archeology
Burial chamber from the time of Pharaoh Ramses II discovered
View of an intact burial chamber that is around 3,300 years old. photo
© -/Israeli Antiquities Authority/dpa
An old burial chamber was accidentally found during construction work in Israel. The chamber is believed to be around 3300 years old.
A 3,300-year-old intact burial chamber was accidentally discovered in Israel. An excavator found the stone-hewn complex from the time of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II during construction work in Palmachim on the Mediterranean Sea, the Israel Antiquities Authority said on Sunday.
Untouched grave goods
An archaeologist descended a ladder into the chamber and found dozens of untouched burial objects there. These include pottery, cooking pots, storage containers, arrowheads and spearheads.
The Israeli archaeologist Eli Jannai spoke of a “discovery that you only make once in a lifetime”. He felt “like he was on the set of an Indiana Jones film”. The burial chamber had been untouched for more than three millennia. Therefore, important information about the finds there can be obtained with modern scientific methods.
No DNA analysis possible
“The burial chamber can provide a complete picture of burial customs in the Late Bronze Age.” At the time, Canaan was part of the Egyptian empire. Jannai told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the chamber apparently served as a family tomb. The bodies buried there are not well preserved, so DNA analyzes are not possible. However, one can assume that they were local coastal residents.
Shortly after the discovery of the intact burial chamber, several artifacts were stolen, according to the Antiquities Authority. In the meantime, it has been sealed again and investigations into the robbery are ongoing.