archeology
New discovery sheds light on Ancient Egypt
The southern wall of the burial chamber and the lid of the Djehutiemhet sarcophagus: Czech researchers have discovered a richly decorated tomb. photo
© Petr Kosarek/Czech Institute of Egyptology/Charles University/dpa
How did people live in the 5th to 6th centuries BC? A decorated grave provides a little more information.
Czech researchers in Abusir, Egypt, not far from An ornate grave of a dignitary was discovered in Cairo. This was announced by Charles University in Prague.
Egyptology professor Ladislav Bares explained that the shaft grave belonged to a royal scribe, a certain Djehutiemhet. This new find helps shed light on the turbulent period of the 5th to 6th centuries BC in Ancient Egypt.
The findings
According to the information, the main shaft leads to a limestone burial chamber more than three meters long at a depth of around 14 meters. The walls have inscriptions, including religious sayings against snake bites from the Pyramid Texts. A stone sarcophagus is decorated with hieroglyphic texts from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, supplemented by depictions of the deities Isis and Nephthys.
The scientists assume that grave robbers plundered the chamber a long time ago. Examinations of the remaining skeletal remains by Egyptian experts have shown that Djehutiemhet died at the young age of only around 25 years.
He had a sedentary job and suffered from severe bone loss. Charles University in Prague has been excavating the Abusir pyramid field for more than 40 years. The site has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.