Hidden Chamber Found in Ransacked Egyptian Tomb
Something new has been discovered in an ancient Egyptian tomb. A hidden chamber set into the rock wall has been uncovered, seemingly entirely by accident.
The burial chamber was found during cleaning work on the tomb, undertaken by a joint team from Sohag University and the Free University of Berlin, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. And inside the chamber, some 50 meters deep into the tomb, were two coffins.
The coffins, nested one inside the other, are said to be for the lady Edi, daughter of a prominent Egyptian official named Djefaihapi, for whom the wider tomb was built. Djefaihapi was the governor of the Egyptian Asyut region during the Egyptian 12th Dynasty, and it is in the Asyut Necropolis that the tomb can be found.
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The 12 th dynasty, which lasted for two centuries from 1991 to 1802 BC, is considered to be the greatest of the dynasties of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom, a period of relative unity and peace. Djefaihapi served the Pharaoh Senusret I, as reported by Archaeology News.
Senusret was one of the longest reigning pharaohs of the 12th dynasty, reigning from 1961 to 1915 BC. This makes the chamber some 3,900 years old.
Sadly this is not the first time the tomb has been opened, however. Grave robbers have already looted the chamber for its treasures, scattering Edi’s remains and smashing the canopic jars containing her organs.
However much remains that is of value, not least the two magnificent coffins adorned with texts which tell of the ancient Egyptian journey to the afterlife. Edi’s bones and the remains of the canopic jars, along with the coffins themselves, will be removed for further study.
Header Image: The coffins of Edi, found in the hidden burial chamber. Source: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
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