TRES MOMIAS DE LA DINASTÍA XXVI, PERTENECIENTES A DOS DE HOMBRES Y UNA DE MUJER, HAN SIDO HALLADAS EN EL CEMENTERIO DE TETI EN SAQQARA.
 

04/03/05

Secrets from the sand
Saqqara's recently unearthed graves shed new light on the area's significance as a sacred necropolis. 

Coincidence often plays a major role in discoveries in Egypt. This is evident from the unearthing of Tutankhamun's tomb in Luxor, the royal treasures of Tanis in Delta and Khufu's solar boats in Giza, to mention but a few examples. 

This time, archaeologists digging in Saqqara -- which is perhaps more commonly known by its Ancient Egyptian name Memphis -- came quite unexpectedly upon four remarkable troves: three anthropoid sarcophagi and two painted statuettes of the renowned Saqqara's god Ptah-Sokar dating back to the late Pharaonic period, as well as a Naos and a false door from the Fifth Dynasty. 

The story of this discovery began early this month when a team of Australian archaeologists of Macquarie University was clearing the debris located at the northern side of Teti's pyramid in Saqqara in an attempt to discover the northern and western limits of the necropolis. 

Digging three metres below ground level, excavators stumbled upon several grave objects dating back to different eras. Some suggested that they did not fit into the historical context of the area, but that they had very possibly been transported from elsewhere. Two Byzantine lamps -- probably from the third or the fourth century AD -- along with some Coptic artefacts were found, followed by a number of very poor, badly preserved and charcoaled late Pharaonic period burial sites on a deeper level. 

Seven coloured amulets featuring different Ancient Egyptian deities such as Anubis in human form with a jackal head, Isis suckling her son Horus, and the Wedjat eye were unearthed in one burial site, while inside a neighbouring grave, the brushed bones of a child were found. Two small baskets containing symbolic hair locks made of thread and a necklace bearing several tiny amulets depicting Bes, god of joy; three amulets depicting Taweret, god of fertility; a Wedjat eye pendant and a cobra pendant were also unearthed, along with a collection of pottery vessels and headrests of different shapes and sizes. 

Everything was going smoothly until early last week. It was a warm winter's day, when the beautiful sculpture of a bearded man's face emerged from amidst the layers of sand, announcing that a master discovery had been made. Archaeologists and site-workers anxiously probed into the sand and uncover three magnificently carved unidentified wooden anthropoid sarcophagi dating back to the 26th Dynasty.

Removing the lid of the first Osiris-shaped sarcophagus showing a man with a curved beard, a very well preserved mummy overlaid with a brightly coloured beaded net determining the facial features of the deceased wearing an elaborate collar, his body and knees were found. On the chest area, the winged god Kheper is represented followed by goddess Nut in the shape of a kneeling winged woman. Below, the four sons of Horus -- Imstey, Hapy, Duamutef and Kebehsnuef -- are depicted. Their representation was believed to protect the deceased during their journey to the afterlife and eternity. 

Inside the second female-shaped coffin, another mummy was found. This is also covered with a blue beaded net outlining the woman's face, her body and an elaborate collar, followed by the winged gods Kheper, Isis and Nephthys and the four sons of Horus. 

The third sarcophagus, which is very similar to the first one, contains a well preserved mummy covered in painted linen showing the facial and body details of the deceased. The painting also bears the same deities represented in the beaded net of the first coffin, along with some funerary text. Two painted wooden statuettes of the Saqqara god Ptah-Sokar were unearthed beside the sarcophagi on a rectangular base; in one he is shown wearing a horned crown and two well preserved feathers, while the two feathers of the second statuette are missing.

Two wooden boxes -- one of which bears the depictions of a Ba bird perching on its lid -- were found among the grave collection. Early studies reveal that they contain material that was once used in mummification. 

"It is a very important discovery revealing that Ptah-Sokar prevailed as the main god of Memphis [Saqqara] starting from the Old Kingdom right through to the Late Period," Supreme Council of Antiquities' Secretary-General Zahi Hawass told Al-Ahram Weekly in a telephone interview. He also asserted that the beautiful beaded nets found on two mummies out of the three which were found suggests that the deceased came from a wealthy family, or perhaps that he was one of the 26th Dynasty's top officials. Hawass hopes that further studies on the hieroglyphs engraved on the triode sarcophagi may reveal more about the life of the deceased.

The mission also unearthed a New Kingdom grave trove. It includes a wooden coffin full with some skeletal remains and two khol jars. The first is a black basalt container bearing remains of black eye paint, while the second is made of alabaster and contains green eye paint. A wooden comb, model mud jars and a small incomplete pottery vessel were also among the finds.

On a deeper level just on the plateau bedrock, said Naguib Kanawati, head of the Australian mission, a number of mud brick Old Kingdom tombs were located. 

Against its southern exterior wall several small mud brick chapels were found, each composed of one room -- mostly corridor-shaped -- and connected to each other by a number of shafts. None of these shafts has been cleared yet, but that will be the mission's task next season. But, Kanawati said, a limestone lintel inscribed with the name of a man called Kaemnefert was found blocking the entrance to the first chapel. The second chapel, which is accessed through the first one, has five niches bearing wooden panels fixed into the walls. One chapel belonged to the tomb's owner Hemy, while the second was dedicated to his wife Nedjeptet. Pottery vessels and a jar were found in a close proximity to both panels. On a slightly higher level on the debris a plaque broken into two parts inscribed for a man called Desi -- described as "the greater of the king" -- was found, along with a false door for his tomb.

On the southern walls of the later cemetery, another collection of tafla tombs was discovered. Clearing one of them, a limestone Naos with two linked statues of the tomb's owner and his wife was unveiled. "It is a very well preserved Naos," asserted Kanawati, who added that it still retains some of its original colouring. 

Early studies of the inscription engraved on the back of the Naos found that it belongs to Meri, the overseer of the four sacred boats and the king's tutor, while his wife Bebty held the title of the acquaintance of the king.

Hawass describes the Naos discovery as highly significant in that the inscription of "overseer of the four sacred boats" confirms a central idea in the Old Kingdom, namely that the king had four sacred boats -- two solar boats related to the pyramid complex, a third for his funeral rituals and a fourth for the god Hathor. He added that it also reveals how Ancient Egyptian kings loved their tutors as they allowed them to be buried within their vicinity. A similar case was shown in the tomb of sneff the tutor of king Khufu.

As for the wooden drum, inscribed with the name of Nefer-Hetep-Hemy, found among the debris of Meri's tomb, Kanawati sees that despite the fact that it was found in the chapel of Meri, the rarity of the name Hemy and the closeness of his tomb to that of Hemy suggests that the drum originated from the neighbouring tomb.

In an attempt to protect and preserve the later discoveries, said Culture Minister Farouk Hosni, the mission along with the Saqqara Restoration Department are now carrying out comprehensive restoration and documentation work. He went on to say that as the excavated area is surrounded by sand and debris to a height of some ten centimetres, the mission built a stepped retaining wall made from locally collected stones with no mortar, in order to give the site stability and protection. "It will also provide an aesthetically appealing panorama," Hosni said, asserting that this wall could be easily dismantled if future work requires expansion to the north or the west.

Fuente: Al Ahram weekly

 
NOTICIA EN CASTELLANO:

02/03/05
Egipto.- Arqueólogos australianos descubren tres momias milenarias tras una puerta secreta
SAKARA, Egipto (EP/AP)
Un grupo de arqueólogos australianos halló tres féretros con sus respectivas momias, una de ellas en muy buen estado de conservación en una tumba de 2.500 años de antigüedad que descubrieron por casualidad al abrir una puerta secreta detrás de una estatua, según anunció hoy el titular de antiguedades de Egipto, Zahi Hawass. Elequipo australiano estaba explorando otra tumba, de 4.200 años de antiguedad, en la que descansa Meri, supuesto tutor del Rey Pepi II, de la Sexta Dinastía, cuando movieron algunas estatuas y descubrieron la puerta secreta, precisó Zahi Hawass. En su interior hallaron una tumba de la vigésimo sexta dinastía con "tres hermosos féretros", cada uno de ellos con una momia. Una de esas momias presenta un estado de conservación excelente, según informó Hawass a los periodistas presentes en el lugar de la excavación en el cementerio de Sakara, a 24 kilómetros al sur de El Cairo. El pecho de esta momia está cubierto de cuentas. "En la mayoría de las momias de este período, aproximadamente 500 AC, las cuentas han desaparecido, pero ésta las conserva todas", agregó mientras la observaba, rodeada con cuentas azul turquesa y amortajada con tiras de lino negro. Hawass informó de que los féretros de madera, llamados antropoides porque presentan forma humana, llevan inscripciones que datan de la Dinastía 26. Junto a ellos encontraron también la estatua de dos dioses: Petah, dios de los artesanos, y Sakaer, dios del cementerio. Se cree además que Meri, supuesto tutor del Rey Pepi II, supervisaba cuatro embarcaciones sagradas, también encontradas en la pirámide. Estas embarcaciones eran enterradas con los reyes egipcios para ayudarles más allá de la muerte, dijo Hawass. Según la tradición, Pepi II, el último gobernante de la Sexta Dinastía, reinó desde 2.278 AC. hasta 2184 AC., dando lugar a uno de los reinados más largos de la antigua historia egipcia.

Fuente: Europa Press
 
03/03/05
Arqueólogos hallan tumba de tutor de Pepi I, faraón de Egipto
EL CAIRO (Reuters) - Arqueólogos australianos han descubierto una tumba que se piensa perteneció al tutor del Faraón Pepi I, quien gobernó Egipto hace más de 4.200 años, dijo el jueves el jefe de los arqueólogos del Gobierno egipcio.Los arqueólogos encontraron la tumba el mes pasado junto a una que contenía tres ataúdes de un período muy posterior, dijo Zahi Hawas, presidente del Consejo Supremo de Arqueología, a Reuters. "Este descubrimiento es muy importante porque el dueño de la tumba era un tutor y creemos que era el del rey Pepi I", dijo.Está situada al norte de la pirámide de Teti, el padre de Pepi I, en la antigua necrópolis de Saqqara, unos 20 kilómetros al sur de El Cairo. Pepi I gobernó desde el año 2.332 a.C. hasta el año 2.282 a.C. "De acuerdo a lo indicado por las inscripciones de su tumba, el nombre del tutor era Mery y las dos estatuas talladas en la puerta falsa eran de él y su esposa", agregó Hawas. Hawas dijo que se creía que Mery también fue el capataz de cuatro barcos sagrados que fueron enterrados al lado de la pirámide más próxima, y que el descubrimiento de la tumba podía ayudar a explicar la relación misteriosa entre los barcos y la pirámide.*.
Fuente: Reuters
 
NOTICIA EN INGLÉS:

04/03/05
Beaded woman's mystique calls across 25 centuries
The green eyes stare unblinkingly from the beaded mask. The dark eyebrows and terracotta face look as fresh as ever. Yet the female figure covered in turquoise beads and swaddled in black linen, nestling in a wooden sarcophagus, is probably 2500 years old. gypt's chief archaeologist, Dr Zahi Hawass, yesterday proudly unveiled whathe called one of the best-preserved mummies ever. He stood among treasures uncovered by accident by an Australian team of archaeologists in Saqqara, the burial site of Memphis, once the capital of ancient Egypt. The Australians, who were exploring a 4200-year-old tomb, pushed aside apair of ancient statues last week and found a door which led them to the tomb holding three cedar coffins, each containing a mummy. Inside one was the magnificently preserved beaded woman. Wooden boxes by the coffins contained vital organs. "The chest of the mummy is covered with beads. Most mummies of this period - about 500BC - the beads are completely gone, but this mummy has them all,"Hawass said. The tombs of Saqqara, the vast necropolis in the desert 50km south of Cairo, were constructed over thousands of years. Excavations have been going on for two centuries. Professor Naguib Kanawati, the head of the team from Macquarie University in Sydney which found the mummies from the 26th Dynasty (664-525BC), said their site had been under excavation for the past 10 years. The door was hidden behind statues of a man believed to have been Meri, tutor of King Pepi II, who was the last ruler in Egypt's 6th Dynasty, and the tutor's wife.After Pepi II's rule, the site was covered by 15m of sand, until it was used again as a cemetery 2600 years later. "By that time the art of mummification was perfected to the extreme," Kanawati said. The identity of the mummies has not yet been ascertained, and they are to undergo ultrasound and x-ray testing, which may reveal their age, and the possible cause of death. But there is speculation that they may be teachers. "These were not particularly wealthy people," said Kanawati. "They are notcommoners ... They are middle-class people, but not royalty." 

Fuente: New Zealand Herald

04/03/05

Aussies 'over moon' with mummy find

NAGUIB Kanawati is "over the moon" after discovering three perfectly  preserved Egyptian mummies in an ancient cemetery near Cairo. The remains, estimated to be about 2600 years old, date back to Egypt's 26th Dynasty. The mummies - two men and a woman - were decorated with exquisite bead netting and placed inside human-shaped coffins carved from Lebanese cedar. "(The find) will be an incredible addition to our knowledge," said ProfessorKanawati, an Egyptologist based at Macquarie University in Sydney. He said further study promised to reveal details about the funerary customs, art and wood-working technology of the poorly-understood period in Egyptian history. In November, Professor Kanawati will return to Cairo where the mummies are being held in temperature and humidity-controlled rooms. Along with medical experts, he plans to conduct non-invasive investigations of the mummies, using X-ray and medical scanning technology."What diseases did they suffer from? What was their life expectancy, their dental condition and nutrition? A great deal could be learned," Professor Kanawati said. The professor discovered the coffins last month, at the very end of the field season. "It's typical of archaeology," he said with a laugh. At the time, his team of seven Australians and 60 Egyptians were excavatingthe cemetery of King Teti, founder in 2345BC of the 6th Dynasty. The cemetery is located at Saqqara, 24km south of Cairo. According to Professor Kanawati, the people who interred the more recent remains would not have known of the earlier cemetery. "After Teti's reign, it was abandoned and covered with sand and debris toabout 15m," he said. Professor Kanawati suspects the three mummies were members of the same family of bureaucrats because their internal organs had been liquified during mummification, not stored whole in jars. The "beads" covering one mummy were also fakes painted on to linen. "I thought it was the same as the others until we removed the dust," he said. "I've never seen anything like it."

Fuente: Herald Sun

 
02/03/04
Archaeologists find 2,600-year-old mummy
'One of the best preserved mummies' from the 26th Dynasty A mummy dating back about 2,600 years is displayed Wednesday in Saqqara, south of Cairo.

CAIRO, Egypt (Reuters) -- Australian archaeologists have discovered one of the best preserved ancient Egyptian mummies dating from about 2,600 years ago, Zahi Hawass, the head of Egypt's Supreme Council for Antiquities has said.The Australian team digging near the Saqqara pyramids, 25 km (15 miles) south of Cairo, found three coffins last week dating from the 26th Dynasty (664-525 BC), Hawass told Reuters. The 26th Dynasty ruled ancient Egypt immediately before Persians occupied the area for about 80 years. "In one of them (coffins) there is one of the best preserved mummies ever found dating from the 26th Dynasty," Hawass said. Two of the coffins contained male mummies and were crafted to represent bearded figures wearing elaborate collars with their arms crossed over their chests, the antiquities council said in a statement. The male mummies were wrapped in linen and covered from head to knee by a net of beads arranged to depict how they looked in life, it said. The third coffin, which was in worse condition than the other two, contained a mummified woman who was covered by a net of mosaic beads depicting her, the council said. The mummies will be exhibited at a new museum named after Imhotep, builderof the first Egyptian pyramid, to be opened in Saqqara in three months, Hawass told Reuters. Last year French and Egyptian archaeologists uncovered more than 50 mummies from the same period buried in deep shafts in the same area. Fuente: CNN International  03/03/05 Archaeology: 2,500 years old, and as fresh as the day she was buried Hidden in a sprawling tomb behind a pair of ancient statues in the capital of ancient Egypt, a team of Australian archaeologists has found one of the best-preserved mummies, reports Anne Penketh The green eyes stare out unblinkingly from the beaded mask. The woman's dark eyebrows and terracotta face look as fresh as they ever did. Yet the figure covered in turquoise beads and swaddled in black linen, nestling in a wooden sarcophagus, is believed to be 2,500 years old. Egypt's chief archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, yesterday proudly unveiled what he described as probably one of the best-preserved mummies ever. He stood among the treasures that were uncovered by accident by an Australian team of archaeologists in Saqqara, the burial site of Memphis, once the capital of ancient Egypt. The Australians, who were exploring a tomb dating back 4,200 years, pushed aside a pair of ancient statues last week and found a door which led them to the tomb containing three cedar coffins, each containing a mummy. Inside one was the magnificently preserved beaded woman. Wooden boxes next to the coffins contained vital organs. "The chest of the mummy is covered with beads. Most of the mummies of this period - about 500BC - the beads are completely gone, but this mummy has them all," Dr Hawass told journalists at the site. For many people, the tourist trail to Egypt means taking a trip to the pyramids and the sphinx at Giza, perilously close to the encroaching Cairo suburbs, before embarking on a slow cruise down the Nile to Luxor, Karnak and the Valley of the Kings. But further off the beaten track lies Saqqarah, the vast necropolis spread out in the desert sands 30 miles south of Cairo. Its most commanding pyramid is the world's oldest major stone structure, built around 2630BC for King Djoser. But its tombs were constructed over thousands of years, and many ofits secrets have still to be discovered. Excavations at Saqqara have been going on for the past two centuries. In 2001, Dutch archaeologists found a new tomb. In 2002, an Egyptian mission made a major discovery of seven mud-brick tombs of high-ranking officials who lived in the New Kingdom (1550-1069BC). Naguib Kanawati, the head of the Australian team from Sydney's Macquarie University, which made the astonishing discovery of the mummies from the 26th Dynasty (664-525BC), said their site had been under excavation for 10 years. The door was hidden behind statues of a man believed to have been Meri, the tutor of King Pepi II who was the last ruler in Egypt's 6th Dynasty, and the tutor's wife. After Pepi II's rule, the site was covered by 50 feet of sand, until it was used again as a cemetery 2,600 years later. "By that time the art of mummification was perfected to the extreme," Professor Kanawati said. The identity of the mummies has not yet been ascertained, and they are to undergo ultrasound and X-ray testing, which may reveal their age, signs of disease and the possible cause of death. But there is speculation that the mummies may be teachers.
"These were not particularly wealthy people. They are not commoners ... They are middle-class people, but not royalty," Professor Kanawati said. All three bodies were extremely well preserved. Two coffins contained male mummies, wrapped in dark linen bandages and painted or covered in beads fromtheir head to their knees. The third coffin, which was in worse condition than the other two, contained the woman. "We cannot and we don't want to unwrap them because that would start the deterioration," Professor Kanawati stressed. The mummies will be handed over to the Egyptian authorities once Australian researchers have fully studied the bodies. Inscriptions n the body-shaped coffins will also be studied. "I believe this discovery can enrich us about two important periods in our history, the Old Kingdom, which dates back to 4,200 years, and the 26th Dynasty, that was 2,500 years ago," Dr Hawass said.

Fuente: The Independent
 
   

* Noticias anteriores:

 

Descubrimientos - Egipto hasta Junio 2006
Nueva tumba en el Valle de los Reyes KV 63
Descubrimientos - Egipto - Enero a Mayo 2006
Descubrimientos - Egipto (Hasta Diciembre 2005)
Descubrimientos - Egipto (hasta Mayo 2005)
Descubrimientos I - Egipto 2002
Descubrimientos II - Egipto 2003
Descubrimientos - Egipto 2004 - Enero / Mayo
Descubrimientos - Egipto 2004 - Junio / Diciembre
Entrevista-Nueva cámara en pirámide Keops

Nota: Las noticias sin origen referenciado en las mismas, provienen siempre de http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html1/