The largest necropolis in Egypt was at Saqqara, serving the ancient capital Memphis with its 16 pyramids of kings and queens and its UNESCO World Heritage listing.
The oldest stone building in history, the Step Pyramid of Djoser, is among its attractions along with the Serapeum, the ancient Egyptian burial ground for sacred bulls of the Apis cult with its 26 sarcophagi each weighing 100 tonnes.
On May 27, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced that an Egyptian mission led by Supreme Council of Antiquities Secretary General Mostafa Waziry had unearthed two largest embalming workshops for humans and animals, two ancient Egyptian tombs and other artefacts at the Bubasteion necropolis of the sacred animals in Saqqara.
The workshops date back to the 30th Dynasty and the Ptolemaic periods. The two tombs belong to the Old and New Kingdoms.
The findings caught the attention of international media such as The Washington Post and France24. Over 30 foreign ambassadors attended to commemorate the discovery event.
Egyptologist Magdy Shaker said this latest discovery shows that Saqqara has not revealed all its secrets.
“The recent discovery is not the last. There are more artefacts that are awaiting discovery,” Shaker said.
Shaker told the Egyptian Mail that the new finds shed light on mummification, which is an important aspect of ancient Egyptian civilisation.
“They reveal materials the ancient Egyptians used in mummification such as black resin, natron and linen to wrap the remains,” Shaker added.
The discovery of one workshop for humans and another for animals is important in revealing how ancient Egyptians were keen on mummifying animals.
He added that another important discovery was the batch of clay pots with petrified goat cheese, dating back to 600 BC.
“This shows that cheese was the fast food of ancient times,” he said.
The Egyptian mission uncovered two tombs, the first of a person named ‘Ne Hesut Ba’ (2400 BC), an official of the Fifth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom (c. 2400 BC), who held many religious and administrative offices, including priest of the Horus and Maat, and supervisor of irrigation canal digging.
The walls of this tomb are decorated with scenes of everyday life, such as forestry, agriculture and fishing.
The second tomb belongs to a person, named Menkheperre, from the New Kingdom’s 18th Dynasty (1400 BC). He was a priest of the goddess Qadesh, known as the ‘Lady of the Stars of Heaven’ and the ‘Beloved of Ptah’. The tomb is decorated with scenes of the deceased in different positions before offering tables.
Inside the tomb is a niche containing a one-metre-high alabaster statue of the tomb’s owner. He is seated, wearing a wig and holding the lotus flower in his left hand on his chest.
“It is rare to see a statue of a man holding a lotus flower,” Shaker said.
“We need more studies to reveal the secret behind the lotus. We know very well that ancient Egyptians used it for religious purposes, but I believe there are more reasons to use this flower. We need to study it well.”
The Egyptian archaeological mission began its work at the site of Saqqara’s Bubasteion necropolis in 2018. It uncovered a unique tomb of a priest, ‘Wahtye’ of the Fifth Dynasty. In addition are seven rock tombs — three from the New Kingdom, four from the Old Kingdom, and a cemetery facade from the Old Kingdom.
In 2019, a cache of sacred animals was revealed, which contained more than a thousand faience amulets, dozens of wooden cat statues, cat mummies, wooden statues, and mummies of various animals.
In 2020, the mission succeeded in uncovering more than 100 closed wooden coffins from the Late Period of ancient Egypt inside burial wells, 40 statues of the Saqqara necropolis god Ptah-Soker with gilded parts, and 20 wooden boxes of the god Horus. This discovery has been classified as one of the ten most important archaeological discoveries of 2020, and the most eye-catching, according to the American Archeology magazine.
During the mission’s excavation season last year (September to May), it uncovered the first and largest cache of bronze statues in the Bubasteion, containing 150 bronze statues of ancient Egyptian gods, in addition to 250 closed coloured wooden coffins containing mummies.
During the press conference of the new discovery, Waziry said the mission is scheduled to complete its work at the site during the upcoming excavation seasons this September, to uncover more hidden artefacts.
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