Ancient Egyptian fruit hamper found in King Tut's tomb

[Khamphout]

Ancient Egyptian fruit hamper found in King Tut's tomb
Friday, September 28, 2007

 - Agence France Presse


  Eight baskets filled with fruits preserved for more than 3,000 years have been discovered by Egyptian archaeologists in Tutankhamun's tomb, the Supreme Council of Antiquities said on Monday.

  A team of Egyptian archaeologists, led by antiquities supremo Zahi Hawass, made the discovery in the Valley of the Kings in the ancient city of Thebes, the modern-day Luxor, in southern Egypt.

  "The eight baskets contained large quantities of doum fruits, which have been well preserved," Hawass said in a statement. The fruit baskets are each 50 centimeters (nearly 20 inches) high, the antiquities department said.

  The sweet orange-red fruit, also known as the gingerbread fruit, comes from the Doum Palm, a native of southern Egypt, and was traditionally offered at funerals. Twenty pear-shaped containers, one meter (three feet) in height and bearing Tutankhamun's official seal were also discovered.

  According to Hawass, the containers are probably full of provisions that were destined to travel with the pharaoh to the afterlife. They will be opened soon, he said. The boy king's intact tomb caused an international sensation when it was discovered by Briton Howard Carter in 1922. More than 5,000 beautifully preserved objects -- including a chair with an intact wicker seat and a cosmetic jar which still contained animal fats and resins--were found.

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