Archaelogists discover ancient Egyptian gold in pharaonic tomb
April 13, 2009
News from Egypt
Ancient golden jewellery was found in a pharaonic era tomb thought to belong to a senior official who lived some 3,500 years ago under the reign of Queen Hatshepsut, on the west bank of the Nile river in Luxor.
The Egyptian Culture and Antiquities Ministry said in a statement that an excavation team found five golden earrings and two rings in the tomb of the state treasurer who served during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut.
The chamber, the second in the tomb, is the fourth dating to this period that has been found with painted walls, the statement said. Two of its walls are decorated with texts from the Egyptian Book of the Dead and the ceiling bears a mural of the goddess Nut.
Spanish archaeologists made the discovery while excavating at the site in Dra Abu El-Naga on the west bank of Luxor and discovered a 3-meter shaft inside Djehuty’s tomb at the end of the 2008 archaeological season. The new burial chamber was then discovered earlier this year, the statement said.
Egypt to open inner chambers of ‘bent’ pyramid
Travelers to Egypt will soon be able to explore the inner chambers of the 4,500-year-old “bent” pyramid, known for its oddly shaped profile, and other nearby ancient tombs.
The increased access to the pyramids south of Cairo is part of a new sustainable development campaign that Egypt hopes will attract more visitors but Egypt’s chief archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, said the chambers of the 330-foot-pyramid outside the village of Dahshur, 50 miles south of Cairo, will be opened for the first time to tourists within the next “month or two.” “This is going to be an adventure,” he told reporters.
Dahshur’s bent pyramid is famous for its irregular profile.
The massive tomb’s sides rise at a steep angle but then abruptly tapers off at a more shallow approach to the pyramid’s apex.
Archaeologists believe the pyramid-builders changed their minds while constructing it out of fear the whole structure might collapse because the sides were too steep.
2 statues for Amenhotep III unveiled
Minister of Culture, Farouk Hosni, said the Egyptian-European archeological team working in Amenhotep III temple in Luxor city has discovered two big-size statues belonging to Pharaoh King Amenhotep III and a number of ancient thresholds.
Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawwas said the first statute is made of granite while the other one is made of quartzite, while the thresholds are made of sandstone.
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