4,300-year-old tomb of palace official found in Egypt. See its ‘wonderful’ decoration

Aspen Pflughoeft
·2 min read
32

A gentle wind blew the sand around the base of some pyramids in Egypt. The ancient structures dominated the landscape and likely drew attention away from an intricately decorated tomb nearby.

Not anymore.

Archaeologists were excavating an ancient cemetery at the Dahshūr archaeological site when they unearthed the long-forgotten tomb, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a March 21 Facebook post.

The 4,300-year-old tomb was built of mud bricks and partially buried in the sandy soil, archaeologists said and a photo shows.

The ancient grave was decorated with “wonderful inscriptions and scenes,” according to a news release from Egypt’s State Information Service.

Some of the decorations on the 4,300-year-old tomb found in Dahshūr.
Some of the decorations on the 4,300-year-old tomb found in Dahshūr.

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Some inscriptions showed a glimpse of daily life such as people threshing grain, markets, ships sailing along the Nile River and offerings being presented, archaeologists said.

Photos show a few of these colorfully depicted scenes. In one scene, several people appear to herd a group of donkeys. Another shows several people in a procession carrying a bird and other objects, possibly offerings.

Based on the tomb’s inscriptions, archaeologists identified the its owner as a man named Seneb-Neb-Af and his wife, Idet, Egypt’s State Information Service reported. Seneb-Neb-Af was a palace official in charge of the “administration of tenants,” and Idet was the “Priestess of Hathor and Lady of the Sycamore.”

Archaeologists said the tomb dates to around 2300 B.C. or slightly earlier.

Another decoration from the 4,300-year-old tomb found in Dahshūr.
Another decoration from the 4,300-year-old tomb found in Dahshūr.

The Dahshūr archaeological site is in Dahshūr and about 25 miles south of Cairo. The area is part of the ancient Memphis UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to Britannica, and has five pyramids built between 2575 B.C. and 1756 B.C.

Google Translate and Facebook Translate were used to translate the Facebook post from Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

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