Archaeologists unearth five ancient tombs on Luxor's west bank
Collection of tombs from Egypt's turbulent Third Intermediate Period are found in King Amenhotep II's funerary complex by Italian archaeological mission
Nevine El-Aref , Thursday 10 Jan 2013
The Apis tombs at Saqqara Necropolis back on Egypt's tourist map
An Italian archaeological mission has accidently uncovered a collection of five private rock-hewn Third Intermediate Period tombs while brushing sand from parts of King Amenhotep II’s temple, located on the northern side of the Serapaeum on Luxor's west bank.
Each tomb includes a deep shaft leading to a burial chamber containing a wooden painted sarcophagus. The sarcophagi are decorated with funerary and religious scenes painted in black and red and house skeletons of the deceased.
Mansour Boreik, supervisor of Luxor antiquities, said that 12 very well preserved mud brick and sandstone Canopic jars were also unearthed. These jars, explained Boreik, were used by ancient Egyptians to store and preserve the deceased's bodily organs for use in the afterlife.
They are medium-sized containers covered with lids depicting the heads of the four sons of Horus: Imsety, with a human head to protect the liver; Hapi, with a baboon head for the lungs; Duamutef, with a jackal head for the stomach; and Qebehsenuef, with a falcon head for the Intestines.
The jars are now housed in the area storehouse for restoration and study.
"It's a very important discovery that highlights the importance of King Amenhotep II's temple years after the pharaoh's death," said Minister of State for Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim. He told Ahram Online that King Amenhotep II also had a tomb in the Valley of the Kings that housed a collection of royal mummies discovered in 1882.
King Amenhotep II was the seventh pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty. He inherited a vast kingdom following the death of his father, Thutmose III, and held it by means of several military campaigns in Syria. His reign witnessed the end of hostilities between Egypt and Mitanni, the two major kingdoms struggling for power in Syria.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent ... Luxor.aspx
Apparently the location is between the Ramasseum Rest House and the Ramasseum.
Archaeologists unearth five ancient tombs on Luxor's WB
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- Winged Isis
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Re: ]Archaeologists unearth five ancient tombs on Luxor's WB
Serapeum, Apis bulls at Saqqara, Luxors West Bank? I have had a long day with lots of agro so maybe its me thats confused, but ................
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Re: Archaeologists unearth five ancient tombs on Luxor's WB
Sorry, missed deleting that reference to other recent news!
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Re: Archaeologists unearth five ancient tombs on Luxor's WB
I thought it was me getting confused in my old age.
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Re: Archaeologists unearth five ancient tombs on Luxor's WB
Noooo, that would be me, hence the error!
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Re: Archaeologists unearth five ancient tombs on Luxor's WB
That's what I find so exciting about Egypt, what has been found and what is still to be found.
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Re: Archaeologists unearth five ancient tombs on Luxor's WB
I'm not by any stretch and archeologist and maybe I'm not remembering this right or correctly but I think I read/heard once that part of what archeologist do is leave areas uncovered so that those in the future with more advanced technologies can unearth or explore there.
Egypt would be any discoverers dream and when discoveries are made they can be huge. Am sure the search and the adrenaline of the hunt keeps some going.
Egypt would be any discoverers dream and when discoveries are made they can be huge. Am sure the search and the adrenaline of the hunt keeps some going.
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Re: Archaeologists unearth five ancient tombs on Luxor's WB
I once saw an estimate that around 70% still lay undiscovered under the sand, but I reckon the future will be with the use of satelite imagery and Geophysics to locate and map the whole country then do more selective excavations that have relevance to current work.
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