.
Miroslav Barta
Archaeologist from the Czech Institute of Egyptology
It was first discovered by the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette almost 160 years ago. Then he discovered a huge false door - a symbolic opening that the Egyptians believed was used by the dead to enter and exit. Then the burial “disappeared” under the sands that covered it.
The necropolis, 42 meters long and 22 meters wide, contained many artifacts, including pottery, remains of offerings and canopic jars in which the Egyptians stored organs removed during mummification. Interestingly, the tomb also contained a mummy of a fish - this is the first known case in history.
Inside the burial chamber, a huge limestone stone and a half-open sarcophagus with human remains were discovered. The analysis showed that he was a man about 65 years old.
Above the tomb is a well-preserved chapel with painted decorations at the entrance, two serdabs for statues of the owner and a long corridor.
Ptahsheps was the first official of non-royal origin known in Egyptian history who was allowed to marry the daughter of the pharaoh. Thanks to this, he became related to the founder of the Fifth Dynasty, Userkaf, who ruled approximately 2494-2487 BC.
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