Egypt's 3500-year-old royal tomb discovery: Unearthed in Luxor, could be one of Tuthmosis I's wives
12:09 PM EST, January 22, 2024
The Egyptian authorities have reported the discovery of this ancient tomb, estimated to be about 3,500 years old. It was found by Egyptian and British archaeologists on the western bank of the Nile, close to the famous Valley of the Kings, as per the report by Mostafa Waziri, the head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, quoted by AFP.
A significant discovery in Egypt
"The initial artifacts found within the tomb suggest that it originated from the Eighteenth Dynasty," said Waziri, referring to the time of pharaohs Akhenaten and Tutankhamun.
AFP notes that the reign of the Eighteenth Dynasty, which ruled during a period known as the New Kingdom, ended in 1292 BC and is deemed one of the most illustrious eras of ancient Egypt.
In more detail, Waziri explained that the unearthed tomb provides precious insight into the era when ancient Egypt was governed by Pharaoh Tuthmosis I - who ruled around 1520-1492 BC, about 200 years before the famed Tutankhamun.
The head of the British research mission, Piers Litherland of the University of Cambridge, speculated that it "could potentially be the resting place of one of the royal wives or princesses from the reign of Tuthmosis I, many of whom remain undiscovered to this day".
Mohsen Kamel, a government official in charge of the archaeological site where the find was made, stated that the excavated tomb was in poor condition due to ancient flooding. He elaborated that items, including inscriptions, were "destroyed during ancient floods which filled the burial chambers with sand and limestone sediments".
After discovering Tutankhamun's tomb, the Valley of the Kings creates sensation again.
Situated near Luxor in southern Egypt, the Valley of the Kings has been a burial site for approximately five hundred years since around 1540 BC. Most tombs there were looted in ancient times and finding intact burial chambers is rare.
This is why the discovery by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon in November 1922 of Tutankhamun's tomb, being the only unlooted pharaoh's tomb with its riches undisturbed, was a massive sensation. They discovered more than 5,000 objects from 3,300 years ago, with some made of gold.
