The Egyptian-German-Austrian archaeological mission working in the tomb of Queen Merneith of the First Dynasty in the Umm El Qaʻāb necropolis of the Early Dynastic Period kings at Abydos, Sohag, has unearthed hundreds of closed jars that had never been opened, in addition to a set of funerary furniture.
Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziry said that the jars are large in size and in a good condition of preservation.
“There are remains of the wine found inside them that are about 5,000 years old,” he said.
Dietrich Rau, Director of the German Archaeological Institute, said that the excavation work in the cemetery also unveiled new historical information about the queen’s life and the period of her reign.
“Studying the inscriptions inside the tomb showed that the queen had a great position as she was responsible for the central government offices,” he said.
“The mission is continuing its work in an attempt to uncover more secrets of the history and identity of this queen.”
Christiana Köhler, head of the mission, said that studies conducted on the tomb indicated that it was built of raw bricks, clay, and wood planks.
“The queen may be the only woman from the First Dynasty for whom a royal tomb has been discovered in Abydos so far,” she said.
Next to her tomb, she added, there are 41 tombs for her courtiers and servants, which indicates that these tombs were built during different periods.
