Gold-covered mummy and 4,000-year-old burial plot among latest Egyptian discoveries
Mike Snider, USA TODAY
Fri, January 27, 2023 at 3:05 AM MST·4 min read
Egyptian archaeologists and researchers have unveiled a treasure trove of artifacts recently including what may be the oldest and most intact mummy ever found.
A team of Egyptologists on Thursday announced the discovery of several ancient tombs at a Pharaonic necropolis just outside of the capital Cairo. Among the findings: a mummy belonging to a man called Heka-shepes sealed in a large rectangular limestone sarcophagus about 4,300 years ago, Zahi Hawass, director of the excavation, said in a post on Instagram.
The mummy, "found inside covered with gold leaf … may be the oldest and most complete mummy found in Egypt to date," he said.
The find, dating from about 2500 B.C. to 2100 B.C., in the fifth and sixth dynasties of the Old Kingdom, is part of a year-long excavation near the Saqqara pyramids.
The new discoveries were found beneath an ancient stone enclosure known as Gisr el-Mudir. ‘‘I put my head inside to see what was inside the sarcophagus: A beautiful mummy of a man completely covered in layers of gold,’' Hawass told The Associated Press.
Egyptian antiquities workers dig at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 26, 2023.
Also uncovered: a tomb belonged to a priest from the fifth dynasty known as Khnumdjedef, while the other tomb belonged to a palace official named Meri, who held the title of “the keeper of the secrets,” the team said.
Other major findings from the excavation include statues, amulets, and a well-preserved sarcophagus.
An Egyptian antiquities worker watches a recently discovered artifact at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 26, 2023.
Ancient Egyptian family plot found
Archaeologists also disclosed several recent discoveries about 400 miles to the south – including a family burial plot dating back about 4,000 years.
The uncovering of the burial site, found at the Dra Abu el-Naga necropolis (or cemetery) on the west bank of the Nile in the city of Luxor, is the first found from the ancient Egyptian Thirteenth Dynasty, which dates back beyond 1780 B.C., according to Mostafa Waziry, an Egyptologist and the secretary-general of the supreme council of antiquities at the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
"The discovery is the first of its kind," Waziry said in a posting on Instagram.
Discoveries at the site included a pink granite sarcophagus weighing about 11 tons, inscribed with the name of a minister named Ankho, who lived during the reign of King Sobekhotep II during the 13th Dynasty, Fathy Yaseen, director general of antiquities of upper Egypt, told CBS News about the site.
A recently discovered artifact is displayed at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 26, 2023.
Also discovered nearby: "The most important and oldest residential city" dating from the Roman Era, Waziry said in a posting on Instagram. He also posted videos of the finds on Facebook and Twitter.
That city, which is believed to be part of the ancient city of Thebes, along the Nile and within Luxor, "is important because it shows us more about the life of regular Egyptians at this time," Yaseen told CBS News.
Researchers 'digitally unwrap' an ancient Egyptian mummy
Another archaeological advance was announced Tuesday by researchers at the University of Cairo. They describe in the journal Frontiers of Medicine how they "digitally unwrapped" the mummy of a teen boy from 300 B.C. using computed tomography (CT) scans.
The team of scientists were able to shed new light on the boy's high social status by affirming the intricate details of the amulets inserted within his mummified body and the type of burial he received.
Three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) image of the front of the digitally unwrapped torso of a mummy, stored at the Cairo Egyptian Museum since 1916. The scans show the crossed arms position and amulets buried with the teen.
Archaeological finds could help rebound of Egyptian tourism
Ancient Egyptian discoveries often are used to boost the nation's tourism, which is a significant source of income in the North African country. Tourism suffered a downturn after political turmoil and violence that followed the 2011 Arab Spring revolution.
Tourism, which accounted for about 12% of the country's economy, also took a major hit due to the coronavirus outbreak, The Egypt Independent reported in February 2021. And tourism has also been hampered by the war in Ukraine, the outlet reported last year.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Dig deeper: Mummies, other ancient and archaeological finds
A 3,600-year-old mummy named 'Fred': Egyptian mummy in Italian museum proves embalming predates the Pharaohs
'Dream of all runologists': 'World's oldest dated rune stone' found in Norway
Secrets of a mummy: Scientists in Egypt 'digitally unwrap' 3,500-year-old mummy of Pharaoh Amenhotep I
Ancient 'Green Coffin': Sarcophagus returned to Egypt after US officials ruled it was looted
Ancient thrift shop find: A woman bought a $35 sculpture at Goodwill. It actually was a missing ancient Roman bust.
Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ancient Egypt: 'Oldest' mummy and one 'digitally unwrapped' by science
Mike Snider, USA TODAY
Fri, January 27, 2023 at 3:05 AM MST·4 min read
Egyptian archaeologists and researchers have unveiled a treasure trove of artifacts recently including what may be the oldest and most intact mummy ever found.
A team of Egyptologists on Thursday announced the discovery of several ancient tombs at a Pharaonic necropolis just outside of the capital Cairo. Among the findings: a mummy belonging to a man called Heka-shepes sealed in a large rectangular limestone sarcophagus about 4,300 years ago, Zahi Hawass, director of the excavation, said in a post on Instagram.
The mummy, "found inside covered with gold leaf … may be the oldest and most complete mummy found in Egypt to date," he said.
The find, dating from about 2500 B.C. to 2100 B.C., in the fifth and sixth dynasties of the Old Kingdom, is part of a year-long excavation near the Saqqara pyramids.
The new discoveries were found beneath an ancient stone enclosure known as Gisr el-Mudir. ‘‘I put my head inside to see what was inside the sarcophagus: A beautiful mummy of a man completely covered in layers of gold,’' Hawass told The Associated Press.
Egyptian antiquities workers dig at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 26, 2023.
Also uncovered: a tomb belonged to a priest from the fifth dynasty known as Khnumdjedef, while the other tomb belonged to a palace official named Meri, who held the title of “the keeper of the secrets,” the team said.
Other major findings from the excavation include statues, amulets, and a well-preserved sarcophagus.
An Egyptian antiquities worker watches a recently discovered artifact at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 26, 2023.
Ancient Egyptian family plot found
Archaeologists also disclosed several recent discoveries about 400 miles to the south – including a family burial plot dating back about 4,000 years.
The uncovering of the burial site, found at the Dra Abu el-Naga necropolis (or cemetery) on the west bank of the Nile in the city of Luxor, is the first found from the ancient Egyptian Thirteenth Dynasty, which dates back beyond 1780 B.C., according to Mostafa Waziry, an Egyptologist and the secretary-general of the supreme council of antiquities at the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
"The discovery is the first of its kind," Waziry said in a posting on Instagram.
Discoveries at the site included a pink granite sarcophagus weighing about 11 tons, inscribed with the name of a minister named Ankho, who lived during the reign of King Sobekhotep II during the 13th Dynasty, Fathy Yaseen, director general of antiquities of upper Egypt, told CBS News about the site.
"We have discovered more than a thousand burial sites before in Luxor, but this is the first time we find one from the 13th Dynasty," Yaseen said.
A recently discovered artifact is displayed at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 26, 2023.
Also discovered nearby: "The most important and oldest residential city" dating from the Roman Era, Waziry said in a posting on Instagram. He also posted videos of the finds on Facebook and Twitter.
That city, which is believed to be part of the ancient city of Thebes, along the Nile and within Luxor, "is important because it shows us more about the life of regular Egyptians at this time," Yaseen told CBS News.
Researchers 'digitally unwrap' an ancient Egyptian mummy
Another archaeological advance was announced Tuesday by researchers at the University of Cairo. They describe in the journal Frontiers of Medicine how they "digitally unwrapped" the mummy of a teen boy from 300 B.C. using computed tomography (CT) scans.
The team of scientists were able to shed new light on the boy's high social status by affirming the intricate details of the amulets inserted within his mummified body and the type of burial he received.
Three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) image of the front of the digitally unwrapped torso of a mummy, stored at the Cairo Egyptian Museum since 1916. The scans show the crossed arms position and amulets buried with the teen.
Archaeological finds could help rebound of Egyptian tourism
Ancient Egyptian discoveries often are used to boost the nation's tourism, which is a significant source of income in the North African country. Tourism suffered a downturn after political turmoil and violence that followed the 2011 Arab Spring revolution.
Tourism, which accounted for about 12% of the country's economy, also took a major hit due to the coronavirus outbreak, The Egypt Independent reported in February 2021. And tourism has also been hampered by the war in Ukraine, the outlet reported last year.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Dig deeper: Mummies, other ancient and archaeological finds
A 3,600-year-old mummy named 'Fred': Egyptian mummy in Italian museum proves embalming predates the Pharaohs
'Dream of all runologists': 'World's oldest dated rune stone' found in Norway
Secrets of a mummy: Scientists in Egypt 'digitally unwrap' 3,500-year-old mummy of Pharaoh Amenhotep I
Ancient 'Green Coffin': Sarcophagus returned to Egypt after US officials ruled it was looted
Ancient thrift shop find: A woman bought a $35 sculpture at Goodwill. It actually was a missing ancient Roman bust.
Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ancient Egypt: 'Oldest' mummy and one 'digitally unwrapped' by science
Archaeologist hails possibly 'oldest' mummy yet found in Egypt
Thu, January 26, 2023
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptologists have uncovered a Pharaonic tomb near the capital Cairo containing what may be the oldest and "most complete" mummy yet to be discovered in the country, the excavation team leader said on Thursday.
The 4,300-year-old mummy was found at the bottom of a 15-metre shaft in a recently uncovered group of fifth and sixth dynasty tombs near the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, Zahi Hawass, director of the team, told reporters.
The mummy, of a man named Hekashepes, was in a limestone sarcophagus that had been sealed in mortar.
"This mummy may be the oldest and most complete mummy found in Egypt to date," Hawass, one of Egypt's former ministers of antiquities, said in a statement.
Among other tombs found was one belonging to Khnumdjedef, an inspector of officials, a supervisor of nobles and a priest during the reign of Unas, last pharaoh of the fifth dynasty. It was decorated with scenes of daily life.
Another tomb belonged to Meri, "keeper of the secrets and assistant to the great leader of the palace".
Numerous statues were found among the tombs, including one representing a man and his wife and several servants, the statement said.
(Reporting by Patrick Werr; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Unearthed mummy may be ‘most complete’ one ever found in Egypt, archaeologists say
Moira Ritter
Thu, January 26, 2023 at 12:46 PM MST·1 min read
For the past 4,500 or so years, Egypt has flaunted its monstrous pyramids, which tower hundreds of feet above ground.
But experts are learning that ancient Egyptian relics might be buried deep below the desert, too.
A team of archaeologists recently unearthed what they say could be the oldest and most complete mummy ever discovered in the country, Zahi Hawass, the director of the team, said Jan. 26, according to ABC News. The mummy was found in the Saqqara Necropolis, about 15 miles southwest of Cairo.
“To find a mummy that old and that well-preserved in a necropolis that is this prolific is truly a unique thing,” Hawass said, according to The National.
Egyptian antiquities workers found the 4,300-year-old sarcophagus at the bottom of a burial shaft. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
The 4,300-year-old mummy was found inside a large limestone sarcophagus buried at the bottom of a 50-foot burial shaft, ABC News reported. When the team opened the sarcophagus, they found the mummy of a man named Hekashepes covered with gold flakes.
Egyptian antiquities workers dig at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Other tombs were found during the excavation, the team said, according to Reuters.
One tomb — which was decorated with daily life scenes — belonged to Khnumdjedef, an inspector, supervisor and priest during the rule of the last pharaoh of the fifth dynasty, around the mid-24th century B.C., the archaeologists said, per Reuters.
The recently discovered tombs date back to the Old Kingdom, which existed from 2700 BC until 2200 BC, experts said. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Another belonged to Meri, who was the “keeper of the secrets and assistant to the great leader of the palace,” the team said, according to the outlet.
Twelve “beautifully carved statues” were also discovered, Hawass said, according to ABC. The statues are of unidentified individuals but include two couples.
Among the statues found, two depicted unidentified couples, the team said. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
The team also unearthed several ceramic pots and clay vessels, according to The National.
An Egyptian archeologist restores a recently discovered pottery at the site of necropolis. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Pink sarcophagus — weighing over 22,000 pounds — found at family burial site in Egypt
Golden tongue among 49 amulets found buried with mummy that sat in storage for 100 years
Massive mummified crocodiles — at least 2,300 years old — unearthed in tomb in Egypt
52-foot-long Book of the Dead papyrus from ancient Egypt discovered at Saqqara
Owen Jarus
Thu, January 26, 2023
Here we see a photo of a section of the Book of the Dead. Hieroglyphics are on the bottom and illustrations of people doing funerary rites are on top.
Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a 52-foot-long (16 meters) papyrus containing sections from the Book of the Dead. The more than 2,000-year-old document was found within a coffin in a tomb south of the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara.
There are many texts from The Book of the Dead, and analysis of the new finding may shed light on ancient Egyptian funerary traditions. Conservation work is already complete, and the papyrus is being translated into Arabic, according to a translated statement, which was released in conjunction with an event marking Egyptian Archaeologists Day on Jan. 14.
This is the first full papyrus to be uncovered at Saqqara in more than 100 years, Mostafa Waziry, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said, according to the statement.
Related: 10 times ancient Egyptian discoveries awed us in 2022
The Step Pyramid of Djoser was constructed during the reign of the pharaoh Djoser (ruled circa 2630 B.C. to 2611 B.C.) and was the first pyramid the Egyptians built. The area around the step pyramid was used for burials for millennia. Indeed, the coffin that housed the newfound papyrus dates to the Late Period (circa 712 B.C. to 332 B.C.), Zahi Hawass, Egypt's former minister of Antiquities, told Live Science in an email. Information about who owned the papyrus and its precise date will be announced soon, Hawass said.
The Book of the Dead is a modern-day name given to a series of texts the Egyptians believed would help the dead navigate the underworld, among other purposes. They were widely used during the New Kingdom (circa 1550 B.C. to 1070 B.C.).
While 52 feet is lengthy, there are other examples of Book of the Dead papyri of that length or longer. "There are many manuscripts that would have been similar in length, but papyrus manuscripts of ancient Egyptian religious texts can vary quite dramatically in length," Foy Scalf, the head of research archives at the University of Chicago, told Live Science in an email. Scalf, who was not involved in the latest discovery but holds a doctorate in Egyptology, noted that there are Book of the Dead scrolls that measure over 98 feet (30 m) long.
Second papyrus
This appears to be the second papyrus containing texts from the Book of the Dead that has been found at Saqqara in the past year. In 2022, a 13-foot-long (4 m) fragmentary papyrus containing texts from the Book of the Dead was found at Saqqara in a burial shaft near the pyramid of the pharaoh Teti (reigned circa 2323 B.C. to 2291 B.C.). It had the name of its owner, a man named "Pwkhaef," written on it.
Despite being buried near pharaoh Teti's pyramid, Pwkhaef lived centuries after the ruler. The burial shafts where this papyrus was found date to the 18th and 19th dynasties of Egypt (1550 B.C. to 1186 B.C.). But the practice of being buried next to the pyramid of a former ruler was popular in Egypt at the time.
The discovery was made by a team of Egyptian archaeologists from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, which has yet to release images of the ancient document. According to the statement, the papyrus will soon go on display in an Egyptian museum.
Egypt archaeology: Gold-covered mummy among latest discoveries
Kathryn Armstrong - BBC News
Thu, January 26, 2023
One of four newly discovered tombs at the Saqqara archaeological site south of Cairo
Archaeologists say they have found a gold leaf-covered mummy sealed inside a sarcophagus that had not been opened for 4,300 years.
The mummy, the remains of a man named Hekashepes, is thought to be one of the oldest and most complete non-royal corpses ever found in Egypt.
It was discovered down a 15m (50ft) shaft at a burial site south of Cairo, Saqqara, where three other tombs were found.
One tomb belonged to a "secret keeper".
The largest of the mummies that were unearthed at the ancient necropolis is said to belong to a man called Khnumdjedef - a priest, inspector and supervisor of nobles.
Another belonged to a man called Meri, who was a senior palace official given the title of "secret keeper", which allowed him to perform special religious rituals.
A judge and writer named Fetek is thought to have been laid to rest in the other tomb, where a collection of what are thought to be the largest statues ever found in the area had been discovered.
Several other items, including pottery, have also been found among the tombs.
Archaeologist Zahi Hawass, Egypt's former antiquities minister, has said all the discoveries date from around the 25th to the 22nd centuries BC.
"This discovery is so important as it connects the kings with the people living around them," said Ali Abu Deshish, another archaeologist involved in the excavation.
Saqqara was an active burial ground for more than 3,000 years and is a designated Unesco World Heritage Site. It sits at what was the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis and is home to more than a dozen pyramids - including the Step Pyramid, near where the shaft containing the mummy was found.
Thursday's discovery comes just a day after experts in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor said they had discovered a complete residential city from the Roman era, dating back to the second and third centuries AD.
Archaeologists found residential buildings, towers and what they've called "metal workshops" - containing pots, tools and Roman coins.
Egypt has unveiled many major archaeological discoveries in recent years, as part of efforts to revive its tourism industry.
The government hopes its Grand Egyptian Museum, which is due to open this year following delays, will draw in 30 million tourists a year by 2028.
But, critics have accused Egypt's government of prioritising media-grabbing finds over hard academic research in order to attract more tourism.
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptologists have uncovered a Pharaonic tomb near the capital Cairo containing what may be the oldest and "most complete" mummy yet to be discovered in the country, the excavation team leader said on Thursday.
The 4,300-year-old mummy was found at the bottom of a 15-metre shaft in a recently uncovered group of fifth and sixth dynasty tombs near the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, Zahi Hawass, director of the team, told reporters.
The mummy, of a man named Hekashepes, was in a limestone sarcophagus that had been sealed in mortar.
"This mummy may be the oldest and most complete mummy found in Egypt to date," Hawass, one of Egypt's former ministers of antiquities, said in a statement.
Among other tombs found was one belonging to Khnumdjedef, an inspector of officials, a supervisor of nobles and a priest during the reign of Unas, last pharaoh of the fifth dynasty. It was decorated with scenes of daily life.
Another tomb belonged to Meri, "keeper of the secrets and assistant to the great leader of the palace".
Numerous statues were found among the tombs, including one representing a man and his wife and several servants, the statement said.
(Reporting by Patrick Werr; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Unearthed mummy may be ‘most complete’ one ever found in Egypt, archaeologists say
Moira Ritter
Thu, January 26, 2023 at 12:46 PM MST·1 min read
For the past 4,500 or so years, Egypt has flaunted its monstrous pyramids, which tower hundreds of feet above ground.
But experts are learning that ancient Egyptian relics might be buried deep below the desert, too.
A team of archaeologists recently unearthed what they say could be the oldest and most complete mummy ever discovered in the country, Zahi Hawass, the director of the team, said Jan. 26, according to ABC News. The mummy was found in the Saqqara Necropolis, about 15 miles southwest of Cairo.
“To find a mummy that old and that well-preserved in a necropolis that is this prolific is truly a unique thing,” Hawass said, according to The National.
Egyptian antiquities workers found the 4,300-year-old sarcophagus at the bottom of a burial shaft. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
The 4,300-year-old mummy was found inside a large limestone sarcophagus buried at the bottom of a 50-foot burial shaft, ABC News reported. When the team opened the sarcophagus, they found the mummy of a man named Hekashepes covered with gold flakes.
Egyptian antiquities workers dig at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Other tombs were found during the excavation, the team said, according to Reuters.
One tomb — which was decorated with daily life scenes — belonged to Khnumdjedef, an inspector, supervisor and priest during the rule of the last pharaoh of the fifth dynasty, around the mid-24th century B.C., the archaeologists said, per Reuters.
The recently discovered tombs date back to the Old Kingdom, which existed from 2700 BC until 2200 BC, experts said. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Another belonged to Meri, who was the “keeper of the secrets and assistant to the great leader of the palace,” the team said, according to the outlet.
Twelve “beautifully carved statues” were also discovered, Hawass said, according to ABC. The statues are of unidentified individuals but include two couples.
Among the statues found, two depicted unidentified couples, the team said. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
The team also unearthed several ceramic pots and clay vessels, according to The National.
An Egyptian archeologist restores a recently discovered pottery at the site of necropolis. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Pink sarcophagus — weighing over 22,000 pounds — found at family burial site in Egypt
Golden tongue among 49 amulets found buried with mummy that sat in storage for 100 years
Massive mummified crocodiles — at least 2,300 years old — unearthed in tomb in Egypt
52-foot-long Book of the Dead papyrus from ancient Egypt discovered at Saqqara
Owen Jarus
Thu, January 26, 2023
Here we see a photo of a section of the Book of the Dead. Hieroglyphics are on the bottom and illustrations of people doing funerary rites are on top.
Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a 52-foot-long (16 meters) papyrus containing sections from the Book of the Dead. The more than 2,000-year-old document was found within a coffin in a tomb south of the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara.
There are many texts from The Book of the Dead, and analysis of the new finding may shed light on ancient Egyptian funerary traditions. Conservation work is already complete, and the papyrus is being translated into Arabic, according to a translated statement, which was released in conjunction with an event marking Egyptian Archaeologists Day on Jan. 14.
This is the first full papyrus to be uncovered at Saqqara in more than 100 years, Mostafa Waziry, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said, according to the statement.
Related: 10 times ancient Egyptian discoveries awed us in 2022
The Step Pyramid of Djoser was constructed during the reign of the pharaoh Djoser (ruled circa 2630 B.C. to 2611 B.C.) and was the first pyramid the Egyptians built. The area around the step pyramid was used for burials for millennia. Indeed, the coffin that housed the newfound papyrus dates to the Late Period (circa 712 B.C. to 332 B.C.), Zahi Hawass, Egypt's former minister of Antiquities, told Live Science in an email. Information about who owned the papyrus and its precise date will be announced soon, Hawass said.
The Book of the Dead is a modern-day name given to a series of texts the Egyptians believed would help the dead navigate the underworld, among other purposes. They were widely used during the New Kingdom (circa 1550 B.C. to 1070 B.C.).
While 52 feet is lengthy, there are other examples of Book of the Dead papyri of that length or longer. "There are many manuscripts that would have been similar in length, but papyrus manuscripts of ancient Egyptian religious texts can vary quite dramatically in length," Foy Scalf, the head of research archives at the University of Chicago, told Live Science in an email. Scalf, who was not involved in the latest discovery but holds a doctorate in Egyptology, noted that there are Book of the Dead scrolls that measure over 98 feet (30 m) long.
Second papyrus
This appears to be the second papyrus containing texts from the Book of the Dead that has been found at Saqqara in the past year. In 2022, a 13-foot-long (4 m) fragmentary papyrus containing texts from the Book of the Dead was found at Saqqara in a burial shaft near the pyramid of the pharaoh Teti (reigned circa 2323 B.C. to 2291 B.C.). It had the name of its owner, a man named "Pwkhaef," written on it.
Despite being buried near pharaoh Teti's pyramid, Pwkhaef lived centuries after the ruler. The burial shafts where this papyrus was found date to the 18th and 19th dynasties of Egypt (1550 B.C. to 1186 B.C.). But the practice of being buried next to the pyramid of a former ruler was popular in Egypt at the time.
The discovery was made by a team of Egyptian archaeologists from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, which has yet to release images of the ancient document. According to the statement, the papyrus will soon go on display in an Egyptian museum.
Egypt archaeology: Gold-covered mummy among latest discoveries
Kathryn Armstrong - BBC News
Thu, January 26, 2023
One of four newly discovered tombs at the Saqqara archaeological site south of Cairo
Archaeologists say they have found a gold leaf-covered mummy sealed inside a sarcophagus that had not been opened for 4,300 years.
The mummy, the remains of a man named Hekashepes, is thought to be one of the oldest and most complete non-royal corpses ever found in Egypt.
It was discovered down a 15m (50ft) shaft at a burial site south of Cairo, Saqqara, where three other tombs were found.
One tomb belonged to a "secret keeper".
The largest of the mummies that were unearthed at the ancient necropolis is said to belong to a man called Khnumdjedef - a priest, inspector and supervisor of nobles.
Another belonged to a man called Meri, who was a senior palace official given the title of "secret keeper", which allowed him to perform special religious rituals.
A judge and writer named Fetek is thought to have been laid to rest in the other tomb, where a collection of what are thought to be the largest statues ever found in the area had been discovered.
Several other items, including pottery, have also been found among the tombs.
Archaeologist Zahi Hawass, Egypt's former antiquities minister, has said all the discoveries date from around the 25th to the 22nd centuries BC.
"This discovery is so important as it connects the kings with the people living around them," said Ali Abu Deshish, another archaeologist involved in the excavation.
Saqqara was an active burial ground for more than 3,000 years and is a designated Unesco World Heritage Site. It sits at what was the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis and is home to more than a dozen pyramids - including the Step Pyramid, near where the shaft containing the mummy was found.
Thursday's discovery comes just a day after experts in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor said they had discovered a complete residential city from the Roman era, dating back to the second and third centuries AD.
Archaeologists found residential buildings, towers and what they've called "metal workshops" - containing pots, tools and Roman coins.
Egypt has unveiled many major archaeological discoveries in recent years, as part of efforts to revive its tourism industry.
The government hopes its Grand Egyptian Museum, which is due to open this year following delays, will draw in 30 million tourists a year by 2028.
But, critics have accused Egypt's government of prioritising media-grabbing finds over hard academic research in order to attract more tourism.
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