Egypt

Ancient royal burial ground found in Egypt: report

ABC Science

Archaeologists have uncovered ancient wooden coffins in what appears to be a royal burial ground near the necropolis of Abydos in southern Egypt, the state-run MENA news agency reported overnight.

The agency said that the discovery, made by a team from the Supreme Council of Egyptian Antiquities, could be dated back to the Old Kingdom (3,000 BC) - the golden age of pyramid building in ancient times.

The team "has found what could be a royal complex of 13 tombs of different shapes and sizes that could have belonged to high officials from that period or people who contributed to building these tombs," MENA said.

The agency said that human bones were found inside the coffins, although it did not specify how many coffins were discovered.

Objects made out of ivory similar to pieces used for playing chess were also found.

MENA said only one other similar board game has been found in Egypt and that was among the fabled treasures of the legendary boy king Tutankhamun.

The discovery of Tutankhamun's intact tomb by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922 near Luxor in southern Egypt caused an international sensation because of the value and quality of its contents.

- In The Field: More Re Saqqara Discoveries
BBC News (Yolande Knell) With photo Archaeologists in Egypt have said they have discovered the largest known tomb in the ancient necropolis of Sakkara, to the south of Cairo. The tomb dates back 2,500 years to the 26th Dynasty and contains important artefacts,...

- Wooden Coffins And Ushabti Figurines Found In Dahshur
drhawass.com Press Release Four anthropoid wooden coffins, three wooden canopic jars, and four ushabti boxes have been unearthed inside an unidentified burial shaft located in the northern area of the Ramesside tomb of Ta in the Dahshur Necropolis, south...

- Japanese Mission Finds Wooden Sarcophagi
drhawass.com With photographs. Four anthropoid wooden coffins, three wooden canopic jars, and four ushabti boxes have been unearthed inside an unidentified burial shaft located in the northern area of the Ramesside tomb of Ta in the Dahshur Necropolis,...

- Granite Sarcophagus Of Senusret Ii Found (?)
Talking Pyramids (Vincent Brown) On the above blog Vincent says that he's not sure what to make of this news release because Petrie examined the sarcophagus of Senusret II in detail in 1889. The news source was MENA. I've checked up on other sources...

- More Re Previously Unrecorded Part Of Tutankhamun Treasures
Egypt State Information Service An Egyptian archaeological mission managed to find a previously undiscovered part of Tutankhamun treasures. The new discovered part was left by Howard Carter who discovered Tutankhamun tomb near the burial chamber at...

Egypt