‘Extraordinary’ burial chamber of an ancient Egyptian priestess is discovered after 4,000 years – as archaeologists uncover a coffin WITHIN another coffin
After almost 4,000 years, an ‘extraordinary’ burial chamber containing the remains of an ancient Egyptian priestess has been unearthed.
Idy, the daughter of a wealthy governor who lived around 1880 BC, was found in a coffin inside another coffin in a tomb in the city of Asyut, 200 miles south of Cairo.
They are described as ‘some of the most amazing coffins ever found’ and are covered with text and illustrations ‘detailing the deceased’s journey in the afterlife’.
After her death, Idy’s internal organs – her liver, spleen, lungs and intestines – were removed and placed in jars.
Idy’s body was then mummified – a process in which the body is preserved after death by deliberately drying or embalming the flesh.
Preliminary examination of her bones shows that she died before the age of forty from a congenital foot defect.
She was also found with grave goods, including a dagger and wooden figurines, which may have been intended for use in the afterlife.
Professor Jochem Kahl, an archaeologist at Freie Universität Berlin who led the discovery, called it “both aesthetically and scientifically extraordinary.”
Idy’s ‘beautifully decorated’ coffins are among the most impressive finds in the burial chamber
Idy – depicted in this engraving – was the only daughter of Djefai-Hapi I, a regional Egyptian governor who was worshiped in ancient times
The excavations took place this year between August 18 and September 17.
“The uncovering of this shaft started in 2022, lasted three excavation campaigns and has now ended with a sensational discovery: the burial of Idy in two nested wooden coffins with numerous grave goods,” Professor Kahl said.
Idy was the only daughter of Djefai-Hapi I, a regional Egyptian governor who was worshiped in ancient times.
He was “one of the most important rulers of the areas in ancient Egypt,” according to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. in a Facebook statement.
Professor Kahl added: ‘Jefai-Hapi I was deified in ancient times and his tomb was an integral part of the cultural memory of ancient Egypt for more than 2,000 years.’
“Idy was a priestess of the goddess Hathor and was called ‘mistress of the house,’ which identifies her as a woman from a wealthy family.”
Although the father’s resting place was known, this new discovery of his daughter’s remains in the same building in Asyut is unprecedented.
The tomb, dating from about 1880 BC, is impressive for its ‘monumental’ rock architecture with chambers over 11 meters high carved into the rock.
The excavations took place this year between August 18 and September 17. The photo shows Idy’s burial chamber when it was discovered
Pictured: A close-up of Idy’s outer coffin, with remarkable artwork created almost 4,000 years ago
Asyut, a city in Egypt nestled comfortably on the western bank of the Nile River, was a prosperous regional capital and port city
Idy had been placed in a coffin in a coffin and then sealed in a side chamber in a vertical shaft about 45 feet deep that had been dug into her father’s grave.
Her coffins, each weighing approximately 200-300 kg, are above average in size at 2.62 meters (8.59 feet) and 2.03 meters (6.66 feet) in length.
Professor Kahl said both coffins appeared to be made of ‘foreign wood’, meaning wood sourced from outside Egypt.
He said they are both “completely decorated with beautiful images and texts” describing the deceased’s journey in the afterlife.
Their research will make it possible to make ‘new and far-reaching statements about the position of women and the transmission of knowledge in ancient Egypt’.
Although Idy’s resting place has gone unnoticed by researchers until now, it is believed that the chamber was looted by thieves thousands of years ago.
Her remains were stripped of all jewelry and metal objects during the search for treasure, but other grave goods appear not to have been of interest to the ancient looters.
“Remains of Idy’s garment and her bones, which were completely torn to shreds by ancient plunderers, provide information about her person,” Professor Kahl added.
Idy was found in two nested wooden coffins containing numerous grave goods, including wooden figurines. Depicted a female figure made of wood
According to an initial visual inspection of the bones, Idy was probably about 40 years old and suffered from a foot problem, he added.
Somewhat gruesomely, a box of jars was also found containing Idy’s internal organs that had been removed during mummification: liver, spleen, lungs and intestines.
This was common during mummification, as the ancient Egyptians taught that internal organs would decay quickly.
Typically, mummification in ancient Egypt involved dehydrating the body with a mixture of salts and then wrapping it in a cloth soaked in a balm of plant extracts, oils and resins.
Older mummies are believed to have been naturally preserved by burial in dry desert sand and not chemically treated.
Professor Kahl said further study of the discovered remains will continue in an effort to shed more light on the lives of the governor and his daughter.
“After initial conservation of the wooden objects in the burial chamber and the subsequent difficult recovery from the narrow, 14-meter deep shaft, the finds will be handed over to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism,” he added.