Egyptian researchers have unearthed a Pharaonic tomb in the country’s capital, Cairo, which may house the country’s oldest and “most complete” mummy to date. The 4,300-year-old body was discovered at the bottom of a 15-metre (49-foot) shaft in a freshly discovered complex of tombs going back to the fifth and sixth dynasties of the Old Kingdom near the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, according to the director of the team, Zahi Hawass.
The mummy of a man named Hekashepes was encased in a limestone tomb that had been sealed with mortar and included a “gold-leaf coating.” Hawass stated, “I stuck my head inside the sarcophagus to examine what was within: a gorgeous mummy of a man entirely coated in layers of gold.” This may be the oldest and most complete mummy ever discovered in Egypt. Among the other graves discovered was that of Khnumdjedef, an inspector of officials, supervisor of nobles, and priest during the reign of Unas, the fifth dynasty’s last pharaoh. It was adorned with depictions of everyday life. Meri, “keeper of the secrets and aide to the supreme commander of the palace,” belonged to a second tomb.
The priestly title of “secret keeper” was held by a high-ranking royal official with the authority and capacity to execute specific religious ceremonies. Hawass adds that the third tomb in the pyramid complex of Pharaoh Pepi I belonged to a priest, and the fourth to a judge and scribe named Fetek. Mostafa Waziri, the president of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, stated that Fetek’s tomb included “the biggest sculptures” ever discovered in the area. Among the graves, several sculptures were discovered, including one depicting a man, his wife, and several servants. Memphis, the ancient Egyptian capital, is home to more than a dozen pyramids, animal burials, and ancient Coptic Christian monasteries, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
In a second revelation made earlier in the week, a group of experts from Cairo University found previously undisclosed information about a mummified adolescent dating back to about 300 BCE. By confirming the exquisite features of the amulets placed into the boy’s mummified body and the manner of his burial using CT scans, the team of experts provided new light on the boy’s elevated social position.
