The coffins are from the New Kingdom, the oldest found in the necropolis so far.
Egypt has uncovered a funerary temple and the oldest coffins ever found in Saqqara, revealing more secrets in the ancient cemetery and highlighting another important discovery in the sprawling necropolis south of Cairo.
The country said a mission led by prominent Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, former minister of state for antiquities, has excavated the funerary temple of Queen Nearit, wife of King Teti – the first pharaoh of Egypt’s sixth dynasty.
The mission also excavated 52 burial shafts containing more than 50 wooden coffins. They date back 3,000 years, the oldest sarcophagi found in Saqqara.
These coffins are made of wood and anthropoid … many of the gods worshiped during this period were depicted on the surface of the coffins, along with several excerpts from the Book of the Dead that help the deceased make the journey of the other world. ‘,’ the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a statement.
In recent months, Egypt has excavated hundreds of coffins of top officials and priests in Saqqara, all dating back to the more recent Late and Ptolemaic periods.
The new discovery is distinguished by older New Kingdom sarcophagi found, the ministry said. The New Kingdom period lasted from the 16th century BC to the 11th century BC and included the 18th, 19th and 20th Egyptian dynasties.
“The discovery confirmed that the Saqqara area was used for funerals not only during the Late Period, but also during the New Kingdom,” the statement read.
Another “luxurious mud-brick sanctuary” was also uncovered at a depth of 24 meters below ground level, the deepest shaft found to date. Hawass said the digging will continue until the burial chamber is discovered.
“In the shafts, the mission discovered large numbers of archaeological artifacts and a large number of statues representing gods such as the god Osiris and Ptah-Soker-Osiris,” added the Ministry of Antiquities.
Egypt has conducted extensive excavation work in Saqqara in recent years, resulting in a series of discoveries, including the excavation of a 4,400-year-old tomb of Royal Priest Wahtye in 2018 and the discovery of hundreds of mummified animals and statues every year. later.
Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany said in November that Egypt “can find tombs and burial shafts anywhere in this area,” referring to Saqqara, which is also home to 13 pyramids.
Egypt hopes the findings can help revitalize the vibrant tourism industry, which took another blow from the COVID-19 pandemic just as it began to recover from the aftermath of uprisings and civil unrest in 2011 and 2013.
Hawass said the latest discoveries in the ancient necropolis will “make Saqqara an important tourist and cultural destination”.
“It will also rewrite the history of Saqqara during the New Kingdom,” he added.