During excavations in the necropolis of Sakkara, Czech and Egyptian archaeologists discovered the tombs of a high-ranking official and the wife of Pharaoh Jedkar, looted in antiquity, whose names have long remained a mystery to historians.
Saqqara, one of the most ancient Egyptian necropolises, was the resting place of a huge number of pharaohs and their closest associates from the era of the third dynasty of the Old Kingdom to the era of Hellenic rule.
The most majestic and large-scale tombs, including the first pyramids, were built on the territory of this "valley of the kings" during the Old Kingdom, during the reign of the pharaohs of the third, fourth and fifth dynasties. Among them is the legendary Jedkara-Isesi, the first religious reformer in the history of the "two kingdoms".
Despite decades of continuous excavations in this area and analysis of papyri from the pyramid of Unis, the heir of Jedkar, Egyptologists still did not know what the name of the wife of this ruler was. Not a single monument or text associated with his figure contains her name and even hints of her origin. During recent excavations in the southern part of Sakkara, archaeologists have finally uncovered one of the biggest mysteries associated with the history of the reign of this pharaoh.
Near one of the walls of the pyramid of Jedkar, where in the past his burial temple was located, the entrance to a previously unknown tomb was discovered, which belonged to one of the dignitaries of the pharaoh named Huvi. Despite the fact that his tomb was opened in antiquity and plundered, scientists managed to find inside it a large number of artifacts, well-preserved frescoes, as well as the body of the official himself. In its structure, his tomb is very similar to the burial chambers in the pyramids of the fifth dynasty pharaohs, which indicates the very high social status of Huvi.
Here, the researchers came across a column that revealed the nature of one of the unnamed pyramids and a temple on the territory of the Jedkar burial complex. They were associated with the tomb in which Setibhor, the wife of Jedkar, “confidante of Set and Horus”, was buried. Like Huvi's tomb, this queen's tomb was plundered, and her mummy has not survived.
The large size of this burial complex and its unusual design, according to experts, indicate that Setibkhor played a decisive role in Jedkar's ascension to the throne and consolidation of his power.
Now scientists continue excavations in the vicinity of their pyramids in the hope of finding new evidence of the existence of this queen and to understand what happened to Egypt at the end of the era of the Old Kingdom.
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