Ancient Egypt is full of secrets and therefore attracts scientists who are looking for clues to the secrets of civilization. And although excavations in Egypt are carried out almost constantly, and at the same time using new scanning equipment, this ancient civilization constantly presents scientists with new surprises. New names of Egyptian kings, travels that changed history and even new discoveries in the seemingly studied along and across the pyramids - quite recently, many new discoveries were made, which will be discussed in this article.
1. Cemetery of the priests of Thoth
Thanks to this unusual find, 2018 could be another “turning point” for Egyptologists. A large necropolis was discovered in the Nile Valley near the city of El Minya. It would seem that it is surprising, because this country is known for its mummies and cemeteries. But in the tombs of Minya, not the ordinary inhabitants of Egypt and not the pharaohs rested. Instead, the families of the priests were buried in them. During their lifetime, the priests served God Thoth - the patron saint of wisdom and the Moon.
More than 1000 statues were found in one of the tombs belonging to the high priest. And in it, 40 members of his family found the last refuge, each of whom was buried in his own sarcophagus. The priest's internal organs were "packaged" into four burial vessels known as canopes. All canopes and some of the coffins were decorated with hieroglyphs.
The priest himself was dressed in funeral robes, embroidered with beads and decorated with bronze plates. The region is also known for mass graves of mummified birds, animals and catacombs dating from the Late Pharaonic and Ptolemaic dynasty. The complete cataloging and study of the find will take about five years.
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2. Private tombs of Luxor
Luxor city is famous for its ancient architecture and tombs. Among the latter are private tombs "overlooking the west bank of the Nile." Two such burials were first discovered at the end of 2017. Most likely, high-ranking officials were buried in these 3,500-year-old tombs, since the cemetery was intended for the Egyptians of the elite.
Despite this, a couple of tombs were very small in size. One tomb had a courtyard with an earthen floor and stone walls, and a tunnel that connected it to four additional chambers. Wall decorations indicated that the person was buried during the 18th Dynasty, either during the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep II or Pharaoh Thutmose IV.
For some reason, the designers of the second tomb made five entrances to it, and each of them led to the same rectangular chamber. It also contained two burial ramparts and, unlike the first tomb, was filled with artifacts such as masks, a bandaged mummy, pottery, and 450 statues. The name of Pharaoh Thutmose I on the ceiling made it possible to date the burial to the beginning of the 18th dynasty.
3. Aspelt's face
The kings of Kush once ruled ancient Egypt. By the time a ruler named Aspelta came to power (reigned between 593 and 568 BC), they ruled only Kush. Despite this, he was often referred to in historical documents as the king of Egypt. Excavations have recently begun at Dangeil, an archaeological site in Sudan. Inside the temple of the Egyptian god Amun, researchers explore the missing parts of the statue of Aspelta, discovered at the same site many years ago. When all the fragments were brought together, the world, thousands of years later, finally saw Aspelta's face.
The 2,600-year-old statue was inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphs. Aspelta was praised as "the king of Upper and Lower Egypt" and "the favorite of the sun god Ra". The life-size statue was carved about six centuries after the temple was built next to the Nile. Interestingly, centuries after the building was abandoned, burials were still held here. Nobody knows who these people were.
4. Sons of Khnum-Aa
In 1907, the discovery of two mummies led to decades of "headache" for researchers who love to establish family ties among people who lived millennia ago. Found 400 kilometers south of Cairo, the couple rested side by side for 4,000 years. Called Khnum-Nakht and Nakht-Ankh, they were probably noble, judging by their rich graves. Each coffin also had the female name “Khnum-Aa” written on it. She has been described as the mother of both men, born 20 years apart.
Scientists could not prove that she was their mother or that the men were brothers. There was no reference to their father other than that he was the local ruler. After comparing the physical characteristics of men, including the shape of the skull and skin color, the researchers concluded that the two were not related in any way. In 2018, DNA testing finally solved the mystery. Genetic material extracted from molars showed that men have the same mother, but different fathers.
5. Pyramidion of Ankhnespepi
Queen Ankhnespepi II ruled Egypt until her son grew up and became a pharaoh. Most of her burial buildings have been found, including Ankhnespepi's tomb and pyramid. She was a very influential woman and probably the first queen to be written about on the pyramids. But now archaeologists are trying to find other satellite pyramids associated with it.
In late 2017, an obelisk belonging to the queen was discovered near the Sakkar necropolis south of Cairo. The obelisk, made of red granite, was probably part of the Ankhnespepi burial temple. Just a week after the discovery of the artifact, a pyramidion (the top of a pyramid) was discovered about 4,000 years old, 1.3 meters high and 1.1 meters long at the base. Given its proximity to her husband's obelisk and pyramid, the granite piece could be the first physical evidence of a lost companion pyramid.
6. Musician Hathor
About 3,200 years ago, an Egyptian woman died far from home. She was only 20 years old and pregnant. The discovery of these remains in a copper mine in Israel changed everything that archaeologists believed they knew about the site. At the time, Egypt controlled the region, but the copper mines were located in a desolate place called Timna. Given the perpetual droughts, it is unlikely that settlers lived here. But every winter the Egyptians visited the mines to extract metal. Until the skeleton was found in 2017, it was believed that women never came to these mines.
It was extremely important to determine the identity of the Egyptian woman. Only people with the status received proper burial in Timna. Experts believe this woman was probably a temple musician or singer. Indeed, her grave was found next to a temple dedicated to the goddess Hathor. Among other things, Hathor was the Egyptian goddess of mining, women and music. A rare discovery is quite tragic. The young mother's torso, arms and head are missing, probably as a result of the looting of the grave. Why she died in her youth remains a mystery that will probably remain unanswered forever.
7. Grave of the statue of Ptah
Ptah was the god of craftsmen and sculptors. In fact, these very artists created the statue of Ptah, which was worshiped at the temple in Karnak. In 2014, a pit was discovered near the temple, inside which was a statue of Ptah in the company of a carved cat, sphinx and baboon, as well as statues of other gods, including Osiris and Mut. They were not thrown away, but were considered "dead" by the ancient Egyptians.
The Ptah statue received a proper burial. Her "life" ended about 2000 years ago after the statue became too damaged. Researchers believe that the location of Ptah's grave is not accidental. The Sphinx in it was intended for protection, and the abundance of images of Osiris (the god of rebirth) could mean that the priests prepared a pit for the revival of the statue of Ptah.
8. The first animal tattoos
The bodies of a man and a woman were found in two shallow graves more than a century ago in Gebelein, south of Luxor. The simple burial and lack of professional mummification showed that they were not important people. But their contribution to Egypt and the history of body art is enormous. For years, scientists have been puzzled by the dark color of the mummies' hands. They also found signs of a fatal blow to the back of an 18-21-year-old man.
In 2018, infrared scans showed that the spots on the arms were tattoos. Images of bulls and sheep were found on the man's skin, and S-shaped designs on the woman's arms and shoulders, which may have symbolized status, courage and magic. Considering that they are 5,000 years old, these tattoos are a millennium older than the earlier considered the most ancient "tattoos" found in Africa. They also represent the oldest body art, including images.
9. Tutankhamun's bed
When Howard Carter opened the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, several beds were found in it, among other artifacts. One of them was a unique foldable baby cot that had never been seen before. The artifact has recently undergone its first scientific analysis. The bed is distinguished by an amazingly complex structure and beautiful design. Apparently, double beds existed before Tutankhamun, who died around 1323 BC. But the Pharaoh Boy's bed was groundbreaking - essentially analogous to modern camping beds.
Tutankhamun's bed could fold several times into the shape of the letter "Z". It also showed signs of attempts to improve the folding mechanism. This confirms the idea that the creators did not have examples to copy, and they did everything from scratch. The bed was more portable and comfortable than the double folding versions. Researchers believe that Tutankhamun's weakness did not give him the opportunity to make long trips or hunt, but the "pharaoh boy" went out for picnics.
10. Water channels of Giza
Although the Great Pyramid of Giza was built in 2600 BC, how it was built remains a mystery. Researchers now believe that they have partly decided how this process happened. About 170,000 tons of limestone was transported from Aswan, 805 kilometers south. Every day, another 800 tons arrived to continue the construction of the 147-meter Great Pyramid. The diary of one of the people involved in the construction was recently found.
A papyrus scroll, written by an overseer named Merer, describes thousands of workers using wooden boats to move blocks along the Nile. Merer mentioned that in the end the materials were transported by canals to a port located a few steps from the base of the pyramid. Physical evidence of Merer's claims came when archaeologists discovered a waterway under the pyramid. They also identified a structure that was likely the primary storage for 2.3 million blocks.