Intact 4,500-year-old tomb found at Abusir
Earth Times
Czech archeologists found an intact 4,500-year-old tomb chamber of an Egyptian dignitary in the Abusir Pyramids area, the Mlada Fronta Dnes daily reported Saturday. The Egyptologists discovered the bricked-up entrance to the four- by-two-metre chamber at the bottom of a 10-metre-deep shaft, the report said.
"And then you are standing at the door of a tomb (that was) not burglarized. One experiences feelings of Indiana Jones," the newspaper cited Egyptologist Miroslav Barta as saying.
The tomb chamber belonged to sacrificer Neferinpu who had lived and worked in the area's pyramids in the 24th Century BC, or during the Egyptian Old Kingdom era of pyramid-building, the archeologist said.
The Czech scientists, who have been working in the region since the 1970s, first discovered the tomb complex of Neferinpu's family in 2006.
They located and examined the sacrificer's burial chamber which contains his sarcophagus and scores of burial objects in November but did not make their find public until they had completed recording every detail.
There's a photograph on the iDNES.cz website. The accompanying article is in Czech, but has been translated by "PragueBob" on the Topix website:
The burial chamber, which belonged to the priest Neferinpu, was hidden at the bottom of a ten meter deep shaft and the entrance to it was walled-up. When the entrance to it was found, scientists slowly dismantled the wall and lowered themselves in. . . .
"A chamber of size roughly four by two meters was jammed with ancient artifacts. You musn't rub against anything, in order not to damage any discovery. Everything must be photographed, mapped, sketched and numbered."
It took three days, until November 12, at which point the scientists were able to open the lid of the sarcophagus. In it were lying the remains of the priest Neferínpu with decorations and jewelry. Afterwards they examined the remains and other objects, and only just now have made public the details of their unique discovery.
See the above pages for more.
- Secrets Of The Tomb Of Neferinpu
Czech Institute of Egyptology The Czech Institute website has been updated with a summary, including photographs, of the recently publicized discovery of an Old Kingdom tomb at Abusir. The story of the exploration of the mysterious tomb of priest Neferinpu,...
- More Re New Discovery At Abusir
National Geographic (Steve Stanek) Only recently, however, did a Czech team open the tomb's burial chamber, a tiny room about 33 feet (10 meters) below ground packed with offerings and personal effects that had remained undisturbed for nearly 4,500...
- More Re New Discovery At Abusir
Radio Praha Czech Egyptologists have long enjoyed an impressive reputation for their work in Abusir, Egypt, but even they admit one doesn’t make a find such as this one everyday: the uncovering of an intact tomb going back 24 centuries BC. The head...
- Profile Of Miroslav Barta
The Prague Post (Beth Potter) A profile of Czech archaeologist Miroslav Barta. Where Bárta once studied history books on his favorite monuments, he now writes the books and articles that propose new theories about things like the tools used by people...
- Czech Egyptologists In Egypt
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/78324"The Czech team is one of only a dozen which have been granted permanent status in Egypt. The Abusir excavation site has proved unexpectedly rewarding and Czech archaeologists there have big plans for the future. The...