Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Akhenaten-era tomb discovered

"Dutch archaeologists have discovered the tomb of the Pharaoh Akhenaten's seal bearer, decorated with paintings including scenes of monkeys picking and eating fruit, Egyptian antiquities officials said on Wednesday. The tomb belonged to the official named Ptahemwi and was discovered during a Dutch team's excavation in the Sakkara area, the burial ground for the city of Memphis, the state news agency MENA said, quoting chief antiquities official Zahi Hawass. . . . Officials said the tomb had limestone walls with paintings of scenes from daily life and of Ptahemwi receiving offerings."
Thanks very much to Tony Marson for sending me this link, which has a photograph of the tomb's interior: The discovery shows that notables contemporary with Akhenaton continued to be buried in Saqqara, just outside the modern day capital of Cairo, indicating the enduring importance of old religious orthodoxy under 'the heretic pharaoh'."

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